Sirens wailed and Reuters journalists in Israel said they heard distant heavy thuds and bangs from what local media called aerial interceptions of explosive drones. Authorities said a 7-year-old girl was critically injured.
Israel's military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Iran launched dozens of ground-to-ground missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted outside Israeli borders. They included more than 10 cruise missiles, he said.
The Iranian salvo amounted to more than 200 drones and missiles so far, Hagari said, and had caused light damage to one Israeli military facility. He said the engagement had not ended, and Israeli forces were still intercepting incoming threats.
I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by Iran.— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) I call for an immediate cessation of these hostilities.Neither the region nor the world can afford another war. https://t.co/Kmbt3zWMw7April 14, 2024
Israel's Channel 12 TV cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying there would be a "significant response" to the attack.
Iran had vowed retaliation for what it called an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April 1 that killed seven Guards officers including two senior commanders and said its strike was a punishment for "Israeli crimes". Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the consulate attack.
"Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran's response will be considerably more severe," the Iranian mission to the United Nations said, warning the US to "stay away". However, it also said Iran now "deemed the matter concluded".
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Iran's attack, and said he was "deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation."
US President Joe Biden, who on Friday had warned Iran against an attack, cut short a visit to his home state of Delaware to meet national security advisers in the White House Situation Room, an official said. He pledged to stand with Israel.
US President Joe Biden has met with senior officials over the missile attacks on Israel from Iran. (AP PHOTO)
"Our commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad," he said on X after the meeting.
The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, now in its seventh month, has driven up tensions in the region, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq.
British maritime security company Ambrey said in a statement that drones were also reportedly launched against Israel by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group.
Those clashes now threaten to morph into a direct open conflict pitting Iran and its regional allies against Israel and its main supporter the United States, with regional power Egypt urging "utmost restraint".
While Israel and Iran have been bitter foes for decades, their long feud has mostly unfolded via proxies or by targeting each other's forces operating in third countries.
US and British warplanes were involved in shooting down some Israel-bound drones over the Iraq-Syria border area, Channel 12 reported. Three US officials said the military had shot down drone aircraft without saying how many.
Iranian anti-Israel demonstrators have gathered in Tehran amid the drone and missile strikes. (AP PHOTO)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose official jet took off shortly after the attack began, convened the war cabinet at a military headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office said.
Israel's military said sirens would sound in any threatened areas and that its defences were poised to deal with the drones, which it said were "explosive".
Israel's military told residents of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to stay close to bomb shelters, putting the area on standby for possible impact from drone strikes.
Israel and Lebanon said they were closing their airspace on Saturday night. Syria, an ally of Iran, said it was putting its ground-to-air defence systems around the capital and major bases on high alert.
"Together with our partners, the IDF is operating at full force to defend the State of Israel—and the people of Israel. This is a mission that we are determined and ready to fulfill."— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari on the current attack from Iran: pic.twitter.com/rjNqLPFs9XApril 13, 2024
The European Union, Britain, France, Mexico, Czechia, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands all condemned Iran's attack.
Israel has been bracing for an Iranian response to the Damascus consulate strike since last week, when Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel "must be punished and shall be" for an operation he called equivalent to one on Iranian soil.
Biden said on Friday that his only message to Iran was "Don't", but added that "we are devoted to the defence of Israel."
