Iran says it has launched attack drones and missiles towards Israel

 Iranian strikes in retaliation for apparent Israeli killing of senior commanders in Damascus, and expected to last several hours

A missile is launched during a military exercise in Isfahan, Iran, 28 October (Reuters/West Asia News Agency)

By MEE staff

Published date: 13 April 2024 21:09 BST | Last update: 3 mins 7 secs ago

Iran has launched a swarm of drones and dozens of missiles towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of senior Iranian commanders in Damascus, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said on Saturday.

The Israeli military said more than 100 drones had been launched so far. According to Israel's Channel 12, they will begin to reach Israeli territory at around 2 am local time. The cruise missiles reportedly fired are expected to have shorter flight times.

The White House said the attack is should unfold over several hours.

Unverified footage on social media purported to show the sound of Shahed “suicide” drones flying over Iraq. Security sources in Iraq told Reuters that dozens of drones had been seen overhead.

Minutes before the attack was launched, Israel's Wings of Zion prime minsterial plane was seen active on plane-tracking sites. The Israeli military said it was airborne due to "operational concerns".

The military said its air defences were prepared to head off the drones. Jordan and Iraq have closed their airspaces, and Israel has shut down operations at its airport, with flights turning back from Thailand and the UAE.

Reuters reported Jordanian scurity sources saying the kingdom's air defences would shoot down drones that violate its air space.

On 1 April, an air strike hit the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing a general and six other senior commanders. Iran accused Israel, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei promising revenge in an Eid al-Fitr address to the nation.

Since the Gaza war broke out in early October, Iranian allies across the region - such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthi movement and Iraqi paramilitaries - have staged attacks on Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which led the Palestinian attack on Israeli communities near Gaza on 7 October, is also allied to Tehran.

Though Israel's war on Gaza has spread to clashes along the Lebanese border with Hezbollah and rocket and drone attacks from Yemen, Iraq and Syria, there were fears that the strike on the Damascus consulate would escalate the conflict further on a regional scale.

Israel has promised to respond to any Iranian attack. US officials told Middle East Eye that Gulf Arab stated informed Washington it would be unable to use their territory to strike Iran alongside Israel.

This is a developing story…

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-israel-drones-sends-dozens-attack-say-reports