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Iran has fired more than 100 drones at Israel in Tehran’s first ever attack against Israel launched from its own soil, according to Israeli, US, and Iranian military officials. Iran has also launched missiles, according to the Iranian military.
Sirens and explosions have been heard across Israel, and a child in Southern Israel was wounded by shrapnel after a drone was intercepted, the Israeli ambulance service said. There are no other reports of casualties so far.
Iran’s mission to the U.N. said that the attack on Israel was a “legitimate defense” and that “the matter can be deemed concluded” in a post on X. Iran warned that its response would be “considerably more severe” if Israel were to retaliate, adding the “U.S. MUST STAY AWAY” from the conflict.
The U.S. shot down some drones headed to Israel, officials told The Washington Post, and the Pentagon deployed additional warships and aircraft to the region in the run-up to Iran’s attack.
The attack represents a massive escalation that threatens to expand the war in Gaza into a regional conflict. “It is difficult to overstate how perilous this moment is, and how disastrous its consequences could prove,” Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez wrote on X.
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Tehran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel for an attack on a diplomatic compound in Syria that killed several high-ranking Iranian military officials earlier this month.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement that the attack “is likely to unfold over a number of hours,” adding, “The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”
Iran is likely trying to aim to synchronize the drone attack with faster missiles, U.S. officials told The New York Times. A U.S. official told ABC News that they believe 400 to 500 drones and missiles have been fired at Israel from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran.
Israel has closed its schools, shut down its airspace and scrambled its GPS systems, evacuated military bases, and prepared its air defenses in a bid to intercept Iran’s attacks and minimize the potential damage of any projectiles that do pierce Israel’s multilayered defenses. Israel hopes to intercept many of the drones outside of Israeli air space with assistance from the U.S. and other allies, Axios reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has been preparing for this moment for years and that its defenses are ready for any scenario, in a video posted on X shortly before news of the strike emerged. Israel had been bracing for an attack from Tehran and has been prepared to retaliate.
Jordan has said that it would shoot down any Iranian drones or aircraft that violate its airspace, The Times of Israel reported. Egypt and Iraq have closed their airspace.
Iran’s defense minister warned that “any country that opens its airspace or land to Israel for attacking Iran will receive our decisive response,” Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported.
This is a developing story. Please return for updates.