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Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles against Israel on Saturday night, in response to a strike against its consulate in Damascus, the first direct attack ever carried out by the Islamic Republic against Israeli territory. Teheran called on Israel on Sunday not to react militarily to its unprecedented attack.
A desire to “punish” Israel
“The matter can be considered closed“, announced the Iranian mission to the UN in a message posted three hours after the start of its operation. But it immediately warned, “should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe“.
No leader of the Islamic Republic spoke overnight to justify this first attack directly targeting Israel since Iran’s 1979 revolution. The attack was carried out by the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army, which launched dozens of drones and missiles against military sites on Israeli territory. This “military action by Iran is a response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus“, explained the Iranian mission to the UN. It was “carried out on the basis of Article 51 of the United Nations Charter relating to self-defense“, it said.
Over the past two weeks, the Iranian authorities had asserted their determination to “punish” Israel following the death of seven Revolutionary Guards, including two Qods Force generals, in the destruction of the Iranian consulate in Syria by a strike attributed to Israel on April 1. Israel “will be slapped in the face“, warned Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Since the 1979 revolution, Israel has been the sworn enemy of the Islamic Republic, which calls for its destruction in favor of a Palestinian state. Until now, however, Teheran has refrained from attacking it head-on, preferring to support the actions of other members of the “axis of resistance“, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthi rebels, since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas on October 7.
A few hours before the strikes, Iran seized a container ship accused of being “linked” to Israel with 25 crew members on board in Gulf waters on Saturday. An “act of piracy” for Washington.
Teheran warns the United States
Overnight, Teheran also warned the United States, urging it to “stay away” from its conflict with Israel. “Any threat from the terrorist US government and the Zionist regime (…) will result in a reciprocal and proportionate response from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” warned the Revolutionary Guards early on Sunday. The Foreign Ministry added: “If necessary“, Teheran “will not hesitate to take defensive measures to protect its interests against any aggressive military action“.
“The next slap will be more violent“, warned the new mural unveiled overnight in Tehran’s Palestine Square, where a few thousand people gathered overnight shouting “Death to Israel” and “Death to America“.
The Israeli authorities had not revealed their intentions on Sunday morning. Before the attack, however, they had not ruled out striking Iranian territory, probably targeting military or nuclear sites, according to experts.
As a precautionary measure, Tehran-Mehrabad airport, which is dedicated to domestic flights, will remain closed on Sunday until 12 noon (07:30 GMT), according to the Mehr agency, while some international airlines have decided to suspend their flights or no longer fly over Iranian airspace. Several countries, including Russia and France, have asked their nationals to “refrain” from traveling to Iran and Israel.
A major attack
This is the first direct attack ever carried out by Iran against the territory of the Jewish state. The Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, launched a “large-scale” drone and missile attack on Israel on Saturday night, state television reported. About an hour after the announcement of the launch of this operation, dubbed “Honest Promise“, the official Irna agency reported that “a first wave of ballistic missiles” had been launched “deep inside the occupied territories“.
In total, “the air force of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired dozens of missiles and drones at specific targets inside the occupied territories“, according to state television, citing the Guardians’ public relations department. More than 200 drones were fired in all, according to the Israeli army. Within minutes of the start of the operation, the X account of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, republished a message stating that “the evil regime will be punished“. On April 3, Ayatollah Khamenei declared that Israel would be “slapped in the face” after the air strikes blamed on the consular annex of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, in which seven Revolutionary Guards perished, including two generals from the Qods Force, which operates outside Iran.
At the same time, Iran’s allies, the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthi rebels, carried out anti-Israeli attacks, the former by firing rockets into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the latter by launching drones into Israeli territory. At around 1.45 a.m. (local time), several detonations followed by warning sirens sounded in Jerusalem. Sirens also sounded in southern Israel, in the Negev and in the north of the country, according to the army. Detonations were also heard in Damascus, the Syrian capital.
US forces shoot down Iranian drones
The United States was quick to react. US air defense forces intercepted several drones fired by Iran, CNN and ABC television channels reported, without specifying how many were shot down or over which territories.
Unusually, the US President cut short his weekend in Delaware, more than 150 kilometers from the capital Washington, for an emergency meeting of his military and diplomatic team. “Our commitment to Israel’s security in the face of threats from Iran and its proxies (in the region) is unwavering“, he wrote on X: “I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad.”
US forces positioned in the Middle East have in fact shot down Iranian drones targeting Israel, a Defense Department official said on condition of anonymity: “Our forces remain positioned to provide additional defensive support and to protect US forces operating in the region“.
This is the first direct attack ever carried out by Iran against the territory of the Jewish state. The Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, launched a “vast” “drone and missile” attack on Israel on Saturday night, state television reported. About an hour after announcing the launch of this operation, dubbed “Honest Promise“, the official Irna agency reported that “a first wave of ballistic missiles” had been launched “deep inside the occupied territories” [Israel].
Paris condemns, Berlin fears “chaos” in the region
Moments earlier, in a televised address, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu stated that the Hebrew state was prepared for “the eventuality of a direct attack by Iran” and “ready to face any scenario, both in terms of defense and attack“. The Israeli authorities announced that they were closing the country’s airspace to “international aviation“. Further “waves of drones” targeting Israel are possible, warned an Israeli military official.
Israel’s neighbors Jordan and Lebanon also announced the closure of their airspace, as did Iraq, which borders Iran. Egypt, another of Israel’s neighbors, announced that its air defenses were on high alert.
The European Union, for its part, “strongly condemns” the attack, declared the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, denouncing an “unprecedented escalation” and “a serious threat to regional security“. France, through its Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, also accused Teheran of “taking its destabilizing actions to a new level“. In two messages posted on X, the head of French diplomacy denounced the “unprecedented” operation and reiterated “his attachment to Israel’s security and assures it of his solidarity“. His German counterpart Annalena Baerbock agreed, condemning the Iranian attack “which could plunge the entire region into chaos“. The British government, for its part, said it was sending additional fighter aircraft to the Middle East and would intercept “any air attack within range of our existing missions, if necessary“.
Iran calls on Westerners to “appreciate its restraint” towards Israel rather than “accuse” it
Western countries “should appreciate Iran’s restraint in recent months”, “instead of making accusations“, reacted the spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy, Nasser Kanani, while the United States and the European countries have condemned the unprecedented attack targeting Israel this weekend, which Tehran presents as a “self-defense” operation.
“Our advice to all supporters of the Zionist regime is to appreciate Iran’s responsible action and, instead of choosing disproportionate remarks against Iran, to warn the Zionist regime against other evils which will incalculable consequences for this regime,” added the diplomat.
France carried out “interceptions” at the request of Jordan, assures Macron
France carried out “interceptions” of Iranian missiles and drones targeting Israel during the night from Saturday to Sunday at the request of Jordan, confirmed this Monday morning Emmanuel Macron who wants to “do everything to avoid conflagration” in the Middle -East.
“We have an air base in Jordan […] Jordanian airspace was violated by these shots. We took off our planes and we intercepted what we had to intercept,” declared the French president on BFMTV-RMC channels. By deciding to “strike Israel” from its soil, Iran caused “a profound rupture” and “what has opened up is very dangerous in terms of reaction,” he said. “We will do everything to avoid conflagration […] and therefore try to convince Israel that we must not respond by escalating, but rather isolate Iran, succeed in convincing the countries of the region that Iran is a danger, increase sanctions, increase pressure on nuclear activities and then find a path to peace in the region,” he said.
At the UN, Israel and Iran accuse each other
This Sunday, April 14, during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council convened on his initiative, the Israeli ambassador, Gilad Erdan, urged its members to “act” in order to prevent a conflagration in Middle East. “The mask has fallen. Iran, the world’s leading supporter of terrorism, has exposed its true face as a destabilizer of the region and the world,” he declared in particular, referring to the “snapback” mechanism, which allows members of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to reimpose international sanctions against Tehran, then lifted in exchange for Iran’s commitment not to carry out nuclear activities for military purposes.
“It is time for the Security Council to assume its responsibilities and face the real threat to international peace and security,” accused the Iranian ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, before to call on member states to “take urgent punitive measures to force this regime to stop the genocide against the population of Gaza.” Concerning the attack, the latter believes that “the Security Council failed in its duty“, by not condemning the April 1 strike against the consulate in Damascus. “Under these conditions, the Islamic Republic of Iran had no choice but to exercise its right to self-defense,” he added, assuring that Tehran did not want an escalation but would respond to “any threat or aggression”.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, for his part, emphasized that “Neither the region nor the world can afford more war,” he further insisted, calling for “maximum restraint” from the two States, in order to avoid “major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East.”
Against the attack, “a coalition of international allies”
The Israeli army congratulated itself on Sunday on having been able to count on “a defensive coalition of international allies” led by the United States, with Great Britain, France and other countries. “Iran’s unprecedented attack was countered by an unprecedented defense. It was the first time such a coalition had worked together against the threat from Iran and its proxies in the Middle East,” he said. during a press conference the spokesperson for the Israeli army, Daniel Hagari.
If Joe Biden confirmed the information, reaffirming his “unwavering” support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the American president nevertheless insisted on the fact that he did not want an “extended war” with Iran. “The president (Joe Biden) has been clear: we do not want escalation,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Sunday.
For his part, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also called for “calm” in the region to “defuse” the situation, although his military aircraft shot down “several” Iranian drones during the attack on Israel.
No drone or missile “has penetrated the territory of Israel,” the Jewish state proclaimed this Sunday morning. “The Iranian attack was foiled (…). We intercepted 99% of the fire towards Israel,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised address, after a massive attack by Iran in which it launched more than 200 drones and missiles towards Israel
Only a few ballistic missiles “entered and lightly hit the Nevatim base,” he continued. “The base is still active and the runways are used for landings and takeoffs.”
“With the United States and other partners, we succeeded in defending the territory of the State of Israel,” added Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, “very little damage was caused, is the result of the remarkable operations of the Israeli Defense Forces.” After meeting with Israeli defense officials, the minister recalled that “the campaign is not yet over.”
For Iran, “the case can be considered closed”
The head of the Iranian armed forces affirmed on Sunday that the attack carried out overnight against Israel had “achieved all its objectives”, specifying that no urban or economic center had been targeted by Iranian drones and missiles. “Operation Honest Promise was successfully carried out between last night and this morning, and achieved all its objectives,” General Mohammad Bagheri said on television.
You can follow Professor Mohamed Chtatou on X: @Ayurinu
