[🇮🇷] Iran's "Operation Truthful Promise - وعده صادق" on Israel : Live Coverage

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An Israeli war cabinet meeting is currently convening at IDF headquarters, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

Here's what we know so far:


Military capabilities: Israel had been preparing for the attack, Netanyahu said in a statement Saturday. The country had bolstered its defensive and offensive capabilities across various domains — including land, air, sea and intelligence — ahead of time, according to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon have temporarily closed their airspace following the strikes, officials say. Also, the US has said it will attempt to intercept any weapons launched at Israel if it's feasible to do so, according to two US officials, in an indication of the level of ongoing cooperation between the two militaries.

How it started: Earlier this month, an airstrike destroyed Iran's consulate building in Damascus, Syria and killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp officials — including top commanders, according to Iranian officials and state-affiliated media. The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria accused Israel of authoring the attack. Iran vowed to retaliate.

Security meeting: US President Joe Biden returned to the White House Saturday early from his trip to Delaware for a meeting with his national security team. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown were among those expected to be present at the meeting.

Moving military assets: The US had observed Iran moving military assets around internally, including drones and cruise missiles, signaling that it was preparing to attack Israeli targets from inside its own territory, according to two people familiar with US intelligence.

Ship seizure: Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized an Israeli-linked container ship with 25 crew members on board in a helicopter operation Saturday near the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency IRNA reported. The White House condemned the seizure and the Portuguese government said it was in contact with Iranian authorities Saturday morning.

International response: European officials have warned against further escalation between Israel and Iran. On Friday, Biden issued a stern public warning, saying that his message to Tehran was simply: "Don't." Also, countries including France, India, Germany and Canada, are warning citizens to avoid traveling to to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories amid the ramped-up regional tensions.

More on Iran's position: Iran's regional allies say they entered confrontations with Israel on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, Since the outbreak of war in Gaza, Iran's proxies have launched attacks on Israel and its allies, while demanding a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.

What this means: The beginning of a state-on-state conflict between Iran and Israel marks a serious escalation in the region – a scenario that the US has hoped to avoid since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.

 

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[H3]IRNA source says Iran has launched wave of ballistic missiles[/H3]
Tehran has launched its first wave of ballistic missiles towards Israel, a source tells Iran's state news agency IRNA.
The missiles were fired at targets "deep" into the country, they add.

 

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2 min ago
[H2]US has significant military presence in region and has said it will defend Israel[/H2]
From CNN's Haley Britzky

Ahead of Iran launching dozens of drones toward Israel, President Joe Biden on Friday made clear the US would help defend its ally.

"We are devoted to the defense of Israel," he said from the White House. "We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed."

The US has forces in Iraq and Syria that could potentially intercept drones en route to Israel, depending on the location from which they're launched. US Navy forces in the Red Sea have previously intercepted long-range missiles launched from the Houthis in Yemen toward Israel.

Troops in region: There are thousands of US troops throughout the Middle East, and a US defense official told CNN this week that the Defense Department was moving additional assets to the Middle East.

At the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the US shifted a significant number of assets to the Middle East in an attempt to act as a deterrence and prevent the conflict from spilling out into the region more broadly.

Another roughly 1,000 US troops are still en route to help set up a floating pier that will be used to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said this week that it was still on track to be operational by late April or early May.

Strike group: The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group remains in the region. The strike group includes 6,000 sailors, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Mason (DDG 87) and USS Gravely (DDG 107). The group also includes Carrier Air Wing Three, which is composed of nine squadrons, including four strike fighter squadrons.

Houthi attacks: For the last several months, the US has continuously shot down missiles, rockets, and drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, as well as attacks launched by Iran-backed proxy groups in Iraq and Syria. Three US soldiers were killed in January when a drone was launched at a small US outpost in Jordan.

CENTCOM leader: Gen. Erik Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM who is the senior general overseeing US forces in the Middle East, was in Israel on Friday for meetings with his Israeli counterparts. A US official told CNN on Saturday that Kurilla had left the country.

 

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Iran launches drone, missile strikes on Israel, opening wider conflict

An Iranian missile is displayed during an unveiling ceremony in Tehran, Iran, in this picture obtained on February 17, 2024. File Photo: Reuters/Iran's Defence Ministry
Israel was coming under direct attack from Iran Saturday, the army announced, in a major escalation of the long-running covert war between the regional foes that threatened to overshadow the conflict in Gaza.

Iran had repeatedly threatened to strike Israel in retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike on its Damascus consular building and Washington had warned repeatedly in recent days that the reprisals were imminent.

"Iran launched UAVs from its territory towards the territory of the state of Israel," military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.

"We are working in close cooperation with the United States and our partners in the region in order to act against the launches and intercept them," he said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed a retaliatory drone attack against Israel was under way. While state media said "drones and missiles" had been launched.

The White House said it expected the Iranian drone attack to "unfold over a number of hours".

It said Washington would "stand with the people of Israel" as Iran attacks.

Airspace closing

The army statement came shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for a "direct attack from Iran".

"Our defence systems are deployed, we are prepared for any scenario, both in defence and attack," the Israeli premier said in a televised statement, adding Israel had the backing of the United States and "many" other countries.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards had already seized an Israeli-linked container vessel in the Gulf earlier on Saturday, putting the whole region on alert.

Israel said it was closing schools nationwide while Jordan and Iraq, which lie between Iran and Israel, announced they were temporarily closing their airspace.

Israel said it would close its own airspace from 2130 GMT.

Shortly after the ship seizure, the Israeli military warned Iran it would suffer the "consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further".

The April 1 strike in Damascus, which killed 16 people, including two Iranian generals, had been widely blamed on Israel. Iran had repeatedly vowed to hit back, but had not specified how.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized a container ship "related" to Israel in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, which was now heading towards Iranian waters, Iranian state media reported.

The ship's operator, the Italian-Swiss group MSC, said it was working with the relevant authorities to ensure the wellbeing of the 25 crew onboard.

Both Israel and the United States denounced the seizure as piracy, with Israel also demanding that the Guards be declared a "terrorist organisation" by the European Union.

In Washington, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson called on Iran "to release the vessel and its international crew immediately".

"Seizing a civilian vessel without provocation is a blatant violation of international law, and an act of piracy", she said.

President Joe Biden cut short a weekend trip to his home state of Delaware for urgent consultations in Washington, the White House said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz postponed a planned visit to Hungary and Austria, his spokesman said.

An adviser to Iran's supreme leader said that Israel was in "complete panic" over Tehran's looming response.

"They don't know what Iran wants to do, so they and their supporters are terrified," senior adviser Yahya Rahim said.

Gaza truce stalemate

The Gaza war began with Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack against Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,686 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.

Israel's military said it had struck more than 30 Hamas targets across Gaza.

In the main central city of Deir al-Balah, fire burned in the rubble of a destroyed mosque.

Israel's military "demanded that the whole area be evacuated" before it was "wiped out in minutes", said Abdullah Baraka, a witness.

In nearby Nuseirat refugee camp, Abd Thabet said residents had been warned to evacuate on Friday evening ahead of a large explosion that caused "massive destruction".

"All of the houses were demolished, including my home," the 35-year-old told AFP.

Tensions have also flared in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where a missing Israeli teenager was found dead on Saturday.

After the boy went missing near the city of Ramallah on Friday, hundreds of Jewish settlers backed by Israeli forces raided nearby Palestinian villages, torching cars and homes, leaving at least one villager dead and dozens injured.

Hamas said it had submitted its response to a Gaza truce plan presented by US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators at talks in Cairo this week.

The Palestinian militant group said it was sticking to its previous demands, insisting on "a permanent ceasefire" and the "withdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip".

The Israeli prime minister's office accused Hamas of torpedoing efforts for an exchange of hostages for prisoners.

"Hamas to this day has refused any deal and any compromise proposal," it said.

Washington has ramped up pressure on Netanyahu to increase aid flows to Gaza where the United Nations warns of imminent famine.

During the October attack, Hamas militants seized about 250 hostages, 129 of whom Israel says remain in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.​

 

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[H3]First ever Iranian attack on Israel from Iranian soil - IDF[/H3]

A former Israeli Defense Forces spokesman, Jonathan Conricus, says "this is day one of the new Middle East - for the first time Iran is attacking Israel directly from sovereign Iranian soil".

Speaking on the BBC News Channel, he cited reports of more than 100 Iranian drones and cruise missiles heading to Israel, "with different expected times of arrival". He said "Israeli air defences are busy taking out these threats".

When asked if Israel had planned for this, he said: "I think Israel is good at planning military contingencies, but they don't always excel at the strategic part. I didn't expect the Iranians to do this, from Iranian soil. It will drag other countries, including the US, into the conflict."

Conricus added: "I think there are a few plans in the drawers, looking at targets in Iran".

He said those targets would probably be sites "concerned with arming various terror groups, such as Hezbollah, Iranian proxies in Syria, the Houthis in Yemen".

"It depends how much damage will be done in Israel - that will be the measure of how Israel will retaliate."

 

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[H2]Israeli military plans to intercept drones before they reach Israeli skies, says military official[/H2]
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond

The Israeli military intends to try and intercept drones launched by Iran before they reach Israeli skies, according to a military official.
⁠Israel anticipates that Iran may launch additional waves of drones over time and is monitoring other Iranian assets for additional types of attacks, the Israeli military official added.

 

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The UK has condemned Iran's attack on Israel, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on a statement posted on X.

"I condemn in the strongest terms the Iranian regime's reckless attack against Israel. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard," Sunak's statement said.

"The UK will continue to stand up for Israel's security and that of all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq," it said.

"Alongside our allies, we are urgently working to stabilize the situation and prevent further escalation. No one wants to see more bloodshed."

 

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[H2]Lebanon temporarily closes airspace [/H2]
From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali and Caroline Faraj

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Works and Transport announced Saturday that the country's airspace will be temporarily closed to all incoming, departing and transiting aircraft following regional developments.

The ministry added in a statement that the closure is a precautionary measure and is effective 1 a.m. local time until 7 a.m. Sunday.

This decision entails the complete cessation of air navigation operations at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport during the specified period.