Iran’s mission to the United Nations has stated that its retaliatory attack on Israel has “concluded.”
Tehran’s “military action” was a response to Israel’s “aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus,” it said in a post on the social media platform X, adding:
“However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!”
Screenshot of X post by Iran's mission at the UN.
© Photo : Iran_UN
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched the drone and missile assault as an act of self-defence in retaliation for the “numerous crimes of the Zionist regime including the strike on the consulate section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus and martyrdom of a number of military commanders and advisers in Syria." The IRGC stated that Tehran’s attack hit certain designated targets inside Israel.
In an official statement, the IRGC clarified that it took offensive actions after “more than 10 days of silence and negligence by international organizations, especially the United Nations Security Council,” in condemning the Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus, Syria.
A panoramic view of Jerusalem's Old City is pictured at dawn of April 14, 2024, after Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel.
© AFP 2023 / RONALDO SCHEMIDT
Here is a recap of what is known about Iran's attack against Israel.
News that the first batch of Iranian ballistic missiles under operation “True Promise" had been launched toward Israeli targets was reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) post-midnight GMT.
In its statement, the IRGC's Aerospace Force announced that the operation was conducted with the approval of the Supreme National Security Council and under supervision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the backing of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces.
The initial wave of drones and missiles in Iran's first direct attack on Israel from its territory reached the country at around 2 am local time. It set off air raid sirens in more than 720 locations across Israel. Explosions were visible and audible in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Dimona, where an Israeli nuclear facility is located.
The Iranian attack involved drones, cruise, and ballistic missiles, according to Iranian and Israeli officials as well as media reports. For the first time, Iran used missiles with separable warheads to break through Israel's air defenses, according to the IRGC. Iran used more than 200 rockets and drones, according to a statement by IDF. Yemen's Houthis assisted Iran in its attack on Israel by sending dozens of drones towards the Southern Israeli port city of Eilat.
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran, in central Israel, Sunday, April 14, 2024.
© AP Photo / Tomer Neuberg
Israeli air defenses began intercepting the projectiles, with help from the US and the UK. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari says 99 percent of the 300 projectiles fired at Israel overnight were intercepted. The Israeli Armed Forces reportedly retain full functionality.
US forces "intercepted dozens of of missiles and UAVs en route to Israel, launched from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. American warships shot down Iranian-launched missiles that were heading towards Israel, US officials told CBS News. The US Navy dispatched the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight Eisenhower towards Israel, while the UK's Royal Air Force dispatched its Voyager KC2 refueling aircraft to the area.
Regarding the damage from the Iranian airborne attack, the IRGC reported that the air base from which the plane that attacked the Iranian Consulate in Damascus had taken off came under fire.
Hezbollah stated it struck Israeli air defense complexes in the Golan Heights with rockets and Israel stated it struck Hezbollah infrastructure facilities in Lebanon in response.
The IDF base in the Negev desert was reportedly hit by seven missiles, and seven rockets hit the Ramon Air base in southern Israel.
A child in a Bedouin village was reportedly wounded as a result of the Iranian attack.
The Israeli military was cited as saying later that Iran had launched over “200 killer drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles,” but the majority of them were intercepted outside the country’s borders. It added that a “small number of hits were identified,” including at a base in southern Israel, “where minor damage was caused to infrastructure.” There were no reports of fatalities.
Israel’s Home Front Command lifted its order for citizens to stay near bomb shelters at about 00:00 GMT Sunday.
Due to the Iranian airborne attack, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel temporarily closed their airspace, with several airlines suspending flights in the region.
No decision has yet been made regarding an Israeli response to the Iranian missile and drone attack, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel. It was added that a potential response would be discussed at a war cabinet meeting set for later on Sunday. Israel's response to the Iranian attack will be coordinated with its allies, The New York Times reported earlier, citing an Israeli official. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to notify the US in advance of any possible response to Iran’s attack on Israel, CNN reported, citing a US official.
US President Joe Biden issued a statement on Iran’s attack against Israel after he conversed on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms.” He added that US forces deployed in the region aided Israel in downing “nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.” POTUS reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to help support Israel’s security. Biden added that there were no attacks on US forces or facilities on Saturday, but the US “will remain vigilant to all threats.” Joe Biden stated he will convene a meeting of G7 leaders on Sunday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US does “not seek escalation,” but will “continue to support” Israel’s defense. “I will be consulting with allies and partners in the region and around the world in the hours and days ahead,” he added.
As regional powers including Saudi Arabia and Egypt called for restraint amid the escalation, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “I am deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation. I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East.”
The United Nations Security Council is to meet on Sunday in response to a request from Gilad Erdan, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations. The meeting is scheduled for 4 pm local time (8 pm GMT), as announced by the UN Department of Global Communications.