Iran Strikes Israel in Retaliation, Escalating Regional War Fears: 10 Points

Iran launched over 200 drones and missiles at Israel

Iran has launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel after pledging retaliation for a strike on its consular building in Syria.

Here are 10 points on the big story

1.  Iran launched over 200 drones and missiles at Israel as its proxies and allies also carried out coordinated attacks on Israeli positions. “The regime in Iran sent a massive swarm of over 200 killer drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles,” an Israeli army spokesman said.
2. Iran insists it acted in “self-defence” after the targeting of its diplomatic mission in Damascus. It said it hoped its action would prompt no further escalation and “the matter can be deemed concluded.”
3. President Joe Biden said that US forces helped take down “nearly all” the drones and missiles fired by Iran at Israel, adding that he had reaffirmed his “ironclad” support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
4. Biden said he would convene his fellow leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations to coordinate a “united diplomatic response” to Iran’s “brazen” attack. “Iran – and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria and Iraq – launched an unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel. I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms,” Biden said.
5. The Israeli army had earlier said that “dozens of surface-to-surface missile launches” were identified approaching Israeli territory, the majority of which were intercepted before they crossed into Israel. Troops are deployed on all fronts, prepared, and continuing to defend Israeli territory, the statement said.
6. Israeli PM Netanyahu has vowed to respond defensively and offensively, saying that Israel has been preparing for a direct attack by Iran for years.
7. The European Union, Britain, France, Mexico, Czechia, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands all condemned Iran’s attack. The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today over Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel, the body’s president said.
8. Israel said it was closing schools nationwide while Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon announced they were temporarily closing their airspace.
9. The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, now in its seventh month, has driven up tensions in the region, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq.
10. Those clashes now threaten to morph into a direct open conflict pitting Iran and its regional allies against Israel and its main supporter the United States, with regional power Egypt urging “utmost restraint”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)