the night Tehran targeted the Jewish state for the first time

More than 300 drones and missiles were fired overnight from Saturday to Sunday by Iran, in what constitutes an unprecedented escalation of tensions between the two countries.

The news was announced live on Israeli television shortly after 11 p.m. (10 p.m. in Paris), Saturday April 13. “Iran launched drones from its territory towards Israel”has declared army spokesperson Daniel Hagari. A few minutes earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured that his country was prepared to “the possibility of a direct attack by Iran” and was “ready to face any scenario, both in defense and attack”.

The Iranian threat of a direct attack against Israel, mentioned for several days by the United States, has therefore been carried out. It was with a shower of more than 300 drones and cruise missiles, according to the Israeli army, that Tehran chose to respond to the bombing, on April 1, of its embassy in Damascus, Syria.

Shots from all sides

On social networks, first images showed drones cutting through the sky in Iran, but also in Iraq, towards Israel. At the same time, Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels, Tehran’s allies in Lebanon and Yemen, also declared carrying out rocket or drone attacks.

Faced with the Iranian operation, called “Honest Promise” by Iran, Benjamin Netanyahu immediately assembled his war cabinet. Helped by American and British forces, the Israeli air force deployed above border countries to destroy as many drones as possible. Not all were intercepted, since around 2 a.m. local time, Iron Dome went into action, destroying most of the drones that entered Israeli skies, while sirens sounded in Jerusalem and many cities.

According to Magen David Adom, the Israeli rescue services, only a young girl from a Bedouin village near Arad (southern Israel) was seriously injured by debris after the interception of an Iranian drone, notably reported on Wall Street Journal.

A shower of condemnations against the attack

In the middle of the night, the army stressed that the attack was still underway, but “the large majority” Iranian projectiles had been intercepted by Israel. One or more of them, however, managed to reach their target: a major air base in the Negev desert, making “serious damage” according to the official Iranian agency, “minor damage” according to the IDF.

In the minutes following the start of the operation, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, published a message on X stating: “The evil regime will be punished”. In Iran, several thousand people gathered in the country’s main cities, waving flags of the Islamic Republic or Hezbollah, to cries of “Death to Israel” And “Death to America”.

“Our commitment to the security of Israel in the face of threats from Iran and its relays [dans la région] is unshakable”wrote Joe Biden on the social network X, posting a photo of an emergency meeting with his national security team at the White House.

The reactions of the international community were not long in coming, with London condemning an attack “dangerous”, France believing that Iran had crossed “a new level in its destabilizing actions” and took “the risk of a military escalation”. Iran’s attack could “plunging the entire region into chaos”, according to Berlin, while the EU, through the voice of Josep Borrell condemned “firmly” an attack “unacceptable” component “an unprecedented escalation and a serious threat to regional security”.

In a message posted in the evening, Iran’s mission to the UN urged the United States to “to stay out of” of the conflict. Confirming that the attack “was a response to the aggression of the Zionist regime on our diplomatic services in Damascus”, this message adds that “the matter can be considered concluded”, except in case “another mistake by the Israeli regime”.

Maximum alert level

As announced on Saturday evening by the Israeli army, schools in the country will remain closed until Monday April 15 inclusive. Outdoor gatherings are still limited to 1,000 people. If Israel no longer expects new drone or missile attacks, the country remained on alert Sunday morning.

“99% of threats made against Israel on Sunday night were intercepted”, assured the country’s army, which mentions 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles. The IDF also rushed to publish videos on Telegram of the Nevatim air base, targeted by Iran, to show that combat planes continued to land and take off there.

As the UN Security Council meets on Sunday, as do the G7 countries at the request of the United States, all eyes are on Israeli power and possible reprisals for the Iranian attack, facing a regime which is developing its nuclear capabilities. “The incident is not over, other threats are looming on the horizon…”alerted Daniel Hagari, the army spokesperson. “The Chief of Staff [de Tsahal] approved plans for the near future. Iran has committed a serious act by pushing the Middle East towards escalation.”he also denounced, without specifying the “plans” in question.