Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles (ballistic and cruise) against Israel overnight from Saturday to Sunday, in response to a strike against its consulate in Damascus, the first direct attack ever carried out by the Islamic Republic against the Israeli territory. This attack caused minor damage to a military base but caused no casualties,” said Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari. An emergency meeting of the Security Council is scheduled for this Sunday, after the UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned “a serious escalation”.
Information to remember
⇒ Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles against Israel overnight from Saturday to Sunday
⇒ “99% of shots” were intercepted, announces the Israeli army
⇒ Biden assures Israel of his “unwavering” support after the attack
Israeli airspace has been reopened since 7:30 a.m.
Israeli airspace, closed overnight from Saturday to Sunday just before the Iranian attack on Israel, has been reopened since 7:30 a.m., according to a press release from the airport authority. “In accordance with the directives of the security system, Israeli airspace has been reopened since 7:30 a.m. (04:30 GMT) and Ben Gurion Airport is once again operational,” details the press release. The airport website reports very significant delays both on departure and arrival.
Iran believes it has taken revenge and warns Israel
Iran called on Israel this Sunday not to react militarily to its unprecedented attack launched in the night, which it presented as a justified response to the strike that destroyed its consulate in Damascus. “The case can be considered closed,” announced the Iranian mission to the UN in a message posted three hours after the start of its operation. But, she immediately warned, “if the Israeli regime made another mistake, Iran’s response would be considerably more severe.” Tehran assured that its attack was “carried out on the basis of Article 51 of the United Nations Charter relating to self-defense”.
Israel and allied countries ‘foiled’ Iranian attack
Israel and allied countries “foiled” the Iranian attack on its territory by intercepting “99% of the shots”, declared this Sunday, April 14, the spokesperson for the Israeli army. “The Iranian attack was foiled […]. We have intercepted 99% of the fire towards Israel,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised address. No drones or missiles “have penetrated Israeli territory” while only a few ballistic missiles “have entered and slightly affected the Nevatim base,” he continued. “The base is still active and the runways are used for landings and takeoffs.”
“With the United States and other partners, we succeeded in defending the territory of the State of Israel,” added Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, “very little damage was caused, “is the result of the remarkable operations of the Israeli Defense Forces.” After meeting with Israeli defense officials, the minister reiterated that “the campaign is not yet over.”
Biden assures Israel of his “unwavering” support
American President Joe Biden said in a statement that he spoke in the evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reaffirm “the unwavering commitment of the United States to the security of Israel”.
“I told him that Israel had demonstrated a remarkable ability to defend itself against and thwart unprecedented attacks, sending a clear message to its enemies that they cannot effectively threaten Israel’s security.” , he added. Joe Biden stressed that American forces had helped to shoot down “almost all” of the drones and missiles fired by Iran at Israel. He also said he will convene his counterparts from the G7, a group of the most industrialized countries, on Sunday to coordinate a “united diplomatic response” to Tehran’s “brazen” attack.
Paris accuses Tehran of “taking a new level in its destabilizing actions”
The European Union “strongly condemns” the attack, declared the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, denouncing an “unprecedented escalation” and “a serious threat to regional security”. France, through its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, also accuses Tehran of “taking a new level in its destabilizing actions”. In two messages posted on
Her German counterpart Annalena Baerbock condemned the Iranian attack “which could plunge the entire region into chaos”. The British government said it was sending additional fighter jets to the Middle East and would intercept “any air attack within range of our existing missions, if necessary.”
Hezbollah says it launched new rocket salvo on Israeli-occupied Golan
Lebanese Hezbollah announced this Sunday that it had bombed the occupied Golan, for the second time in the space of a few hours, when Iran launched a drone attack on Saturday evening towards Israel. At the same time, Yemeni Houthi rebels, other allies of Tehran, also carried out anti-Israeli attacks by launching drones towards Israeli territory.
In a statement, the powerful Hezbollah, which has been carrying out daily attacks against Israel for more than six months, said it had launched “dozens of Katyusha-type rockets” on three Israeli military positions located in the Syrian Golan occupied by Israel. This second attack comes “in response to Israeli night raids which targeted several villages and localities […]”, causing several martyrs and injuries,” added the statement. Among the three targets targeted shortly before dawn on Sunday were an Israeli barracks that the party had already announced had targeted a few hours earlier, as well as the Yarden military bases. and Nafah.
The airspace of several countries closed
Jordan and Lebanon, Israel’s neighbors, have announced the closure of their airspace, as has Iraq, which borders Iran. Also neighboring Israel, Egypt announced the placing of its air defenses on maximum alert and warned of a “risk of regional expansion of the conflict”. Saudi Arabia, for its part, called on all parties to “maximum restraint”.