Iran launched drones from its own territory towards Israel Saturday evening, days after its supreme leader announced he would retaliate in response to an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria that left several people dead.
Hours later, Iran’s official IRNA news agency said Iran had launched ballistic missiles, citing an unnamed official who said they were part of the attack.
Already, slow bomb-carrying Shahed-136 drones have been seen in Iranian skies. However, these are more easily brought down.
A ballistic missile travels in an arcing trajectory, heading toward space before gravity brings the weapon down at a speed several times the speed of sound.
Israel has missile defense systems capable of targeting ballistic missiles. However, in a massive attack involving multiple drones and missiles like the one launched Saturday night by Iran, the likelihood of a successful strike is higher.
Earlier Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had been “preparing for weeks for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran.”
The prime minister said that “Israel’s air defenses are deployed, we are ready for any scenario, both in attack and defense.”
“I have established a clear principle: whoever hurts us, we hurt them. We will protect ourselves from any threat and we will do so with composure and determination,” he said.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
“Iran has launched an air attack against Israel,” the White House National Security Council spokesperson said.
“President Biden is regularly briefed on the situation by his national security team and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House. His team is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies,” she declared. “This attack is likely to unfold over several hours. President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is unwavering. The United States will stand with the Israeli people and support their defense against these Iranian threats .”
Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus, who now works at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital that Israel has shot down drones in different ways in the past.
“The Houthis have fired long-range drones that are very similar to the ones the Iranians just fired. They can be shot down by either Iron Dome, David Sling, helicopters, or fighter jets , or a combination of the two,” Conricus said. “So there’s a lot of ways to take them out and the fact that we’re tracking them and seeing them coming is pretty reassuring. But maybe the Iranians have something more interesting up their sleeve, we’ll see. “
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Saturday night’s attack came just hours after President Biden. cut short a weekend at his Delaware beach house and returned to the White House to monitor the evolving crisis.
Earlier this week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to retaliate against Israel, saying “it will be punished” for the April 1 strike on Damascus, which he called an “act reprehensible” and amounting to an attack on Iran itself.
Before the attack, the US State Department announced that it was restricting the travel of government employees and their family members outside of Israel’s major cities as concerns remained high about a possible Israeli strike. ‘Iran.
Senior Israeli leaders also held a meeting on Friday on the issue.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, US CENTCOM Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla and the Israeli security echelon at Israeli Air Force Base Hatzor.
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An Israeli tank moves near the border of the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on Thursday April 11. (AP/Tsafrir Abayov)
THE air strike in Syria left 12 dead, including seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Israel has not admitted any involvement in the airstrike.
One of those killed was identified as Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Following the airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria on April 1. (Reuters/Firas Makdesi/TPX Images of the day)
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In 2010, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Zahedi, describing him as playing a key role in Iran’s support for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Lawrence Richard and Yonat Friling of Fox News contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
