2024-04-14 12:12:53
On the night of Saturday April 12 to Sunday April 13, Iran launched an attack against Israel in response to the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus which left 16 dead on April 1.
Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles towards Israel, the “vast majority” of which were intercepted without serious consequences, with only one military base having suffered “minor damage”, an Israeli army spokesperson announced in night from Saturday to Sunday.
“The regime in Iran launched a massive swarm of 200 killer drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised address, stressing that the attack was still “in progress.”
The Israeli army clarified that “the majority” of the drones and missiles were intercepted using the air defense system, “in collaboration with Israel’s strategic allies before the shots entered Israeli territory.” , according to a separate press release.
“A number of Iranian missiles fell in Israeli territory, causing minor damage to a military base but without causing any casualties,” Admiral Hagari said.
Israeli emergency services also said they rescued 31 injured people in light condition, “showing symptoms of anxiety or injuries caused by seeking shelter.”
Iran on Sunday called on Israel not to react militarily to its unprecedented attack launched in the night, which it presented as a justified response to the strike which 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.”
Neither the Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, nor President Ebrahim Raïssi spoke at midday on Sunday to take stock of this first attack to directly target Israel since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran.
The head of the Iranian armed forces, General Mohammad Bagheri, however, welcomed the fact that the attack had “achieved all its objectives”, in particular by putting “out of service” an intelligence center and an air base. He specified that No urban or economic center had been targeted by Iranian drones and missiles.
These two centers were specifically targeted by drones and missiles because they were used to carry out the strike which destroyed the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1, causing the death of seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals from the Quds Force, which operates outside Iran.
In Israel, the army spokesperson indicated that the Nevatim air base had been “lightly hit” by Iranian ballistic missiles.
Iran’s “military action was a response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus”, justified the Iranian mission to the UN. It was “carried out on the basis of Article 51 of the United Nations Charter relating to self-defense”.
Since the 1979 revolution, Israel has been the sworn enemy of the Islamic Republic, which calls for its destruction in favor of a Palestinian state.
But, until now, Tehran had refrained from attacking it head-on, preferring to support the actions carried out by other members of the “axis of resistance”, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthi rebels since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian Hamas on October 7.
Hours before the strikes, Iran seized a container ship accused of being “linked” to Israel with 25 crew members on board in Gulf waters on Saturday. “An act of piracy” for Washington.
– “Message” to Washington –
During the night, Tehran also warned the United States, urging them to “stay away” from its conflict with Israel.
General Bagheri specified that a “message” had been “sent to the United States to warn them that if they cooperate with Israel for their possible next actions, their bases will not be safe.”
The United States has several military bases in the region, particularly in Iraq.
“The next slap will be more violent,” warned the new mural unveiled in Palestine Square in Tehran, where a few thousand people gathered in the night shouting “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”.
Iran “can intensify its actions if it wishes because it has the choice between various options, including Hezbollah, maritime disruptions or strikes on vulnerable Israeli targets abroad,” said Nishank Motwani, an expert at Iran. Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Washington.
The Israeli authorities had not revealed their intentions this Sunday morning. But they had not ruled out, before the attack, striking on Iranian territory, probably targeting military or nuclear sites according to experts.
As a precaution, Tehran’s Mehrabad airport dedicated to domestic flights was to remain closed on Sunday until 12 p.m. (07:30 GMT), according to the Mehr agency, while certain international companies have decided to suspend their flights or no longer fly over the airport. Iranian airspace.
Several countries, including Russia and France, have asked their nationals to “refrain” from traveling to Iran and Israel.
At the same time, this Sunday Palestinian Hamas reportedly rejected the latest truce project.
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