Hyderabad: Iran has waged a war on Israel with an array of missiles and drones at Israel late on Saturday in an escalation that looks likely to turn into a regional war. As ballistic missiles continued to attack Israel, the Jewish country took guard activating its air-defence system with more urgency in a de ja vu of the October 7 Hamas attack on the country.
"The regime in Iran sent a massive swarm of over 200 killer drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles," Israel's Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement. US, UK and Jordan joined forces in shoting down Iranian drones.
US President Joe Biden has promised 'ironclad' support for Israel against attacks by Iran as condemnations poured in.
"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," Joe Biden said on X.
Tension simmers
For some time, tension has been simmering between Iran and Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war. Iran has allegedly been engaging in proxy warfare by supporting Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, who launched missile strikes into Israel on several occasions.
Iran's direct military offensive after it's claim that Israel recently killed its officials in the Damascus embassy threatens to destabilise regional peace. Several officials including a senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas Quds Force were killed in an airstrike on April 1. They were attending a meeting in the Damascus embassy compound.
The attack came close on the heels of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's vow to avenge the killings. Khamenei had said Israel "must be punished and shall be" for an operation he said was equivalent to an attack on Iranian soil.
Iran said the strike was a punishment for "Israeli crimes". "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”. It said the matter should be deemed concluded.
UN to hold emergency meet
The UN Security Council is going to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday over Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel. Several countries have condemned Iran's attack on Israel. Countries like Britain and France have pledged support to Israel's security.
