Israel is closing its airspace as it prepares to defend against an imminent Iranian drone attack, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards saying Saturday the country had launched dozens of drones at unstated targets in Israel.
The Israeli army’s spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said Saturday evening it would take several hours for the incoming aircraft to arrive and that Israel was prepared.
Tensions between Iran and Israel have spiked in the wake of a strike on Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus, Syria’s capital, earlier this month.
Tehran had threatened retaliation, and U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that he expected an attack to occur “sooner, rather than later.” That timeline appeared to be prescient, given the events unfolding late Saturday.
U.S. pledges to stand with Israel
The White House said it would provide unspecified support for Israel’s defence against the attack.
“The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defence against these threats from Iran,” U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
Iran has vowed revenge against Israel for allegedly killing seven Revolutionary Guard members — including two top generals. Israelis are now bracing for a response that could escalate into full-blown war.
Jordan, which shares a border with both Israel and Syria, closed its own airspace late Saturday. Nearby, Lebanon announced it would do the same. Syria, an ally of Iran, said it was putting its ground-to-air defence systems around the capital and major bases on high alert, army sources there said.
Two security sources in Iraq said dozens of drones had been spotted flying from Iran toward Israel over Iraqi airspace.
Israel’s military was on full alert ahead of the expected attack. Earlier Saturday, Hagari, the army spokesperson, stated in a televised address that dozens of combat planes were airborne as part of the state of readiness.
‘Intent on sowing chaos’: British PM
News of the attack drew condemnation from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who called Iran’s actions “reckless” and said they showed it was “intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard.”
“These strikes risk inflaming tensions and destabilizing the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard,” Sunak said in a statement.
“The U.K. will continue to stand up for Israel’s security and that of all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq.
Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, meanwhile, called for the exercise of the “utmost restraint” to spare the region and its people from further factors of instability and tension.
Cargo ship seized
Hours earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The move came days after Tehran said it could close the crucial shipping route and warned it would retaliate for the Israeli strike in Syria.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that a Guards helicopter had boarded and taken into Iranian waters the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries.
MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), which operates the Aries, confirmed Iran had seized the ship and said it was working “with the relevant authorities” for its safe return and the well-being of its 25 crew.
MSC leases the Aries from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac said in a statement, adding that MSC is responsible for all of the vessel’s activities. Zodiac is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
Video on Iranian news channels purporting to show the seizure included a figure abseiling from a helicopter onto a ship. Reuters was able to verify that the ship in the video was the MSC Aries but not the date it was recorded.
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