Iran Launches Drone Attack Against Israel
WASHINGTON – Iran launched a drone against Israel, the Israeli military said Saturday afternoon, in apparent retaliation for a deadly Israeli airstrike in early April on the Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, Syria.
President Joe Biden cut short his weekend stay at his vacation home in Rehoboth, Delaware, and has returned to the White House where he is being updated on the situation by his national security team.
“This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council in an email to reporters.
“President Biden has been clear: Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran,” Watson said.
Senior Iranian government and military officials have been vowing to retaliate since the Israeli airstrike on Damascus on April 1.
Seven Iranian officers, including three top commanders, were killed in the strike.
Saturday’s attack came after a week of diplomacy aimed at containing the crisis and avoiding a wider regional conflict.
The day started with commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard rappelling from a helicopter onto an Israeli-owned container ship near the Strait of Hormuz and seizing the vessel.
Initial, unofficial word, is that Iran has launched dozens of drones toward Israel, and Israeli aviation authorities have closed the country’s airspace to all flights.
Earlier Saturday, the Israeli military said it was canceling school and limiting public gatherings to no more than 1,000 people as a safety precaution.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli Army spokesman, confirmed late Saturday local time that it would take several hours for the drones to arrive. He said Israel was prepared.
The militaries of the U.S., Israel and Iran have all been on high alert since the April 1 strike, and on Thursday, Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command traveled to Israel to coordinate the response to a possible attack.
Before departing Delaware, Biden was briefed on the unfolding events by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer.
Immediately upon his arrival at the White House, Biden proceeded to the White House Situation Room where he met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, secretary of State Antony Blinken, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, CIA Director Bill Burns, director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti and National Security council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk.
Sullivan and Finer also participated in the meeting, as did Vice President Kamala Harris and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, who attended by secure video.
The initial response from Congress was muted, with many members being out of town.
In a statement, former House majority leader Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said, “Last week, President Biden sent a definitive message to Iran about this pending attack: ‘don’t.’
“I reiterate what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made clear to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant just last week – Israel has America’s full support in defending against Iranian aggression. We stand by our ally as it exercises its absolute right to defend itself,” he continued.
“America, Israel, and many of our other allies and intermediaries repeatedly warned Iran not to magnify this war. Those were not idle threats,” Hoyer said.
“It is absolutely imperative that when the House returns on Monday, we pass the national security supplemental immediately to provide Israel and Ukraine with essential aid to defend itself and deter further attacks from Iran and Russia. Our allies cannot afford to wait any longer, and neither should we,” he added.
