“In response to the Zionist regime's crime in attacking the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, the Revolutionary Guards Air Force hit certain targets in the territories of the Zionist regime with dozens of drones and missiles,” said the IRGC in a statement.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier announced that Iran had launched multiple drones into Israeli territory.
“A short while ago, Iran launched drones from its territory and from the territory of its agents towards the territory of the State of Israel,” Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson, wrote on X.
He said that Israeli forces are currently monitoring the situation and the drones “require several hours to reach Israeli territory.”
Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon announced they were temporarily closing their airspace for all incoming, outgoing, and transitioning aircrafts, citing heightening regional tensions. The Kurdistan Region also temporarily suspended all flights from Erbil and Sulaimani airports.
There were multiple reports on social media of drones spotted in the skies above Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
White House National Security spokesperson Adrienne Watson reiterated Washington's support for Israel and its "defense against these threats from Iran," following the launch of the attack. She said that US President Joe Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team.
Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have repeatedly warned that Israel will be “punished” for an April 1 attack on Tehran’s embassy in Damascus that killed at least seven people, including two IRGC generals. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the strike.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz took to X on Wednesday, threatening to strike Iran directly if it attacks Israeli territory.
Biden earlier in the day cut his weekend trip to Delaware short and returned to Washington to consult with his national security team regarding the situation in the Middle East amid Iranian threats to strike Israel.
The American president on Friday said that he expects Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran against the move as he reiterated Washington’s ironclad commitment to Israel.
