Iran Launches Retaliatory Airstrikes On Israel: Over 350 Drones, Missiles

Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel overnight Saturday, days after the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned it would hit back in response to an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria that left several generals dead.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the airstrike on Iran's consulate in Damascus, which left 12 people dead, including seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Earlier Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had for weeks "been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran." He said Israel's "air defenses are deployed, we are ready for any scenario, both in attack and in defense... I established a clear principle -- whoever hurts us, we hurt him. We will protect ourselves from any threat and we will do so with coolness and determination."

Khamenei had earlier this week, promised to retaliate against Israel, saying "it will be punished" for the April 1 strike in Damascus that he said is as akin to an attack on Iran itself.

During the attack which started around 2000 UTC, and lasted five hours, Iran launched a barrage of about 350 drones and missiles, according to United States officials. Explosions were heard in cities across Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and air raid sirens sounded in more than 720 locations as Israeli forces sought to shoot down the projectiles.

Israel’s chief military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said Iran’s attack involved more than 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones, and more than 30 cruise missiles, the vast majority of which were intercepted outside the country’s borders, with help from the US, the United Kingdom, France and Jordan.

Military officials said a “small number of hits were identified.” In a base located in southern Israel, “minor damage occurred to the infrastructure.” A seven-year-old girl was also severely injured by missile fragments, while other patients sustained minor injuries and some were treated for anxiety.

Israel has missile defense systems capable of targeting ballistic missiles. However, in a massive attack involving multiple drones and missiles like the Iranian attack, the likelihood of a strike making it through is higher.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday that the US also intercepted “dozens” of missiles and drones launched at Israel from Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Following the attack, the U.S. stressed Sunday that it is committed to defending Israel but it would not be a part of any responsive action that Netanyahu's government could take.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. is not seeking escalation and does not want a war with Iran. Official who briefed reporters emphasized the U.S. was not involved in the initial Israeli strike that killed two Iranian commanders in Syria.

President Joe Biden has reportedly warned Netanyahu to "think things through and be very careful" in any decision he makes on how the Jewish nation will respond to Iran's attacks.

According to a Foreign Office spokesperson, U.K. Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron, has summoned the charge d'affaires of the Iranian embassy to the department following Tehran's "profoundly dangerous" attack on Israel.

The spokesperson said that the UK condemns the attack "in the strongest terms as well as their violation of Jordan and Iraq's airspace." And added: "At a time of great tension in the Middle East, this was a profoundly dangerous and unnecessary escalation by Iran. The UK calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the civilian ship MSC Aries and its crew, which was seized by Iranian armed forces yesterday in international waters. The Iranian authorities must take meaningful and immediate action to de-escalate and halt its reckless and unlawful behaviour. The UK will continue to stand up for Israel's security and the security of all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq. We will also continue to work with our international partners to protect and uphold stability in the region."

Reactions on social media to the Iran's attack were divided mostly between elected politicians and voters, as the former, in European capitals and U.S. released statements pledging support for Israel.

However critics slammed Israel and Netanyahu for trying to drag the U.S. into another middle eastern war. "Man. This war propaganda just ain’t hitting the same," conservative commentator  Candace Owens posted X, as some neoconservative politicians urge U.S. to intervene on behalf of the Jewish nation. "I’m frankly tired of being an economic slave colony to pre-planned wars. In other words, which banker do you guys think is going to win this war? I think it’s going to be the one that’s funding both sides of the war, as usual."

Israel has recently started facing criticisms from its strongest base of support in the west -- conservative Christians who are becoming increasing turned off by politicians' uncritical support for the Jewish nation even as U.S. and western nations face a myriad of domestic problems and financial debt.

"Send your son to join the IDF, bitch," one X user @CassandraRules wrote, in response to neocon politician Nikki Haley, failed 2024 U.S presidential candidate who declared that "if American relationship with Israel is 'ironclad,' now is the time to prove it. #TheWorld Is Watching"

WATCH Israel intercepts some of Iran's missiles