The Israeli military stated early on Sunday that Iran has launched over 100 explosives-laden drones towards Israel.
Three U.S. officials have disclosed that on Saturday, the U.S. military intercepted and shot down Iranian drone aircraft en route to Israel, said a report by Reuters. However, they did not specify the number of drones shot down or the exact locations.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations on social media platform X warned the United States that it should refrain from involvement in the conflict between Iran and Israel. They cautioned that Tehran’s response would be even more severe if Israel retaliates.
Israeli Military has revealed that Iran had launched nearly 100 suicide drones on Israeli mainland alongside the initial barrage of ballistic missiles.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed that it had launched numerous drones and missiles towards Israel, a move that could potentially escalate tensions significantly between the two regional adversaries. The United States has pledged its support for Israel in response.
According to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani issued a warning on Sunday, stating that Tehran would strongly retaliate against any nation that allows Israel to use its airspace or territory for attacks on Iran.
The Prime Minister’s Office of Israel announced that Prime Minister Netanyahu is convening the Israeli war cabinet at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
According to Israel’s military, the drones observed flying from Iran over Iraq would require several hours to reach their intended targets. Israeli Channel 12 reported that while some of the missiles launched by Iran might reach their destinations sooner, a number of both missiles and drones had been intercepted over Syria or Jordan.
Iran’s actions come in the wake of what it perceives as an Israeli attack on its Damascus consulate on April 1, resulting in the deaths of seven Guards officers, including two senior commanders. Iran has declared its retaliation as a response to what it calls “Israeli crimes,” although Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the consulate attack.