U.S. Targets Unlikely to Be on List in Possible Iranian Attack, Officials Say
In anticipation of the Iranian strikes, several countries, including the United States, issued new guidelines to their citizens about travel in Israel and the surrounding region.
American intelligence analysts and officials said on Friday that they expected Iran to strike multiple targets inside Israel within the next few days in retaliation for an Israeli bombing in the Syrian capital on April 1 that killed several senior Iranian commanders.
The United States, Israel’s pre-eminent ally, has military forces in several places across the Middle East. But Iran is not expected to target them in order to avoid a direct conflict with the United States, according to U.S. and Iranian officials who spoke anonymously about the expected attacks, which they were not authorized to discuss publicly.
Any Iranian strike inside Israel would be a watershed moment in the decades of hostilities between the two nations that would most likely open a volatile new chapter in the region. Israel and Iran do not maintain any direct channels of communication, making the chances far greater that each side could misread the other’s intentions. And an Iranian attack would heighten the risk of a wider conflict that could drag in multiple countries, including the United States.
In remarks to reporters on Friday, President Biden said that he expected a military attack against Israel “sooner than later,” and that his message to Iran was “don’t.”
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
The White House announced early on Saturday afternoon that Joe Biden is returning to Washington from out of town “to consult with his national security team about events in the Middle East” amid heightened tension between Israel and Iran.
The US president had been due to spend the weekend in Delaware at his beach residence but on Saturday set off at short notice to return to the White House.
This followed Biden saying on Friday that he expects an Iranian attack on Israel “sooner rather than later” and issued a last-ditch message to Tehran, saying: “Don’t.”
Earlier, John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, had warned that the threat of a significant Iranian attack on Israel remained “viable” despite Washington-led efforts, including calls to Tehran from the UK and Germany, to deter a serious escalation in the conflict in the Middle East.
On Saturday, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps in the strait of Hormuz, 50 nautical miles off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, seized an Israeli-affiliated container ship.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Several leading airlines have cancelled flights to Iran and restricted its use of Israeli and Iranian airspace amid rapidly escalating tensions. Air India and Qantas planes have now begun avoiding Iranian airspace while Lufthansa extended a suspension on flights to and from Tehran.
Flight tracking data indicates that a London-bound Air India flight took a significantly longer route on Saturday in order to avoid Iranian airspace. According to an NDTV report quoting sources, the carrier may now take take up to 45 minutes longer to arrive at destinations in Europe. However the rising tensions will not affect flights to the Middle East as they are south of Iranian airspace. Air India had restarted flights to Tel Aviv in early March after a nearly five month hiatus amid the Gaza war.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
The Israeli military said on Saturday that Iran had launched drones from its territory toward Israel, in what appeared to be retaliation for a deadly Israeli airstrike in early April on the Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, the Syrian capital. A military spokesman said Israeli forces were following the aerial threat, which would take a few hours to arrive.
Iran’s action on Saturday came after a week of diplomacy and conflicting reports about how far Tehran would go in response to the Damascus attack, and whether it would risk an outright war in the region with Israel.
The White House confirmed that Iran had launched a strike toward Israel and vowed to help Israel defend itself. President Biden was cutting short a weekend at his vacation home in Delaware to return to the White House and huddle with his national security team.
“This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council. “President Biden has been clear: Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”
Senior Iranian officials and military commanders had pledged to retaliate since the Israeli airstrike in Damascus on April 1. Seven Iranian officers, including three top commanders, were killed in the strike, inciting Iranian vows to avenge the deaths.
“We will make them regret this crime and similar crimes, with the help of God,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who is also the commander in chief of the armed forces, declared a day after the strike. On Wednesday, Mr. Khamenei repeated the threat, saying that Israel “will be punished,” prompting Israeli officials to vow a military response if attacked.
The United States, Israel and Iran had all placed their militaries on high alert after the April 1 strike, according to military officials, and this week the head of U.S. Central Command traveled to Israel in anticipation of a possible Iranian strike. The question was not so much whether Iran would retaliate, but when and how.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement broadcast on state television that it had launched missile and drone attacks on Israel from Iran. “The aerospace unit of the Revolutionary Guards has attacked targets in Israel with dozens of drones and missiles in reaction to the Zionist regime’s crimes, including the attack on the consulate section of Iran’s embassy in Damascus and martyring our commanders and military advisers in Syria.”
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Israel plans to close its airspace to international and domestic air traffic beginning at 12:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, the Israel Airports Authority said in a statement, as the country awaits the arrival of Iranian drones fired at its territory.
The spokeswoman for the National Security Council at the White House confirmed that Iran had launched a strike toward Israel and vowed to help Israel defend itself: “Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel. President Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House. His team is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies."
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Commandos from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rappeled down from a helicopter on the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, around 80km off the coast of the UAE.
The ship, MSC Aries, is associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.
The drones would would take hours to arrive in Israeli airspace, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said. He warned Israelis to stay in safe rooms for 10 minutes if sirens in their areas go off.
The launch comes four days after Iran's leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed retaliation for an April 1 strike on an Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Iran said the strike had killed seven members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals, and it blamed Israel for the attack.
President Biden arrived back at the White House at 5:02 p.m. Eastern time and walked quickly into the Oval Office. Officials said he will meet with his National Security Council soon.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Now that Iran has begun its retaliation against Israel, the U.S. is bracing for this to be “a major attack,” according to two senior U.S. officials.
The administration’s expectation is Iran will launch more than 100 drones, dozens of cruise missiles and dozens of ballistic missiles targeting Israeli government sites, not civilians or religious sites, one of the officials said.
The U.S. and Israel have been closely coordinating on a defense against the attack. “We’re ready. The Israelis are ready,” the official said.
Commander of U.S. Central Command General Michael “Erik” Kurilla was in Israel for a meeting with senior Israeli officials for the past several days, and now defense officials say he is traveling in the region. During his visit, Kurilla consulted with the Israelis on a defense plan that includes U.S. help from the sea and air, as well as how Israel might respond to Iran’s attack, the senior U.S. officials said.
The administration is not expecting Iran to target any U.S. assets in the region, the officials said.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
A war cabinet meeting is now convening at the Israel Defense Forces' headquarters at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's office.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
The Lebanese airspace has been closed to all arriving, departing and crossing aircrafts, Ali Hamiyah, The Minister of Public Works in the caretaker government, said in a post on X, in light of the attacks launched from Iranian territory toward Israel.
The closure is temporary, the government said, and will start at 1 a.m. local time and will be in effect until 7 a.m. local time.
Air traffic at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport will be completely closed during the same time period, according to the statement. Updates will be made according to developments in the situation.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Israeli officials are telling residents not to panic and to take caution as Iran launches dozens of drones toward Israel, CNN's Clarissa Ward has learned.
Schools, universities and camps are closed in Israel, and there's a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people.
The Israel Defense Forces said earlier on Saturday educational activities in Israel would be suspended and there would be limited gatherings amid fears of an attack from Iran.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
The Israeli Defense Forces have "tens of aircraft" in Israeli skies at the moment, an IDF official said at a briefing following Iran's launching of drones toward Israel.
The IDF confirmed the launching of drones but said it cannot confirm that Iran has launched any missiles. The official said the IDF cannot confirm the type or the payload of drones launched.
The official also said they cannot confirm if there have been any interceptions yet or what Iran is targeting in Israel.
The IDF is operating on "a pre-prepared action plan," the official said, adding that the idea is to intercept the drones before they reach Israel but will intercept the drones over Israel if necessary.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Israeli intelligence has detected the launch of dozens of drones and cruise missiles from Iran and Iraq, according to two Israeli officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military intelligence. The areas of impact are expected to be the Golan Heights and an Israeli air force base in the Negev Desert, the officials said.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Iranian state news IRNA reported that the first barrage of ballistic missiles has been launched toward Israel, citing an informed Iranian source.
Iran's Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani issued a stark warning to any country that allows Israel to utilize its airspace or territory for attacking Iran, saying they will face a “decisive response” from Iran.
“Any country that opens its airspace or soil to Israel to attack Iran will receive our decisive response,” state news IRNA reported, quoting Ashtiani.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
The Israeli military will hold a situational assessment at around 6 a.m. local time Sunday (11 p.m. Eastern time Saturday) to decide how to respond to the Iranian attack, according to an Israeli military official who briefed international journalists Saturday evening.
Tens of Israeli planes are flying across Israeli airspace, ready to shoot down Iranian aircraft, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comply with military protocol.
He added that Israel may try to shoot down incoming aircraft before they reach Israeli airspace and said that it is “absolutely possible” that Jordan may fire on any Iranian aircraft that enter its skies.
The airspaces of Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon are all now closed, according to Flightradar24, a real-time aircraft flight tracking tool.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
When news broke that Iran had launched a retaliatory attack on Israel, some users on the social media platform X uploaded misleading videos, including footage from previous drone attacks or imagery from video games.
In one, an X user posted a video from six months ago showing Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepting Hamas rockets in Ashkelon. In another post flagged by a reporter for the BBC, an X user falsely suggested that imagery from the video game “Arma 3” was video from today’s drone attacks.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Faytuks News Δ@Faytuks
Breaking: Jordan's Air Defense is ready to intercept and shoot down any Iranian drones or aircraft that violate its airspace, two regional security sources told Reuters
9:40 PM · Apr 13, 2024
An Israeli TV channel has said that U.S. and British jets downed Iranian drones over the Iraq-Syria border
U.S. and British warplanes have downed some Israel-bound Iranian drones over the Iraq-Syria border area, Israel's Channel 12 TV reported without citing sources.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Hezbollah announced in a statement just after midnight that it had fired dozens of rockets at an Israeli barracks in the Golan Heights. It was not immediately clear if the bombardment was connected to the Iranian attack. Lebanon’s state news agency earlier reported intense Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
