New Delhi: Launching over 200 drones and missiles at Israel Saturday night, Iran for the first time directly attacked Israeli territory in retaliation for the 1 April airstrike on its Damascus consulate that killed two of its senior commanders and several others.
The Iranian airstrikes were mostly intercepted, according to Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Hagari claimed that one minor was injured by the Iranian airstrikes.
Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, said that Israel “added another mistake to its own errors by launching an attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria”, in a video posted on social media platform X.
The supreme leader of Iran added: “The consulates and embassy offices in any country where they exist are regarded as the soil of the country to which the embassy belongs. Attacking our consulate is like attacking our soil…It [Israel] should be punished and it will be punished.”
The malicious Zionist regime will be punished pic.twitter.com/2miQi2JoiI
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) April 13, 2024
הרוב המכריע של הטילים ששוגרו מאיראן יורטו מחוץ לגבולות מדינת ישראל:
לפני זמן קצר זוהו עשרות שיגורים של טילי קרקע-קרקע שעשו את דרכם מאיראן לשטח הארץ.
לוחמי ההגנה האווירית יירטו בהצלחה באמצעות מערכת "חץ" ויחד עם המדינות השותפות האסטרטגיות את מרבית השיגורים טרם חצו לשטח הארץ.
זוהו… pic.twitter.com/onGoojHrD3
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי – Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) April 14, 2024
The Iranian attacks caused light damage to one Israeli military installation according to Hagari. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting with the ministers of his cabinet and spoke to US President Joe Biden on phone.
Biden in a statement Saturday “condemned” the airstrikes by Iran against the military facilities of Israel. He announced that the US will be convening a Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ meeting Sunday to “coordinate a united diplomatic response” to Tehran’s airstrikes.
I condemn Iran's attacks in the strongest possible terms and reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.
My full statement on Iran’s attacks against Israel: pic.twitter.com/EuPJZoGw6w
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 14, 2024
Israel called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to immediately convene a meeting to “unequivocally condemn Iran” and designate its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
“I confirm Israel’s request to convene a meeting of the Security Council immediately to unequivocally condemn Iran for these grave violations and immediately act to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization,” Israel’s permanent representative to UN Gilad Erdan said in the letter to the president of the UNSC.
A statement by its permanent mission to the UN indicates that Tehran considers its retaliation concluded. In a statement on X, the Iranian permanent mission said that “the matter can be deemed concluded”.
Conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense, Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus. The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli…
— Permanent Mission of I.R.Iran to UN, NY (@Iran_UN) April 13, 2024
In its own letter to the secretary general of the United Nations and the president of the UNSC, Iran claimed that its actions were an “exercise” of Tehran’s “right to self-defence” as outlined in “Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations”.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defence when required. Should the Israeli regime commit any military aggression again, Iran’s response will assuredly and decisively be stronger and more resolute,” said the Iranian letter to the UNSC.
Iran’s invocation of Article 51 of the UN Charter occurred following a 13-day period marked by the Security Council’s inaction and silence, coupled with its failure to condemn the Israeli regime’s aggressions. Certain countries’ precipitous condemnation of Iran’s exercise of its… pic.twitter.com/knuJrzS4ji
— Permanent Mission of I.R.Iran to UN, NY (@Iran_UN) April 14, 2024
In a statement issued Sunday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs called for “immediate de-escalation”.
“We are seriously concerned at the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran which threatens the peace and security in the region. We call for immediate de-escalation, exercise of restraint, stepping back from violence and return to the path of diplomacy. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation. Our Embassies in the region are in close touch with the Indian community. It is vital that security and stability are maintained in the region,” the statement read.
Iran’s retaliatory response comes a few hours after it seized a container ship ‘MSC Aries’ with 17 Indian crew members on board. The ship is reported to be affiliated with Zodiac Maritime, which is a part of Israeli-born billionaire Eyal Ofer’s business group.
As reported by ThePrint, the Indian government has been “in touch” with Iranian authorities through “diplomatic channels” for the early release of the Indian nationals.
US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in a statement Saturday reaffirmed Biden’s “ironclad” commitment for the security of Israel. Biden met with his national security team to receive updates on the Iranian retaliatory strikes.
I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. pic.twitter.com/kbywnsvmAx
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 13, 2024
According to Flightradar24, a real-time flight tracking system, the airspace around Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and Iran was closed late Saturday evening.
Iran’s retaliation comes after two of its senior commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and several officers were killed in an airstrike on its diplomatic compound in Damascus, Syria, on 1 April. Tehran blamed Tel Aviv for the attack.
One of its commanders Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahidi, the IRGC adviser to Lebanon and Syria.
Israel has been bracing for a retaliatory strike by Iran over the weekend. The US is reported to have started moving additional security assets in the region to protect its military personnel Friday.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)