Iran launches dozens of drones, missiles at Israel in retaliatory attack

Iran had warned that Israel would be "punished" for a strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1.

WORLD | Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel that is likely to unfold over a number of hours, the White House has said.

Iran had warned that Israel would be "punished" for a strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1.

Seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals, and six Syrians were killed in the Damascus attack.

Israel has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in recent years on targets in Syria that it says are linked to Iran but has not claimed the Damascus strike.

Israel has said the attack could take some hours to arrive, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is "ready for any scenario".

"A short while ago, Iran launched UAVs from within its territory toward Israel. The IDF is on high alert and is constantly monitoring the operational situation," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement.

"The IDF Aerial Defense Array is on high alert, along with IAF fighter jets and Israeli Navy vessels that are on a defense mission in Israeli air and naval space. The IDF is monitoring all targets.

"We ask the public to adhere to and follow the instructions of the Home Front Command and the official IDF announcements regarding the matter."

US President Joe Biden is being “regularly updated on the situation by his national security team” and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson adds.

“His team is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies,” she says.

"President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defence against these threats from Iran."

In a statement earlier, Iran says the attack has been named "Operation True Promise".

It did not initially give much more detail about the nature of the attack, other than to confirm the Irainan air force launched "tens of missiles and drones towards specific targets" in Israel.

Iran had avoided direct confrontation with Israel during the Israel-Hamas conflict, but the Damascus attack was seen as a serious escalation.

However, Iran has since cited Article 51 of the UN Charter for its attack.

It says "the matter can be deemed concluded" - suggesting it will not launch further strikes. However, it has warned against any retaliation or any involvement by the US.

“Conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense, Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus," its permanent mission at the United Nations said on Twitter/X.

"The matter can be deemed concluded. 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 US must stay away!”

Article 51 of the UN Charter says that member states have "the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs".

A former Israel Defense Forces spokesman, Jonathan Conricus, says "this is day one of the new Middle East - for the first time Iran is attacking Israel directly from sovereign Iranian soil".

Speaking on the BBC News Channel, he cited reports of more than 100 Iranian drones and cruise missiles heading to Israel, "with different expected times of arrival". He said "Israeli air defences are busy taking out these threats".

When asked if Israel had planned for this, he said: "I think Israel is good at planning military contingencies, but they don’t always excel at the strategic part. I didn’t expect the Iranians to do this, from Iranian soil. It will drag other countries, including the US, into the conflict."

Conricus added: "I think there are a few plans in the drawers, looking at targets in Iran".

He said those targets would probably be sites "concerned with arming various terror groups, such as Hezbollah, Iranian proxies in Syria, the Houthis in Yemen".

"It depends how much damage will be done in Israel - that will be the measure of how Israel will retaliate."

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Article pieced together from various live links online