✕
Close
Israel has warned that the conflict with Iran is “not over yet” and vowed to “exact a price” as it considers its response to the 330 drones and missiles fired overnight by Tehran.
The Israeli military claimed more than 99 per cent of the drones and missiles were intercepted with help from allies including the US, UK, and France.
“We will build a regional coalition against the threat of Iran, and we will exact a price from it in the way and at the time that suits us,” Israel minister Benny Gantz said, despite Tehran insisting the matter can be considered “concluded”.
The US military said it destroyed 80 attack drones and at least six ballistic missiles that were fired from Iran and Yemen. The statement comes after president Joe Biden warned Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US will not take part in a counter-offensive against Iran.
British prime minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that RAF jets had been involved and called for “calm heads to prevail” following the assault and ahead of a meeting of G7 leaders amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counter-strike.
Key Points
- Iran sends hundreds of drones and missiles towards Israel
- US military says it destroyed 80 drones fired from Iran and Yemen
- US does not want to enter war with Iran, Kirby says
- Benjamin Netanyahu pictured convening war cabinet
- More than 99 per cent Iranian projectiles intercepted, Israel claims
UK's Cameron urges Israel not to retaliate against Iran
UK foreign secretary David Cameron has said Iran’s attack on Israel was “an almost total failure” and a “double defeat” for the state.
Speaking to Sky News, Lord Cameron said: “This has been a double defeat for Iran. That attack was an almost total failure, And they revealed to the world that they are the malign influence.”
He added: “Our hope is that there won’t be a retaliatory response and instead the world’s focus should shift to Hamas. They still hold those hostages. They’ve been offered a deal that prisoners can be released from Israeli jails in return for some of those hostages, and there’ll be a pause in the fighting. That’s what needs to happen next”.
Tom Watling15 April 2024 07:45 1713162616US refutes Iran’s claim that it warned before Israel attack
US officials have refuted claims made by Iran that it warned Washington before launching missile strikes in a retaliatory attack on Israel.
Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles on Saturday in a retaliatory strike after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria.
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said Iran gave neighbouring countries and Israel’s ally the US a 72-hour notice that it would launch the strikes.
One senior official in president Joe Biden’s administration denied Mr Amir Abdollahian’s statement, saying Washington did have contact with Iran through Swiss intermediaries but did not get notice 72 hours in advance.
“That is absolutely not true,” the official said, according to Reuters. “They did not give a notification, nor did they give any sense of ... ‘these will be the targets, so evacuate them.’”
Tehran sent the US a message only after the strikes began and the intent was to be “highly destructive” said the official, adding that Iran’s claim of a widespread warning may be an attempt to compensate for the lack of any major damage from the attack.
“We received a message from the Iranians as this was ongoing, through the Swiss. This was basically suggesting that they were finished after this, but it was still an ongoing attack. So that was (their) message to us,” the US official said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar15 April 2024 07:30 1713160800How did the Iranian attack against Israel unfold?
Iraq and Jordan both quickly closed their airspace, while the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane was airborne. The premier soon convened his war cabinet, as the IDF vowed to try and stop the missiles from entering Israeli airspace, which were expected to arrive at around 2am local time.
Israel brought in temporary restrictions closing schools and banning gatherings of more than 1,000 people, and instructed residents to stay close to bomb shelters in the northern part of the occupied Golan Heights, as well as Nevatim, Dimona and Eilat, which housed suspected targets for Iran’s attack.
British and American warplanes were soon reported to have downed several missiles, in an operation which the IDF later said had been conducted with several partners in the region.
Israel claimed on Sunday to have shot down 99 per cent of the missiles, and insisted the Nevatim air base remained operational throughout the night and following day despite having been struck in the attack – alleging that around 350 missiles in total had been fired from Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A seven-year-old girl remained in life-threatening condition with serious head injuries on Sunday, after shrapnel from an intercepted ballistic missile fell directly on her family’s home in a Bedouin town in Israel’s southern Negev region, the Times of Israel reported.
Andy Gregory15 April 2024 07:00 1713159016Israel calls for ‘all possible’ sanctions on Iran
Israel has called for sanctions to be imposed on Iran at the UN Security Council meeting called in response to Tehran’s retaliatory strikes.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s UN envoy, urged the council during yesterday’s meeting to “impose all possible sanctions on Iran before it’s too late” and “condemn Iran for their terror”.
Iran responded by saying that the nation was exercising its “inherent right to self-defence” as it was left with “no choice”.
Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said his country “not seek escalation or war”.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar15 April 2024 06:30 1713157200WATCH: Iran releases video it says shows missiles being fired against Israeli targets
In pics: Missile fragments found in Iraq and Jordan
UN Secretary General warns against escalation
“The Middle East is on the brink,” United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said, addressing the Security Council.
“The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict,” he continued. “Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint.”
“It’s time to step back from the brink,” Mr Guterres later said. “It is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East. Civilians are already bearing the brunt and paying the highest price.”
Katie Hawkinson15 April 2024 05:01 1713152716US military says it destroyed 80 drones fired from Iran and Yemen
The US has destroyed dozens of drones and at least six ballistic missiles aimed at Israel that were launched from Iran and Yemen, its military said.
It destroyed over 80 one-way attack drones, including seven UAVs targeted on the ground prior to launch, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said today.
“CENTCOM remains postured to support Israel’s defense against these dangerous actions by Iran. We will continue to work with all our regional partners to increase regional security,” the US military said.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar15 April 2024 04:45 1713150730Iran says it warned Isreal before attack
Iraq, Jordan and Turkey officials said the nations provided wide notices, days before Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in a retaliatory attack on Israel
.Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said yesterday that Iran gave neighbouring countries and Israel’s ally the US a 72-hour notice before launching the strikes.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said it had spoken to both Washington and Tehran before the attack, adding it had conveyed messages as an intermediary to be sure reactions were proportionate.
“Iran said the reaction would be a response to Israel’s attack on its embassy in Damascus and that it would not go beyond this. We were aware of the possibilities. The developments were not a surprise,” a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters.
Two Iraqi sources, including a government security adviser and a security official, said Iran had used diplomatic channels to inform Baghdad about the attack at least three days before it happened.
“The government clearly understood from the Iranian officials that the US military in Iraq was also aware of the attack in advance,” said the Iraqi security official.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar15 April 2024 04:12 1713150032WATCH: IDF releases operational footage from the Aerial Defense System protecting Israel
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
