Israel was on high alert on Sunday after Iran\u2019s unprecedented missile and drone attack drew an international chorus of condemnation and sparked fears of a broader conflict. Iran launched its first-ever direct assault on Israeli territory late on Saturday in retaliation for a deadly Damascus strike, marking a major escalation of the long-running covert war between the regional foes. Its proxies and allies also carried out coordinated attacks on Israeli positions as sirens sounded in many places and AFP correspondents heard blasts in the skies above Jerusalem early on Sunday. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Israel against a \u201creckless\u201d retaliation, saying one would be a met with \u201ca decisive and much stronger response\u201d. Iran had repeatedly threatened to strike Israel in retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike on its Damascus consular annexe and Washington had warned repeatedly in recent days that the reprisals were imminent. It remained unclear how Israel would respond to Iran\u2019s attack. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that \u201cthe campaign is not over yet \u2014 we must remain alert\u201d. US President Joe Biden reaffirmed Washington\u2019s \u201cironclad\u201d support for Israel, while appearing to guide its staunch ally away from a military response. Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel late on Saturday, injuring 12 people, the Israeli army said. But almost all were intercepted before they reached Israeli territory, the army said, with help from the United States, Jordan, Britain and other allies. Many nations have called for restraint, and the United Nations Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting later on Sunday. Operation \u2018True Promise\u2019 Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) launched \u201cextensive\u201d retaliatory drone and missile strikes \u2014 as part of what they called the Operation \u2018True Promise\u2019 \u2014 against \u201ccertain targets\u201d inside Israel. \u201cLast night Iran fired over 300 ballistic missiles, UAVs and cruise missiles towards Israel,\u201d military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told a televised statement, revising an earlier figure of more than 200 launches. Hagari said 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles were launched, none of which entered Israeli territory, adding that 110 ballistic missiles were also fired and few of them reached Israel. In a separate statement, the Israeli military said that \u201cdozens of surface-to-surface missile launches\u201d were identified, with the majority intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory. One of those injured was a seven-year-old girl from a Bedouin community near the southern town of Arad, who was in intensive care, according to the medical centre that received her. People in Jerusalem sought cover, as residents also stockpiled water. \u201cAs you can see it\u2019s empty, everybody is running home,\u201d said Eliyahu Barakat, a 49-year-old grocery shop owner in Jerusalem\u2019s Mamilla neighbourhood. Early on Sunday, the Israeli army said that 99 per cent of the launches had been intercepted. \u201cThe Iranian attack was foiled,\u201d military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement. The army said it had scrambled dozens of fighter jets to intercept \u201call aerial threats\u201d, and was working with the US and other allies to stop the launches. Iran says retaliation \u2018concluded\u2019, warns Israel not to respond Meanwhile, Iran urged Israel not to retaliate militarily to the overnight attack, which Tehran said was a justified response to the strike that destroyed its consulate building in Damascus. The Iranian army said the attack had \u201cachieved all its objectives\u201d. \u201cOperation Honest Promise \u2026 was completed successfully from last night to this morning and achieved all its objectives\u201d, Mohammad Bagheri, the Iranian armed forces\u2019 chief of staff, told state TV. \u201cIran\u2019s military action was in response to the Zionist regime\u2019s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus,\u201d the Iranian mission to the UN said. The attack, according to the mission, was \u201cconducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defence\u201d. \u201cIf necessary\u201d, Tehran \u201cwill not hesitate to take defensive measures to protect its interests against any aggressive military action,\u201d Iran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Experts have suggested that Saturday\u2019s slow-moving drone attack was calibrated to represent a show of power but also allow some wiggle room. \u201cIt appears that Iran telegraphed its attack on Israel to demonstrate it can strike using different capabilities to complicate the (Israeli army\u2019s) ability to neutralise the assault but also to provide an off ramp to pause escalation,\u201d said Nishank Motwani, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Washington. Hundreds of Iranians gathered in Tehran\u2019s Palestine Square, waving Iranian and Palestinian flags to celebrate the unprecedented military action against Israel. Iran\u2019s allies in the region joined the attack with Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels also launching drones at Israel, according to security agency Ambrey, and Lebanon\u2019s Hezbollah movement announcing rocket fire at Israeli positions in the annexed Golan Heights. The official Irna news agency said the attack had dealt \u201cheavy blows\u201d to an air base in the Negev desert, but the Israeli army said there had only been minor damage. The Iranian mission to the United Nations warned Washington to keep out of Iran\u2019s conflict with Israel. \u201cIt is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the US MUST STAY AWAY!\u201d it said. It added that it hoped its action to punish the strike on its diplomatic mission would lead to no further escalation and \u201cthe matter can be deemed concluded\u201d. Iranian president Raisi also warned Israel and its allies against any \u201creckless\u201d actions. \u201cIf the Zionist regime (Israel) or its supporters demonstrate reckless behaviour, they will receive a decisive and much stronger response,\u201d Raisi said in a statement. \u2018Ironclad\u2019 support from US US President Joe Biden vowed Washington\u2019s \u201cironclad\u201d support for Israel after an urgent meeting with his top security officials on the spiralling crisis. Biden said in a later statement that the United States had \u201chelped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles\u201d, but appeared to guide the key US ally away from retaliating against Tehran by saying Israel had now shown its strength. \u201cI told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks \u2014 sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,\u201d he said. He said he had ordered US military aircraft and ballistic missile defence destroyers to the Middle East in recent days, as the likely threat following a presumed Israeli strike on Iranians in Damascus became clear. \u201cThanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,\u201d Biden said. Early on Sunday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken with Biden. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz postponed a planned visit to Hungary and Austria while the prime minister convened his war cabinet in Tel Aviv. An adviser to Iran\u2019s supreme leader said that Israel was in \u201ccomplete panic\u201d over Tehran\u2019s looming response. \u201cThey don\u2019t know what Iran wants to do, so they and their supporters are terrified,\u201d senior adviser Yahya Rahim said. British jets shot down Iranian drones, PM Sunak says British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that British military jets shot down drones launched by Iran and called for \u201ccalm heads to prevail\u201d to avoid an escalation of the conflict. \u201cI can confirm that our planes did shoot down a number of Iranian attack drones,\u201d Sunak told broadcasters. \u201cIf this attack had been successful, the fallout for regional stability would be hard to overstate. We stand by the security of Israel and the wider region, which is of course important for our security here at home, too. What we now need is for calm heads to prevail.\u201d Sunak was due to join discussions between Group of Seven leaders later on Sunday. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we coordinate with allies and we\u2019ll be discussing next steps at that moment,\u201d he said. Pakistan urges \u2018utmost restraint\u2019 Pakistan said it was watching the ongoing developments in the Middle East with \u201cdeep concern\u201d and called for \u201cutmost restraint\u201d. In a statement, the Foreign Office emphasised \u201cfor months, Pakistan has underlined the necessity of international efforts to prevent expansion of hostilities in the region and for a ceasefire in Gaza\u201d. It recalled its earlier statement wherein it had \u201cpointed to the dangers of the attack on an Iranian consular office in Syria as a major escalation in an already volatile region\u201d. \u201cToday\u2019s developments demonstrate the consequences of the breakdown of diplomacy,\u201d the FO said, adding that they also underlined the \u201cgrave implications in cases where the UN Security Council is unable to fulfil its responsibilities of maintaining international peace and security\u201d. \u201cIt is now critically urgent to stabilise the situation and restore peace. We call on all parties to exercise utmost restraint and move towards de-escalation,\u201d the FO said. Iran summons the British, French and German ambassadors over \u2018double standards\u2019 Iran\u2019s foreign ministry summoned the ambassadors of Britain, France, and Germany to question what it referred to as their \u201cirresponsible stance\u201d regarding Tehran\u2019s retaliatory strikes on Israel, the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency reported. The three European countries condemned Iran\u2019s drone and missile attack against Israel. The director for Western Europe at Iran\u2019s foreign ministry accused the three countries of \u201cdouble standards\u201d as they opposed earlier this month a Russian-drafted UN Security Council statement that would have condemned Israel\u2019s attack on Iran\u2019s embassy compound in Syria. \u201cIran\u2019s military action against the Zionist regime\u2019s (Israel) bases is well within the framework of the right to legitimate defence stipulated in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and it is in response to a series of crimes, including the recent attack on the embassy compound in Syria,\u201d the official added. De-escalation US media reported that President Biden was looking to de-escalate. News outlet Axios said Biden had told Netanyahu that he would oppose an Israeli counterattack against Iran and that he should \u201ctake the win\u201d. NBC said he had privately expressed concerns to others that Netanyahu was trying to drag the United States more deeply into a broader conflict. Earlier on Saturday, Biden had cut short a weekend trip to the Delaware coast and flew back to Washington for an emergency meeting at the White House with his top national security officials. He posted a picture of the meeting in the wood-panelled White House Situation Room with officials including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and CIA Director Bill Burns. Biden\u2019s handling of the Middle East conflict will also be under scrutiny in a US presidential election year. Former US president Donald Trump, Biden\u2019s rival in November\u2019s election, said the Democratic incumbent was showing \u201cweakness\u201d. \u201cGod bless the people of Israel. They are under attack right now. That\u2019s because we show great weakness,\u201d Republican Trump said at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Airspace reopened Israel\u2019s airspace reopened on Sunday at 4:30am GMT after it was closed following Iran\u2019s attack on Israel, the Israeli airports authority said in a statement. \u201cAs of 07:30 in the morning, Israel\u2019s airspace is reopening and Ben Gurion Airport is returning to operations\u201d, the statement said, adding that domestic airports would reopen throughout the day. The airspace had been closed since 9:30pm GMT on Saturday. The Israeli military had warned Iran it would suffer the \u201cconsequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further\u201d. Shortly before the launches, Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for a \u201cdirect attack from Iran\u201d. \u201cOur defence systems are deployed, we are prepared for any scenario, both in defence and attack,\u201d the Israeli premier said in a televised statement, adding Israel had the backing of the United States and \u201cmany\u201d other countries. Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards had already seized an Israeli-linked container vessel in the Gulf earlier on Saturday, putting the whole region on alert. Israel said it was closing schools nationwide while Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon announced they were temporarily closing their airspace. Indian officials said there were 17 Indian citizens on board the Aries, while the Philippine government said that four of its nationals were also aboard. The April 1 strike in Damascus, which killed 16 people, including two Iranian generals, had been widely blamed on Israel. Iran had repeatedly vowed to hit back, but had not specified how. Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards seized a container ship \u201crelated\u201d to Israel in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, which was now heading towards Iranian waters, Iranian state media reported. The ship\u2019s operator, the Italian-Swiss group MSC, said it was working with the relevant authorities to ensure the wellbeing of the 25 crew onboard. Both Israel and the United States denounced the seizure as piracy, with Israel also demanding that the Guards be declared a \u201cterrorist organisation\u201d by the European Union. In Washington, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson called on Iran \u201cto release the vessel and its international crew immediately\u201d. \u201cSeizing a civilian vessel without provocation is a blatant violation of international law, and an act of piracy\u201d, she said. Gaza truce stalemate The Gaza crisis began with the unprecedented October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Israel\u2019s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,686 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory\u2019s health ministry. Israel\u2019s military said on Saturday it had struck more than 30 Hamas targets across Gaza. In the main central city of Deir al-Balah, fire burned in the rubble of a destroyed mosque. Israel\u2019s military \u201cdemanded that the whole area be evacuated\u201d before it was \u201cwiped out in minutes\u201d, said Abdullah Baraka, a witness. In nearby Nuseirat refugee camp, Abd Thabet said residents had been warned to evacuate on Friday evening ahead of a large explosion that caused \u201cmassive destruction\u201d. \u201cAll of the houses were demolished, including my home,\u201d the 35-year-old told AFP. Hamas said it had submitted its response to a Gaza truce plan presented by US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators at talks in Cairo this week. The Palestinian group said it was sticking to its previous demands, insisting on \u201ca permanent ceasefire\u201d and the \u201cwithdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip\u201d. During the October attack, Hamas seized about 250 hostages, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead. The Israeli prime minister\u2019s office accused Hamas of torpedoing efforts for an exchange of hostages for prisoners. \u201cHamas to this day has refused any deal and any compromise proposal,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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