Israel intercepts hundreds of drones and missiles from Iran
Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel overnight, of which 99% were intercepted, marking this a "significant strategic success," announced the Israeli military on Sunday morning.
Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israeli army, assured that "the armed forces remain fully ready and are preparing further action options".
Hagari described Iran's actions as "very grave" and mentioned that they are "escalating the situation in the Middle East." He emphasized that Israel and its allies have thwarted the Iranian attack.
Iran's attack on Israel
Iran sent dozens of drones and, as it claims, ballistic missiles towards Israel on Saturday. This direct attack is unprecedented and could prompt a serious escalation of tensions after six months of conflict in the Gaza Strip. The USA has pledged its support for Israel.
The Iranian armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, described the attack as retaliation for the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which resulted in the deaths of several Iranian officers. Iran has blamed Israel for this incident.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a war cabinet meeting. In a recorded address, he declared to the citizens that Israel was prepared for a direct attack from Iran and would respond accordingly.
""Whoever hurts us, we will hurt them," he stated.
In Israel, school classes were cancelled, gatherings of more than a thousand people were banned, airspace was shut down, and all commercial flights were cancelled.
The US confirmed that Iran has initiated an attack on Israel. The White House announced that the US will support Israel’s defence against this threat. According to them, the Iranian attack may last several hours.
