Protesters wave an Iranian flag and a Palestinian flag as they gather in Palestine Square in Tehran on April 14, 2024, after Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel.
Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images
Iran launched attacks against Israel on Saturday, US officials said, escalating long-standing tensions between the two nations that have the potential to spark a regional war.
“Iran has launched an air strike against Israel,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement Saturday. “The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that Israel would work “in close coordination” with the US and regional partners to intercept the launches.
“We are monitoring the threat in the airspace. It is a threat that takes several hours to reach the territory of the State of Israel,” he added.
Israel’s war cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (3rd L), holds a meeting to discuss the drone strike launched by Iran in Tel Aviv, Israel on April 14, 2024.
Press Office of the Israeli Government | Anadolu | Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his war cabinet in Tel Aviv after the missile and drone launches were announced, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.
International leaders, including the President of the European Council Charles Michelprime minister of the united kingdom Rishi Sunak and French Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly condemned Iran’s attack on Saturday.
The Biden administration expects Iran to target Israeli government sites, not civilian or religious sites, and not US assets in the region, US officials told NBC News.
The administration anticipates the attack will include 100 drones, dozens of cruise missiles and dozens of ballistic missiles, one of the officials added.
Before Saturday’s attacks, President Joe Biden was returning to the White House earlier than originally planned to meet with his national security team, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, amid the growing prospect Iranian strike.
US President Joe Biden walks on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving in Washington, DC, US, Saturday, April 13, 2024.
Shawn Thew | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seized a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship with links to Israel in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route. The White House doomed the move shortly after.
In anticipation of the attacks, airspace in Israel and throughout the region was temporarily closed.
Israel also announced that from Sunday it would close schools and limit gatherings to 1,000 people in certain areas.
Tensions between Iran and Israel have risen since the start of the Gaza war in October, and especially in recent weeks after Iran accused Israel of carrying out an attack on its consulate in Damascus on April 1.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei looks at the coffins of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, on April 4 2024. Office of the Supreme Iran
WANA News Agency | Via Reuters
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on Saturday that the rocket and drone launches were “a response to the crimes of the Zionist Regime”.
Iranian leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had previously vowed to retaliate against Israel for striking Damascus, and Israel, in turn, threatened counterattack on her own. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the Damascus attack.
“If Iran attacks from its soil, Israel will react and attack Iran,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on Wednesday. Position on X, tagging Ayatollah’s X account.
Given Iran’s various warnings, the White House expected an Iranian strike and was communicating with Israel to ensure they would be ready to defend themselves.
In a statement after the launches, Iran’s mission to the United Nations warned the US not to get involved.
“It’s a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime that the US MUST STAY AWAY FROM!” the mission was posted to X.