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Iran launches drones, missiles in attack on Israel

Iran launches drones, missiles in attack on Israel

DW

, Sunday, 14 April 2024 (10:12 IST)
Iran has launched more than 200 drones and missiles at Israel, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.
 
He said the attack was ongoing but that many of the incoming threats had been intercepted.
 
Most of the missiles were intercepted by the long-range Arrow air defense system, he said, and most of these were downed outside Israeli airspace.
 
Some of the missiles struck Israel, wounding a girl and causing light damage to a military installation.
 
US and UK aircraft involved in defending Israel
 
The US military has shot down some of the Iranian drones heading for Israel, three American officials have told the Reuters news agency.
 
They did not give the number of drones downed.
 
British broadcaster Sky News reported that sources told it Royal Air Force aircraft were also involved in the defense of Israel. 
 
Air raid sirens sound in Jerusalem
 
Israel's military sounded sirens in multiple locations in the south of the country as well as in parts of the occupied West Bank early on Sunday, an alert app showed, warning of incoming aerial threats.
 
Israeli media reported explosions heard in Jerusalem were from aerial interceptions of Iranian drones.
 
Iran calls attack a 'response' after consulate hit, but says 'matter concluded'
 
Iran's mission to the UN has said that the military action late on Saturday "was in response" to what it called Israel's "aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus."
 
It claimed to have acted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter on a UN member's right to act in self-defense when attacked. 
 
It also seemed to indicate that it was not planning further strikes. 
 
"The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran's response will be considerably more severe," the Iranian mission to the UN wrote in a post published in English online. 
 
Whether Israel and its allies consider this the end of the matter could well prove another question.
 
The Iranian message also described the conflict as one between Israel and Iran — and said the US must stay away. 
 
Israel lifts alert after Iranian attack
 
Israel's military has given the all-clear after Iran's drone and missile attack.
 
The military said Israelis no longer needed to stay close to shelters.
 
There have been no air-raid warnings over the last hour.
 
Israeli military's spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Iran fired 200 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles toward Israel. 
 
He said the vast majority were intercepted outside Israel's borders.
 
Israel well equipped for Iran's long-range drones, but 'every system is breachable'
 
Marina Miron, a researcher at the War Studies Department at King's College London, told DW that it was likely Iran used Mohajer 10 drones for its attack. 
 
Miron said these were "the only drones that Iran could use, at least from what we know Iran has in its arsenal, which would have the necessary equipment and the reach to reach Israel."
 
"These are long-range drones which can fly up to 24 hours," Miron said, but not at very high speeds. The Mohajer 10 is only capable of speeds of just over 200 kilometers or 120 miles per hour. 
 
"It seems to be that these drones have been spotted very early on, they are fairly slow," Miron said. "So the IDF is aware of the fact that they are coming. ... It's not an unexpected move." 
 
Miron said it was "absolutely" possible for Israel to intercept Mohajer 10's, but that the questions would ultimately be how many were launched, what else Iran might fire, and whether Tehran's proxies would try to saturate Israel's air defenses. 
 
Israel has well-developed missile interception systems, often referred to as its "Iron Dome," but Miron warned that no systems could guarantee total coverage.
 
"It is breachable and we have seen it after the October 7 attacks," she said. "Every air defense system is to a certain extent breachable."
 
From a military perspective, Miron said, it was "surprising that Iran, knowing the potential consequences, has actually gone for an attack from its own soil."
 
Had its goals been to maximize damage in Israel — and to shield itself from potential ramifications — using its proxies might have made more sense, Miron said.
 
"They can act much faster. And they would rob Israel, and the United States, of the possibility to launch a counterattack on Iranian soil," she said.  
 
UN Security Council to convene on Sunday, Israel seeks condemnation of strike
 
The UN Security Council will meet for an emergency session on Sunday in New York, scheduled for 4 p.m. local time (2000 GMT/UTC), to discuss Iran's attack. 
 
Malta, the current holder of the rotating presidency, announced the move following an appeal from Israel's ambassador to the UN. 
 
"Today, Iran has launched a direct attack from within its territory of more than 200 [drones], cruise missiles and ballistic missiles towards Israel," Ambassador Gilad Erdan wrote, calling the assault a "flagrant violation of Israel's sovereignty." 
 
He called for the Security Council to "condemn Iran for these grave violations," and to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) a terrorist organization. 
 
Biden calls Netanyahu, says G7 will seek 'united diplomatic response'
 
US President Joe Biden issued a statement saying he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu overnight amid Iran's attack.
 
He called the attack unprecedented and said he condemned it in "the strongest possible terms." 
 
Biden noted how the United States had moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region in recent days amid the threat of some kind of attack. 
 
"Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles," he said. 
 
Biden also said he told Netanyahu that Israel had "demonstrated a remarkable capacty to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks." 
 
"Tomorrow, I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to this brazen attack," Biden said. 
 
He said the US would also stay in touch with other partners, with Israeli officials, and that it would remain vigilant for attacks on US military assets in the region, albeit stressing none had been launched on Saturday. 
 
Biden emphasizes continued US support for Israel
 
US President Joe Biden met with his national security team in the White House situation room for updates on the Iranian drone and missile attack against Israel.
 
In a post on X, he wrote, "Our commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad."
 
The US military has reportedly been involved in intercepting Iranian drones fired toward Israel, according to defense officials cited in media reports.
 
Germany's Olaf Scholz calls attack 'irresponsible and unjustifiable'
 
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz commented online early on Sunday morning from China, saying he saw no legitimate justification for Iran's action. 
 
"The attack on Israeli territory that Iran launched tonight is unjustifiable and highly irresponsible," Scholz said. "Iran risks a further escalation in the region. Germany stands by Israel and we will discuss the situation with our allies."

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