Iran launches its first-ever full-scale military attack on Israel
IRAN (AP) — Iran launched its first full-scale military attack against Israel on Saturday, sending drones toward Israel.
According to The Associated Press, Iran’s state-run media reported that dozens of drones had been fired.
The Israeli army’s spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said it would take several hours for the attack aircraft to arrive and that the country was prepared.
The AP News report said Iran had been threatening to attack Israel after an airstrike earlier this week widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran’s consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals.
Israel has also reportedly made missile defence a priority, with a variety of air-defence systems available to shoot down incoming missile and drone fire.
Iran had reportedly vowed revenge since an April 1 airstrike in Syria killed two Iranian generals inside an Iranian consular building. According to AP News, Iran accused Israel of being behind the attack. Israel hasn’t commented on it.
The war between Iran and Israel erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel. The Associated Press said an Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed over 33,000 people, according to local health officials.