Saturday

Dozens of drones were launched from Iran in the direction of Israel on Saturday night, Israeli TV 12 reported. The news was confirmed by the spokesman of the Israeli army, Daniel Hagari, in his televised press conference.

News summary

April 13, 2024, 23:452024. April 13, 11:45 p.m

April 14, 2024, 02:432024. April 14, 02:43 am

“Recently, Iran launched drones from its territory into Israeli territory,” the military spokesman said. The unmanned aerial vehicles reach Israel after several hours. “The air defense system, which protects the country’s airspace together with air force aircraft and navy ships, has been put on high alert,” the spokesman added.

Daniel Hagari added that the Israeli army (IDF) is monitoring all targets.

“We ask the population to pay attention to the instructions of the civil defense and the official announcements of the IDF spokesperson, to comply with them,” MTI quoted the army official as saying. The Israeli Ministry of Transport announced that Israel’s airspace will be closed to domestic and international flights half an hour after midnight local time. According to security estimates, the first Sahid-136 kamikaze drones will arrive in Israel around 2 a.m. local time.

Photo: Israeli Ministry of Defense

According to the information of commercial television 12, robotic airplanes and a second wave of drones were also launched in the direction of Israel. The defense agencies fear that they will launch both robotic aircraft with a travel time of about two hours and ballistic missiles that can reach Israel in 12 minutes in a schedule to reach Israel’s airspace at the same time.

Update

Tehran confirmed the retaliatory strikes
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced Saturday night that it had launched “dozens of drones and missiles” against Israeli targets. According to a statement quoted in Iranian state media, the attack was in response to an airstrike carried out by Israel against Iran’s consulate in Damascus. Tehran called the action the “true promise”, which the Iranian regime says is retaliation for “Israel’s past crimes”. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, stated in a recording published on the X platform: Iran has vowed to punish Israel’s “malign, Zionist regime”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a brief statement Saturday night that Israel is ready for an Iranian airstrike. “In recent years, and especially in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack on Iran. Our defense systems have been developed, we are prepared for every scenario both in defense and attack. The state of Israel is strong, the Israeli army (IDF) is strong, the population is strong,” said the prime minister.

“We appreciate the support of the United States for Israel, as well as the support of the United Kingdom, France and many other countries,” Netanyahu added. “I formulated a clear principle: whoever hurts us, we also hurt him. We defend ourselves against all threats and do so coldly and decisively. I know that you, citizens of Israel, will also keep your cool. I ask you to follow the instructions of the civil defense,” he concluded.

The Israeli War Cabinet will meet at the headquarters in Tel Aviv on Saturday night at 11:00 p.m. local time, and then the expanded security policy cabinet will also meet at 12:30 a.m.

Earlier, on Saturday evening, civil defense announced restrictions. On Sunday and Monday, even though they are working days, all educational institutions will be closed, and since it is spring break, day camps and excursions will not be held, and higher education institutions will also be closed. Events with fewer than a thousand people can be organized, but in areas classified as more dangerous, the number of gatherings is limited to 300, and in certain places to 10 people. There are areas where they can only work at workplaces where shelters are available in the appropriate vicinity.

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Many countries in the region have taken precautions as a result of the soured relationship between Iran and Israel, Jordan and Iraq have both announced that they will close their airspace due to the conflict. Lebanon also ordered an airspace closure, and Jordan declared a state of emergency at the same time.

The US military has begun intercepting drones launched from Iran into Israeli territory over Syria and Jordan, Israel’s 12 television reported, citing military sources. According to the information, the more than one hundred kamikaze drones launched so far in three waves were intended against military targets, and they are also preparing to avert the threat in these places. Iran reported that it had also fired ballistic missiles at Israel with a flight time of twelve minutes. According to estimates, Iran is expected to send a total of about five hundred drones and unmanned aerial vehicles against Israel in further waves.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese Shia Hezbollah organization also launched rockets against Israel’s northern border, but their magnitude did not significantly exceed the level of the past months. The Yemeni Houthis are also firing missiles and drones at Israel’s southern Red Sea port city of Eilat. Due to the closure of Israel’s airspace, some of the flights that had previously departed to Tel Aviv were turned back, while others are heading to airports in other countries.

Air defense sirens sounded in many parts of Israel at night, the authorities ask people to go to shelters

Photo: Israeli Ministry of Defense

At the same time, Joe Biden interrupted his weekend rest and returned to the White House to discuss the tension between Iran and Israel with his administration’s national security officials, the presidential office said on Saturday. Defense Minister Lloyd Austin and Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, as well as the heads of the White House National Security Council, will take part in the meeting. On Friday, Joe Biden told reporters that an attack on Israel by Iran is expected “sooner rather than later”. In response to a journalist’s question, the president told Iran to “Don’t do it!”, indicating an imminent attack, according to consistent intelligence.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan assured the ally’s national security adviser, Cahi Hanegbi, of the United States’ “rock-solid” commitment to Israel’s security, according to an announcement posted on social media.

The Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Saturday about the “urgent regional threat,” according to the announcement, and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Israel. “Israel can count on the full support of the United States in defending Israel against any attack by Iran and its regional proxies,” Defense Department spokesman Pat Ryder said.

In a statement on Saturday, the spokesperson of the White House’s National Security Council called on Iran to release the Portuguese-flagged container ship and its international crew seized by its Revolutionary Guard units in the Strait of Hormuz. Adrienne Watson emphasized that the act must be strongly condemned, and the United States will do everything possible, together with its partners, to hold Iran accountable for the act.

In the middle of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Israeli-Iranian tensions escalated into a situation threatening to escalate into war after an Israeli airstrike killed several high-ranking officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Syrian capital, Damascus. A total of 12 people lost their lives in the military operation, six of whom were Iranian military leaders. In response to the rise in tensions, the United States reviewed the location of its military in the region, moved certain naval units closer to Israel’s shores, and sent reinforcements to the Middle East.

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