(Jerusalem) Iran launched around a hundred drones against Israel on Saturday, a military official said almost two weeks after a raid on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, an attack that raised fears of an explosion in the Middle East. Iran claims, through the government news agency IRNA, that it also sent ballistic missiles as part of its attack. Several detonations were heard in the sky in Jerusalem during the night from Saturday to Sunday accompanied by warning sirens.
This is the first direct attack ever carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the territory of Israel, its sworn enemy.
At the same time, Iran’s allies, Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemeni Houthi rebels have carried out anti-Israeli attacks, the former firing rockets into the Israeli-occupied Golan, and the latter launching drones towards of Israeli territory.
The Israeli military said Iranian drones would take “hours” to reach Israel.
The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, announced that they had launched both drones and missiles towards Israel, in particular in response to the strike on 1er April which destroyed its consulate in Damascus and cost the lives of two senior officers of the Guardians.
PHOTO OFFICE OF THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) meets with his war cabinet in Tel Aviv.
Iran has accused Israel, but the latter has neither confirmed nor denied it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose army is engaged in a war in Gaza, immediately after the Iranian attack brought together his staff and his close collaborators in a bunkered room in an undisclosed location, according to his services.
Historical allies of Israel, the United States indicated that they will “stand alongside the people of Israel”, after announcing on Friday the sending of reinforcements to the region.
“Killer drones”
“Iran launched drones from its territory towards Israel,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised address shortly after 11 p.m. (4 p.m. Eastern Time). .
“We are closely monitoring the killer drones sent by Iran and en route to Israel,” Rear Admiral Hagari said. “We are working closely with the United States and our partners to counter and intercept launches. »
This “direct attack launched from Iranian soil” is a “serious and dangerous escalation,” he said.
Other “drone waves” targeting Israel are possible, a military official warned.
Following the Iranian attack, Israel closed its airspace at 12:30 a.m. local time on Sunday (5:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday).
He had already announced the closure of schools on Sunday, the first day of the week in Israel, and Monday, as well as the suspension of “teaching activities, travel and outings” during school and extracurricular activities.
“Devilish diet”
“In response to the numerous crimes committed by the Zionist regime, including the attack on the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus and the martyrdom of a group of our country’s military commanders and advisors in Syria, the IDF “Revolutionary Guard air force fired dozens of missiles and drones at specific targets inside the occupied territories (Israel),” state television quoted the Guards as saying.
In the minutes following the start of the operation, called “honest promise”, the X account of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reposted a message stating: “the evil regime will be punished”.
ARCHIVE PHOTO SUPREME GUIDE OF IRAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian Supreme Leader
Jordan and Lebanon, Israel’s neighbors, have announced the closure of their airspace, as has Iraq, which borders Iran. Also neighboring Israel, Egypt has announced that it is putting its air defenses on high alert.
Paris and London condemned the Iranian attack.
War in Gaza
Earlier on Saturday, Revolutionary Guard maritime special forces seized a ship accused of being “linked” to Israel, with 25 crew members on board, in Gulf waters.
PHOTO MIDEAST DEFENSE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
An Iranian helicopter lands a commando aboard a ship near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, which does not recognize the existence of Israel, is an ally of Hamas, author of an unprecedented bloody attack on Israeli soil on October 7 which provoked a devastating Israeli offensive in Gaza, where 33,686 people, mainly civilians, died according to the authorities of the Palestinian movement.
The Israeli army continued its war in the Gaza Strip, which it has besieged since October 9 and where the majority of the 2.4 million inhabitants are threatened with famine according to the UN.
In the past 24 hours, 52 Palestinians have been killed, according to the health ministry of Hamas, which took power in Gaza in 2007 and is classified as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Israel.
On October 7, Hamas commandos infiltrated from Gaza carried out an attack in southern Israel, resulting in the death of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to a report established by AFP based on official Israeli data. .
More than 250 people have been kidnapped and 129 remain detained in Gaza, including 34 who have died, according to Israeli officials.
With the Associated Press
Iran accused of attacks on Israeli targets for 30 years
Before the drone and missile attack launched on Saturday by Iran against Israel, Tehran has been accused for 30 years and on several occasions of having launched indirect attacks against Israel, outside its territory, while the two countries are engaged in a latent war for decades.
2021: attacks at sea
On February 25, 2021, the MV Helios Rayan Israeli boat transporting vehicles and which was traveling between the Saudi city of Dammam and Singapore, was hit by an explosion off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman, according to the company Dryad Global specializing in maritime security.
1er March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Iran of being behind the explosion. Tehran rejects these accusations and sends a warning to Israel.
On July 29, 2021, an attack in the Arabian Sea against an oil tanker managed by the company of an Israeli billionaire left two people, British and Romanian, dead. Israel, the United States, Britain and Romania have accused Tehran, which has denied any involvement.
2012: attack and attempts in several countries
In February 2012, a series of attacks targeted Israeli targets in Georgia, India and Thailand. Accused of having orchestrated these attacks using Hezbollah agents, Tehran rejects Israel’s accusations.
In March, Azerbaijan claimed to have foiled attacks planned by Tehran against the Israeli and US embassies in Baku, and to have arrested 22 people suspected of having been recruited and trained by Iran. The Iranian authorities deny this.
On July 2, Mr. Netanyahu denounced “Iranian terrorism without borders” after the arrest in Kenya of two Iranians accused of possessing explosives, arrested then released.
On July 14, he made the same accusations after the arrest in Cyprus of a young Lebanese man, suspected of having prepared an attack against Israeli interests.
On July 18, Israel accused Tehran of having ordered the attack against an Israeli tourist bus in Bulgaria which was carried out, according to Tel Aviv, by Hezbollah. The attack left seven people dead, including five Israelis. Iran rejects these accusations.
1992 and 1994 in Argentina
In 1992, an attack against the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires left 29 dead and more than 200 injured, then in 1994, the worst attack in the history of Argentina was committed against the building of the Israeli-Mutual Association. Argentina (Amia), killing 85 people and injuring more than 300. These two attacks were sponsored by Iran, the Argentine courts ruled on Thursday, thirty years after the events.