Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles against Israel overnight from Saturday to Sunday, in response to a strike against its consulate in Damascus, the first direct attack ever carried out by the Islamic Republic against Israeli territory. Tehran on Sunday called on Israel not to react militarily to its unprecedented attack.
“The case can be considered closed”
“The case can be considered closed,” announced the Iranian mission to the UN in a message posted three hours after the start of its operation. But, she immediately warned, “if the Israeli regime made another mistake, Iran’s response would be considerably more severe.”
No leader of the Islamic Republic spoke during the night to justify this first attack to directly target Israel since the 1979 revolution in Iran. It was carried out by the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of power, who launched dozens of drones and missiles towards military sites on Israeli territory. This “military action by Iran is a response to the aggression of the Zionist regime against our diplomatic premises in Damascus,” explained the Iranian mission to the UN. It was “carried out on the basis of Article 51 of the United Nations Charter relating to self-defense”, according to her.
The desire to “punish” Israel
In the last two weeks, the Iranian authorities had affirmed their desire to “punish” Israel after the death of seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals of the Quds Force, in the destruction of the Iranian consulate in Syria by a strike attributed to Israel on April 1st. Israel “will be slapped”, warned the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Since the 1979 revolution, Israel has been the sworn enemy of the Islamic Republic, which calls for its destruction in favor of a Palestinian state. But, until now, Tehran had refrained from attacking it head-on, preferring to support the actions carried out by other members of the “axis of resistance”, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthi rebels since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinian Hamas on October 7.
Hours before the strikes, Iran seized a container ship accused of being “linked” to Israel with 25 crew members on board in Gulf waters on Saturday. “An act of piracy” for Washington.
Tehran warns the United States
During the night, Tehran also warned the United States, urging them to “stay away” from its conflict with Israel. “Any threat emanating from the US terrorist government and the Zionist regime… will result in a reciprocal and proportionate response from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the Revolutionary Guards warned early Sunday. “If necessary”, Tehran “will not hesitate to take defensive measures to protect its interests against any aggressive military action”, added the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The next slap will be more violent,” warned the new mural unveiled overnight in Palestine Square in Tehran, where a few thousand people gathered in the night shouting “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”.
The Israeli authorities had not revealed their intentions on Sunday morning. But they had not ruled out, before the attack, striking on Iranian territory, probably targeting military or nuclear sites according to experts.
As a precaution, Tehran-Mehrabad airport dedicated to domestic flights will remain closed on Sunday until 12 p.m. (07:30 GMT), according to the Mehr agency, while certain international companies have decided to suspend their flights or no longer fly over the airport. Iranian airspace. Several countries, including Russia and France, have asked their nationals to “refrain” from traveling to Iran and Israel.