Iran’s early Sunday strike on Israel has been intercepted during the night and Iran’s representative to the United Nations said their retaliation attack on Israel – for the April 1 Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy in Damascus – has concluded.
The world is now watching whether Israel will decide to strike back at Iran, and the G7 are expected to convene on the situation.
The UN, EU, and USA have condemned Iran’s attack on Israel, as did several countries individually, from Latin America to China, including Greece – where the National Security Governmental Council (KYSEA) will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday evening “to assess the situation and to declare in every way our support for every effort to defuse the new tension,” according to Greek PM Mitsotakis.
🔴 Watch: Israeli defense systems intercept Iranian missiles over the Temple Mount pic.twitter.com/oEebzijEGI
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) April 13, 2024
Footage posted on social media showed Israel’s air defence systems intercept over 300 projectiles – drones and missiles – launched from Iranian territory. 99 percent of them were countered, and the ones that managed to reach Israeli grounds hit a military base, causing limited structural damage, according to Israel.
Crazy Footage from tonight showing what appears to be an Exo-Atmospheric Interception, an Interception which occurs Outside the Earth’s Atmosphere, of an Iranian Ballistic Missile over Israel; the Intercept was likely conducted by the Israeli “Arrow 3” Hypersonic Surface-to-Air… pic.twitter.com/yzjW7rtThK
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 14, 2024
Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the IDF has worked together with the US, UK and France to counter the threat, adding that all three “acted tonight” during the Iranian strikes.
Calls for restraint after Iran’s strike on Israel
Countries across the world, including Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have called for restraint following the air raid and advise all actors against further escalation between Iran and Israel.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on “all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East.”
In a similar tone, the President of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, said that “all actors must now refrain from further escalation and work to restore stability in the region.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that while the US do not seek escalation, they will continue to support Israel’s defense and will defend US personnel.
President Biden did not make a televised address from the Oval Office as was previously announced, but issued a statement on the incident, where he said he planned to convene his fellow G7 leaders the following day “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.”
“My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will stay in close touch with Israel’s leaders. And while we have not seen attacks on our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people,” the statement concluded.
Iran’s warning to Israel and the US
Iran, however, has issued a warning to Israel that their response will be much larger than Sunday’s air strike if Israel retaliates against Iran.
The warning was extended to the US for helping Israel in possible next military actions.
According to Sardar Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, if the US cooperate with Israel in possible future attacks, US bases will “not have any security” and will “be dealt with.”
Speaking on Iranian state TV, Bagheri said that a “new equation” was created after this weekend’s attack on Israel, and that it will now respond directly whenever Israel attacks its interests, assets or people.
The CNN reports that, while President Biden reiterated to Israeli PM Netanyahu that the US’s commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies remains “ironclad,” the US would not participate in any offensive operations against Iran.