The Latest: Iran launches large-scale drone, missile attack against Israel-Xinhua

The Latest: Iran launches large-scale drone, missile attack against Israel

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2024-04-14 13:36:16

TEHRAN/JERUSALEM, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments related to Iran's massive drone and missile attack against Israel:

A combined attack of dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones from Iran triggered air raid alerts across Israel early on Sunday, the Israeli army said.

The projectiles triggered sirens in Jerusalem, the Negev Desert and the Dead Sea in the south, the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights in the north as well as the occupied West Bank.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed during a press briefing that Israel was under attack by ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles from Iran, noting that aerial defense systems have intercepted some of the missiles.

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Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) confirmed that it has launched dozens of missiles and drones against Israel, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Saturday night.

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Lebanon announced on Saturday night the closure of the Lebanese airspace to aviation due to the Iranian drone attack on Israel.

"The Lebanese airspace has been closed to all aircraft arriving, departing, and crossing Lebanese airspace, temporarily and as a precaution, as of 1 a.m. on Sunday (2200 GMT Saturday) until 7 a.m.," the Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh said.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced early Sunday that its fighters targeted the Israeli Kela barracks with dozens of Katyusha rockets in the occupied Syrian Golan.

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Yemen's Houthi group launched drone attacks against targets in Israel on Saturday, a military source in Yemen's internationally recognized government told Xinhua on Sunday.

The source, requesting anonymity, said the drones were launched from the Houthi-held territory along Yemen's western coast.

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Explosions were heard in several cities in Syria early on Sunday, as tensions escalated between Iran and Israel, according to reports by a war monitor.

Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital of Damascus, as well as Homs, Hama, Daraa, and coastal regions, as Syrian air defenses attempted to intercept Israeli missiles that were allegedly targeting Iranian missiles en route to hit targets in Israel, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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Egypt's air defense systems were placed on high alert following Iran's announcement of launching retaliatory attacks on Israel, a senior Egyptian security official told the Al-Qahera News TV on Saturday.

The official stated that a crisis response team was monitoring the situation and reporting to President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

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Iran's mission to the United Nations(UN) said Saturday that the attack on Israel "can be deemed concluded."

"Conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense, Iran's military action was in response to the Zionist regime's aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus. The matter can be deemed concluded," the mission said on social media X.

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The UN Security Council is set to meet Sunday in response to a request from Israel, UN said Saturday.

Israel has called on the council to condemn Iran's attack against Israel on Saturday and to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, the sources noted.

The meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. local time (2000 GMT), as announced by the UN Department of Global Communications late Saturday night.

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U.S. President Joe Biden said Saturday that he will convene leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries on Sunday to coordinate a "united diplomatic response" to Iran's attack against Israel.

"Tomorrow, I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran's brazen attack," Biden said in a statement following his call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden said that he reaffirmed "America's ironclad commitment to the security of Israel" while on the phone with Netanyahu.

U.S. news portal Axios, citing a senior White House official, reported Biden told Netanyahu that the United States will oppose any Israeli counterattack against Iran.