Iran Launches Major Drone & Missile Attack on Israel
Iran has launched a drone attack on Israel, according to a briefing from White House’s National Security Council. President Biden returned to the White House as Israel’s air defenses went on high alert. Iranian state TV reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has named the operation ‘True Promise’.
The attack comes as retaliation for Israel’s April 1 strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria. This strike killed several members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including seven military advisers and notably Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Quds Force – Iran’s elite espionage and paramilitary arm.
The retaliation was largely anticipated. Ever since the Israeli attack, several of Iran’s highest officials – including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi – have publicly vowed to take revenge on Israel. The White House has confirmed these threats by stating that they expected an attack to be imminent. Moreover, countries like France have recently issued warnings to their citizens against traveling to Israel, Iran, and other involved countries.
The drone attack also follows IRGC’s seizure of a Portugal-flagged container ship earlier that day, that Iran described as “Israeli-linked”, which was broadly seen as the beginning of the strikes. The strike will likely include both long range one-way munitions and ballistic missiles. In response a number of countries across the region have closed their airspace to commercial aviation, these include Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt.
So far, the operation seems to involve dozens of drones being launched from Iran towards targets in Israel, with no signs of any missile launches being spotted yet. It is still unclear if Iran is planning on continuing the escalation.
On the Israeli side, on April 10, in a message written in Persian, targeted at Iran’s Supreme Leader, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs made a statement threatening Iran with a retaliatory attack on their soil, if Iran makes any attack from their own territory. Whether Israel plans on acting on that threat remains likewise unclear.
As the Iranian operation was launched the Iranian mission to the UN issued a statement saying:
“Conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense, Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus. The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!”
Imagery said to be of Israeli air defenses engaging incoming targets has been shared on social media. The origins of the aerial targets being engaged have not yet been confirmed as Iranian.
It is likely that initial Iranian strikes may be followed by additional waves of drones and missiles. The likely aim being to overwhelm Israel’s complex air defense structure. Iran has a significant array of ballistic missiles capable of reaching targets in Israel and the ability to deploy large numbers of ‘Kamikaze’ drones which may be able to overwhelm Israel’s defenses. It also remains to be seen if Iran’s proxies within the region will assist by launching their own attacks. Israel, however, has the most comprehensive integrated air defense system in the region with Patriot, David’s Sling, Arrow and the short range Iron Dome.
Anticipating Israel’s response to the strike Iran’s Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani has issued a statement noting that any country that allows the use of its land or airspace for retaliatory strikes will face a ‘decisive response’ from Iran. Leaders from around the world have condemned the attack while Egypt has called for restraint with a Foreign Ministry statement saying “it is in constant contact with all concerned parties to try and contain the situation, stop the escalation and spare the region the risk of sliding into a dangerous turn of instability and threat to the interests of its people.”
Reports suggest that the US, UK and Jordanian militaries have engaged Iranian drones and missiles enroute to Israel. The UK Ministry of Defence has not yet confirmed direct involvement but did release a statement saying that “several additional Royal Air Force jets and air refuelling tankers to the region.” UK Defence Minister Grant Shapps stated that “the jets will intercept airborne attacks within range of our existing missions [Op Shader].”
Update 20:56 [Israel 03:56]:
In their latest statement the IDF has said that “dozens of surface-to-surface missile launches from Iran were identified approaching Israeli territory” and claimed that Israel’s ‘Aerial Defense Array’ has “successfully intercepted the majority of the launches using the Arrow Aerial Defense System… before the launches crossed into Israeli territory.”
The IDF note that “a small number” of the Iranian Weapons struck targets including at an IDF base in southern Israel but claimed only “minor damage was caused to infrastructure”. The statement concluded by reporting that: “Many dozens of hostile aircraft, as well as dozens of cruise missiles, were identified approaching Israeli territory from Iran and intercepted over the past few hours.”
Additional reporting – Matthew Moss
Header image: Still from footage reportedly of interceptions by the Israeli “Iron Dome” System seen earlier over Mount Hebron (via Social media)