The escalation of tensions continues between Israel and Iran. Tehran fired more than 200 drones and cruise missiles towards Israeli territory on Saturday, April 13, “in the vast majority” by Israel and the United States, the two countries said on Sunday. Expected by Israel and its allies in recent days, this attack is presented by Iran as a response to the strike attributed to Israel on its consulate in Damascus (Syria) on April 1, which left 16 dead, including two generals of the Islamic regime. . As of Sunday morning, the entire Israeli territory remained on alert. Follow our live stream.
A “swarm” of several types of machines. According to the Israeli army, Iran has “launched a swarm of 200 killer drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles”which did not cause significant destruction. “Iranian missiles fell in Israeli territory, causing minor damage to a military base but without causing any casualties”, said army spokesperson Daniel Hagari. For its part, the official Iranian agency Irna assures that the shots caused “serious damage in the largest air base in the Negev”this desert in the south of Israel.
Airspace in the region closed. When the Iranian shots were announced on Saturday evening, Israel and its neighbors declared a ban on flights over their territory. Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq have thus locked their airspace in order to prevent Iranian drones and missiles, or anti-aircraft fire, from hitting an airliner, for example. On Sunday morning, commercial flights continued to carefully avoid the area, as shown in this map from the specialist site FlightRadar24.
The United States assures Israel of its support. American President Joe Biden spoke on the phone overnight from Saturday to Sunday with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, after a war cabinet meeting. The tenant of the White House thus reiterated his support “unshakeable” to his long-time partner.
Joe Biden convenes the G7 countries. At the initiative of the United States, the leaders of the G7 (which brings together France, the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany) are convened on Sunday to coordinate a “united diplomatic response” to the Iranian attack “shameless”, announced US President Joe Biden in a press release. An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council is planned for Sunday, after UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned “a serious escalation”.