Israel: Iran launched drone attack, IDF announces

Iran launched a drone attack on Israel on Saturday, almost two weeks after a raid on the Iranian consulate in Damascus blamed on Israel, raising fears of an explosion in the Middle East. In Tehran, state media confirmed a drone attack in progress against Israel, Iran’s sworn enemy.

Israel to close its airspace at 9:30 p.m. GMT

Israel will close its airspace on Sunday evening at 9:30 p.m. GMT (12:30 a.m. local time) after the army announced a drone attack launched towards its territory by Iran, the airport authority said. “In accordance with security instructions, from 00:30 this evening the airspace of the State of Israel will be closed to international and national flights,” said a press release.

Iran launches drone attack on Israel

“Iran launched drones from its territory towards Israel,” said Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israeli army in a televised address shortly after 11:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. GMT). “We are monitoring the threat in the airspace. It is a threat that will take several hours to reach the territory of the State of Israel,” added Rear Admiral Hagari. “We are working closely with the United States and our partners in the region to counter and intercept launches.”

Just before this announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured that his country had prepared for “the possibility of a direct attack from Iran” and was “ready to face any scenario, whether both in terms of defense and attack. “We appreciate the presence of the United States alongside Israel, as well as the support of Britain, France and many other countries,” Mr. Netanyahu added in a video address, as his army is engaged in a devastating war in Gaza.

Jordan, Israel’s neighbor, announced the temporary closure of its airspace, citing “a dangerous situation in the Middle East”. Iraq, which borders Iran, has also closed its airspace. Before the attack, the US administration announced that President Joe Biden was expected to return to the White House to consult with his national security team on “events in the Middle East”. On Friday, Mr. Biden said he expected the Iranian attack to take place “soon.”

Netanyahu says Israel prepared for ‘direct attack’ from Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Saturday evening that Israel has prepared for “the possibility of a direct attack from Iran” and is “ready to face any scenario, both in terms of defense than attack.” “We appreciate the presence of the United States alongside Israel, as well as the support of Britain, France and many other countries,” the prime minister added in a video address amid the threat of an Iranian operation targeting the country is considered imminent.

Schools closed in Israel for security reasons

Faced with Iranian threats, the United States reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to the security” of its Israeli ally, and announced the sending of reinforcements to the Middle East. Iran has vowed to “punish” Israel after an April 1 strike on its consulate in Damascus that cost the lives of two Revolutionary Guard generals. Tehran accused Israel, which neither confirmed nor denied. The Iranian attack was announced after the Revolutionary Guard maritime special forces seized a ship accused of being “linked” to Israel, with 25 crew members on board, in the waters earlier in the day. of the Gulf.

“In view of the security conditions”, Israel has announced the closure of schools and will restrict gatherings. Sunday, the first day of the week in Israel, and Monday, “teaching activities, trips and outings” school and extracurricular activities are suspended in Israel, said Daniel Hagari.

Sending American troops

In this context, the United States, Israel’s historic ally, announced the sending of troops and “additional assets” to the region in order to “support regional deterrence efforts and increase the protection of American forces.” US President Joe Biden said Friday he expected Iran to take action “soon”, in response to a question about threats against Israel, accused by the Islamic Republic of being at origin of the strike against his consulate in Damascus.

Fears of a regional conflagration pushed the Netherlands on Saturday to close, “as a precaution”, their embassy in Iran as well as their consulate in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan. Several countries, including France, Germany and the United States, have also reiterated their calls on their nationals not to travel to Iran. The day before, the German company Lufthansa and its Austrian subsidiary Austrian Airlines announced that they would suspend their flights to and from Tehran until April 18.

52 deaths in 24 hours

While the mediators, Qatar, Egypt, United States, await responses from Israel and Hamas to their latest truce proposal, the Israeli offensive knows no respite in the besieged Gaza Strip where 2.4 million people are threatened with famine, according to the UN. After withdrawing its troops from Khan Younes (south), the Israeli army announced on Saturday that it was continuing its operations against Hamas fighters in the center of the narrow strip of land where the Islamist movement, classified as terrorist by the States United, the European Union and Israel, took power in 2007. In Deir al-Balah (center) an AFP video shows a devastated landscape and mountains of ruins, including the remains of a mosque. The army “demanded that the entire area be evacuated” before it was “annihilated in a few minutes”, Abdoullah Baraka, a witness, told AFP.

In 24 hours, 52 Palestinians were killed, bringing the total toll to 33,686 people, mainly civilians, since the start of the war, according to a new report from Hamas. The war was sparked on October 7 when Hamas commandos infiltrated from the neighboring Gaza Strip carried out an attack in southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to a report established by the AFP based on official Israeli data. More than 250 people have been kidnapped and 129 remain detained in Gaza, including 34 who have died, according to Israeli officials.

The Israeli army also said on Saturday that it had struck more than “thirty targets” in the Gaza Strip over the previous day. Warning sirens sounded on Friday in the Israeli town of Sderot, she reported on Saturday, adding that they had intercepted rockets fired from Palestinian territory. In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli teenager who went missing on Friday was found “murdered” on Saturday, the army announced.

“Not tangible”

In addition to the human toll and destruction, the war has caused a humanitarian catastrophe throughout the Gaza Strip where humanitarian aid, strictly controlled by Israel, is arriving in dribs and drabs. But in recent days, Israeli authorities have reported a record number of aid trucks being allowed into the Palestinian territory. The Israeli army also announced on Friday that a new crossing point had opened in the north. According to local media, it is near the Israeli town of Zikim, not far from Erez, a crossing point currently closed.

For months, humanitarian organizations and foreign chancelleries, including the United States, Israel’s main ally, have urged the country to open direct supply routes to the northern Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian crisis is the most acute. “The increase in aid is not yet tangible,” Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), declared on X. “Aid must be able to reach everyone in need safely,” he added, calling on Israel to “lift” restrictions on its agency staff to allow them access to northern Gaza.

Pope Francis expressed his “great” suffering due to the war in a message Friday to mark the end of Ramadan. “I suffer greatly because of the conflict in Palestine and Israel,” the 87-year-old pope wrote in a message sent to the Al Arabiya channel made public by the Vatican.