Iran launched a drone attack against Israel on Saturday evening, April 13, 2024. Largely intercepted by Israel and its allies the United States and France, this strike reaffirms the possibility of a new war in the Middle East.
12:01 – The government invites the French to leave Iran
After Iran’s attack on Israel last night, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is recommending, this Sunday, to French people residing in Iran to “temporarily leave” the country.
11:50 – Russia calls for “restraint”
After France and the United States, Russia called, this Sunday, “the parties involved to exercise restraint”. “We are counting on the states of the region to find a solution to the existing problems, by political and diplomatic means,” added the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, in a press release.
11:01 – For Iran, “the matter can be considered closed”
“Iran’s military action was a response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus. The matter can be considered closed,” the Iranian mission to the UN said in a message posted three hours after the start of its operation on X. Iran calls on Israel not to react militarily to this attack.
10:28 – Hezbollah says Israeli raid targeted one of its positions in eastern Lebanon
This Sunday morning, the day after an unprecedented attack by Iran against Israel, Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian party, claimed that one of its buildings located in eastern Lebanon had been targeted by an Israeli strike. Since the start of the war in Gaza, there have been daily exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, which claims to support its ally, the Palestinian Islamist movement.
10:17 – Emmanuel Macron “condemns with the greatest firmness the attack” launched by Iran against Israel
Expressing his “solidarity with the Israeli people and France’s attachment to the security of Israel, our partners and regional stability”, Emmanuel Macron condemned, in a post on Iran against Israel before calling for “restraint”.
I condemn in the strongest terms the unprecedented attack launched by Iran against Israel, which threatens to destabilize the region.
I express my solidarity with the Israeli people and France’s attachment to the security of Israel, our partners and the stability…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 14, 2024
10:11 – France participated in the defense of Israel
“France has made an important contribution” in the defense of Israel against Iran’s attack, declared the spokesperson for the Israeli army this Sunday morning. “France has very good technology, planes, radars – and I know they have helped patrol the airspace,” he added, according to Reuters. Information confirmed by Le Monde. Several Iranian vectors have actually been intercepted above French positions located in Iraq and Jordan.
09:56 – Reopening of airspace
Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan announced this Sunday morning the reopening of their airspace, closed since Saturday evening due to the unprecedented air attack launched by Iran against Israel.
09:23 – Emergency meeting of G7 leaders
France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada will meet by video conference this Sunday, April 14, early in the afternoon, “to discuss the Iranian attack against Israel », announced the Italian government, in a brief press release. Israel also requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council, also scheduled for this Sunday, at 10 p.m. (Paris time).
08:29 – The attack confirms a divide between Middle Eastern countries
Iran had never fired on Israel before in its history. The operation, dubbed “Honest Promise,” comes in response to a strike on its consulate in Damascus in early April, which it attributes to the Jewish state and was supported by its allies in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria. In the Middle East, Jordan, for its part, provided direct military and tactical support to Israel.