Iran attacks Israel with dozens of drones and missiles overnight
Фото: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Late in the evening of April 13, Iran attacked Israel from its territory, launching dozens of missiles and attack drones. Both countries and their closest neighbors announced the closure of their airspace.
After threats from Iran, Israel declared its full readiness to retaliate, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address to the nation.
According to Israeli media, Netanyahu has decided to convene a military cabinet, after which he plans to hold a broader security cabinet.
Details are not available at this time, but before that, it was known that Netanyahu had traveled to the military headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces to hold consultations with the top military leadership about the threat from Iran. At the same time, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held an assessment with the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
In addition, US President Joe Biden interrupted his weekend to travel to Washington to discuss the situation in the Middle East with his team. As noted by the American portal Axios, this may indicate that an attack by Iran will take place in the coming hours.
Later, it became known that Iran fired a total of about 150 missiles at Israel, 70 in the first launch and 80 in the second, reports ABC News. Meanwhile, Ynet, citing Israeli officials, reports that 99% of Iranian targets have been intercepted.
Also, more than 100 Iranian drones were intercepted by the US and Great Britain outside of Israel, a representative of the Israeli Defense Ministry said. Earlier, the IDF said it had identified more than 100 drones headed for Israel.
The IDF also said that most of the missiles launched from Iran were intercepted outside of Israel. A small number of hits were detected, including at an IDF base in southern Israel, which caused minor damage to infrastructure.
"Over the past few hours, many dozens of enemy aircraft have been detected and intercepted, as well as dozens of cruise missiles from Iran approaching Israeli territory. Dozens of IDF fighter jets are now operating to intercept all air targets approaching Israeli territory," the statement said. messages
It was later reported that Iranian ballistic missiles caused minor damage to the military base. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated this. He said most of the missiles were intercepted by the Arrow long-range air defense system. In total, Iran fired more than 200 projectiles at Israel.
In addition, Israel's national emergency medical service reported that 31 people were treated after the Iranian attack on Israel.
It is also known about two children who were seriously injured in the south of the country. In addition, there was a fire in a medical facility in the central region of Israel, Sharon. Three people were hospitalized in varying degrees of severity.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, assessed the situation at the Israel Air Force Operations Center in Kirya together with the commanders of the Air Force, operational management, and intelligence. Defensive and offensive activities over the past few hours were presented, as well as plans for the continuation, the IDF press service said.
In turn, Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, demanded an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to condemn the attack on Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant also spoke with his American colleague Lloyd Austin. He thanked Austin for his support and briefed him on Israel's actions against the Iranian attack.
