Excerpt below from:
Iran launches drone attack against Israel
The long-anticipated attack comes after Israel last week killed a senior officer in Iran’s embassy in Damascus.
The Saturday afternoon strike included dozens of drones and may have also included missiles, officials said. | Fars News/AFP via Getty Images
By
Erin Banco and
Lara Seligman
04/13/2024 04:11 PM EDT
Updated: 04/13/2024 04:42 PM EDT
Iran launched a major aerial drone attack against Israel on Saturday, the Israeli Defense Forces said.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement that the drones may take several hours to reach their intended targets. Hagari said Israel had a plan in place to intercept the drones.
The strike included dozens of drones and may have also included missiles, according to a U.S. official and an Israeli official. Both were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive ongoing operation.
The long-anticipated attack comes after Israel last week killed a senior officer in Iran’s embassy in Damascus. U.S. and Israeli officials have been bracing for a retaliatory strike by Tehran.
“The defense and offense systems of the Israeli Air Force are on alert, and dozens of planes are in the skies — prepared and ready. We are conducting a situational assessment with our strategic partners, primarily the U.S., and maintaining tight coordination with them,” Hagari said.
U.S. officials have for days conferred with their counterparts in Israel about the impending attack. Gen. Michael Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, visited Israel last week to help prepare for the assault. And national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Israel National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi
Saturday morning.
The White House said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the events and is set to meet with principals of the National Security Council in the situation room later Saturday.
“This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”
The U.S. has several warships in the region that are capable of performing air defense, both tracking drones and missiles and shooting them down. Two destroyers and a cruiser are currently in the Red Sea, where they have been shooting down drones and ballistic missiles launched by Houthi forces in Yemen toward commercial shipping.