Israel prepares as Iran launches retaliatory strikes

CNN
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Iran has launched a wave of attacks on Israel in retaliation for last week's deadly Israeli attack on an Iranian embassy compound in Syria, in an unprecedented move by Tehran that could further escalate the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Several dozen drones were launched from inside Iran on Saturday, a senior US administration official told CNN, while an Israeli military officer said the number was more than 100. Iranian state media confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had launched widespread drone strikes against targets in the occupied territories, referring to Israel.

Iran has also fired missiles at Israel, according to Israeli and Iranian media.

In response, dozens of Israeli warplanes are now in the air on a defensive mission in Israeli airspace, according to an Israeli military official, who said Israeli forces aim to intercept the drones before they reach Israeli skies.

CNN's team in Jerusalem reported hearing explosions and sirens as the apparent intercepts occurred early Sunday morning local time.

We are continuing to see multiple intercepts in the skies above me coming from many different directions. It's hard to tell what's an incoming missile and what's an intercept, CNN's Nic Robertson reported.

I hear multiple, multiple, bursts again of what sounds like bugging. I'm not hearing the sound of shots, he said, adding that his team had already seen dozens of apparent interceptions.

Two US officials said US air defense systems in the Middle East had also intercepted some Iranian drones, but they did not specify where or how. US officials had previously told CNN that the US would try to intercept any weapons launched into Israel if it were possible to do so.

Public shelters have opened in the northern Israeli city of Haifa and Israel has closed its airspace, as have nearby Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon. Israel's Home Front Command meanwhile announced that gatherings of more than 1,000 people would be banned.

US President Joe Biden held a lengthy meeting with his national security team on Saturday night to assess the attack, according to a US official.

Biden is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies, US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said Saturday, stressing that the administration's support for Israel's security is ironclad.

US naval forces in the Red Sea have previously intercepted long-range missiles fired by the Houthis in Yemen towards Israel. US forces in Iraq and Syria can also intercept drones and missiles aimed at northern Israel.

Iran's mission to the UN confirmed early Sunday local time that the drone strikes were its response to the attack on its consulate in Damascus, adding that the matter was now considered closed.

However, if the Israeli regime makes another mistake, Iran's response will be significantly tougher. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime that the US MUST STAY AWAY FROM! The Permanent Mission of Iran is added to itstatement for X.

Separately on Saturday, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah claimed to have fired dozens of Katyusha rockets targeting the IDF air defense headquarters in the Golan Heights.

Fears that Israel's war in Gaza could lead to a wider regional conflict have grown since Iran accused Israel of bombing its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month.

The airstrike destroyed the consulate building in the capital Damascus, killing at least seven officials, including Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and senior commander Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, the ministry said at the time. foreign affairs of Iran.

Zahedi, a former commander of the IRGC's ground forces, air force and deputy commander of its operations, was the most high-profile Iranian target killed since then-US President Donald Trump ordered the killing of Gen. IRGC's Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel would be punished for the attack, while President Ebrahim Raisi said it would not go unanswered, state news agency IRNA reported. The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said the attack would be met with retribution and retaliation.

Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, but said it believed the building hit was a military building of the Quds Force, an IRGC unit responsible for foreign operations.

Shortly after the drones were launched Saturday night, Iran's Defense Minister, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, warned that any country that allows Israel to use its airspace or territory to attack Iran will face a decisive response.

The United States has warned for several days of a real, credible and actionable threat of Iranian retaliatory attacks against Israel. Senior US officials said after the attack that they believed an attack by Iran was inevitable, a view shared by their Israeli counterparts, the official said.

As part of its response, the U.S. sent Central Command chief Gen. Michael Kurilla to Israel for talks with Israeli military counterparts, and on Friday a defense official told CNN that the Pentagon was moving additional assets to the Middle East to bolster regional efforts. prevention and to increase strength. protection for US forces.

Israel is prepared for a direct attack from Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Saturday evening.

Our defense systems are in place; we are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively. The state of Israel is strong. The IDF is strong. The audience is strong, he said.

We have established a clear principle: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We will defend ourselves against any threat and we will do so at high levels and with determination, Netanyahu said.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Reporting contributed by CNN's Paul Murphy.