Iran attack: nearly all drones and missiles in ‘unprecedented’ attack on Israel were taken down, says Biden – live

Joe Biden has said that nearly all the drones and missiles launched from Iran were intercepted, adding that he will convene a meeting of G7 leaders on Sunday.

Condemning the attack, the US president said in a statement from the White House that Iran was aided by its proxy forces in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week. Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.

Biden says that he reaffirmed America’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel in his call with Benjamin Netanyahu.

I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel.

The UN security council will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday after Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel, the body’s president said.

The meeting is aiming to be held at 4pm on Sunday and is at Israel’s request, a spokesperson for Malta, which holds the rotating presidency this month, told the media Saturday evening.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN called for the meeting in a letter to the security council president, labelling Iran’s attack a “flagrant violation of Israel’s sovereignty.”

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken to US president Joe Biden, his office has said.

The conversation came at the conclusion of a meeting by Israel’s war cabinet.

Earlier, the Pentagon reported that defence secretary Lloyd Austin had spoken with his Israeli counterpart “to discuss urgent regional threats … and made clear that Israel could count on full US support to defend Israel against any attacks by Iran and its regional proxies.”

National security adviser Jake Sullivan also spoke with his counterpart to reinforce Washington’s “ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.”

A few injuries were reported at a military base in the south of Israel where there was minor damage to infrastructure, Israeli army spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

He said the vast majority of the missiles launched from Iran were intercepted outside the borders of Israel.

The air defense fighters successfully intercepted using the “Arrow” system and, together with the strategic partner countries, most of the launches before they crossed the territory of the country.”

It’s 4.15am in Jerusalem, 4.45am in Tehran and 9.15pm in Washington. Here’s what we know about the attack taking place against Israel.

• Iran has launched dozens of drones as well as cruise missiles towards Israel, the Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on the Jewish state in response to the 1 April strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital of Damascus which killed a senior figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, and eight other officers.

• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp has said that it launched ballistic missiles at “specific targets” in Israel as part of what it called “Operation True Promise”.

• The first wave reached Israel at around 2am local time (midnight BST), with sirens blaring across the country and explosions visible and audible in the sky in several places. Commercial capital Tel Aviv, the disputed city of Jerusalem, and Dimona, the desert city home to Israel’s nuclear plant, all appeared to have been targeted.

• Iranian strikes caused “minor damage” to an Israeli base, army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Sunday, after Iran’s state media reported “heavy blows” to the base from its missiles. “Only a few missiles fell in the territory of the state of Israel with slight damage to a military base in the south, with only slight damage to the infrastructure,” Hagari said in a statement.

• Most of the missiles launched by Iran were intercepted outside Israel’s borders, while a limited number fell inside the country’s territory, IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee has said. He said that the total number of aerial units launched from Iran was about 200 and there were reports that one child had been injured.

• US president Joe Biden cut short a weekend stay at his Delaware beach house and returned to the White House to meet his national security team and monitor the situation shortly before the attack was announced.

• The US and UK reportedly helped Israel shoot down Iranian drones over Jordan, Iraq and Syria in an effort to blunt the attack and prevent an uncontrollable escalation. “US forces in the region continue to shoot down Iranian-launched drones targeting Israel,” a senior US defence official told reporters.

• Royal Air Force fighter jets and refuelling aircraft were also involved, taking off from bases in Cyprus. Their role, according to the UK Ministry of Defence, was to fill in for the US air force in the sorties against the Islamic State normally carried out over Iraq and north-eastern Syria, but also to intercept Iranian drones if they came into the UK area of operations.

• Reuters quoted two regional security sources as saying Jordanian jets had downed dozens of Iranian drones flying across northern and central Jordan heading towards Israel.

• World leaders have condemned Iran’s attack with regional powers including Saudi Arabia and Egypt called for restraint. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said he is deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said the US “must stand with our ally.”

“President Biden must lead an international effort to impose sufficient costs on Tehran to compel an end to its aggression and terror … The president must also give Israel the time, space, and support it deserves to finish the job against Hamas. Tehran and its proxies are emboldened when they see divisions between the US and Israel.”

McConnell, a senior Republican leader, has called for Congress to “do its part.”

“The national security supplemental that has waited months for action will provide critical resources to Israel and our own military forces in the region.”

That $95bn supplemental spending bill includes $14bn for Israel, in addition to $60bn for Ukraine, support for Taiwan and billions of dollars in humanitarian assistance. It was passed by the Senate with 70% support in February but has been blocked in the House, whose Republican leaders will not call it up for a vote, largely because of their objection to further funding for Ukraine.

House majority leader Steve Scalise said in a statement that there will be a change to the House schedule to consider legislation that supports Israel and holds Iran accountable.

It was unclear whether Scalise was referring to a stand-alone bill to aid Israel or the $95bn supplemental spending bill.

Most of the missiles launched by Iran were intercepted outside Israel’s borders, while a limited number fell inside the country’s territory, IDF spokesperson, Avichay Adraee has said.

Israeli warplanes intercepted more than ten cruise missiles outside the country’s borders, as well as dozens of drones, Adraee said in a statement on X, adding that the total number of aerial units launched from Iran was about 200.

A short hour ago, Iran launched dozens of surface-to-surface missiles from its territory towards Israel … At this time, there are reports that one child was injured, and an IDF base in the south was damaged, resulting in minor damage to infrastructure.

US forces in the region shooting down Iranian-launched drones

Julian Borger

A hastily assembled coalition including the US and UK has helped Israel shoot down Iranian drones over Jordan, Iraq and Syria in an effort to blunt the attack and prevent an uncontrollable escalation.

As a mass salvo of Iranian drones and cruise missiles neared its borders, Israel scrambled its fighter jets to intercept the incoming projectiles, according to Israeli news reports, and it was supported in the effort by its partners and neighbours.

“In accordance with our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, US forces in the region continue to shoot down Iranian-launched drones targeting Israel,” a senior US defence official told reporters. “Our forces remain postured to provide additional defensive support and to protect US forces operating in the region.”

Jordan’s air force intercepted and shot down dozens of Iranian drones that violated its airspace and were heading to Israel, two regional security sources told the Reuters news agency.

Residents in several cities in the northern part of the country – near Syria – and central and southern areas heard heavy aerial activity.

In neighbourhoods south of the capital Amman, 60 km from Jerusalem, several downed drones were reportedly seen. Reuters has said that residents gathered around the remnants of one suspected large drone that fell in a commercial area of the city’s Marj al Hamam suburb.

There was no confirmation from the Jordanian government on its military role. The Iranian news agency Fars cited a source as saying that the regime in Tehran was closely monitoring Jordan’s actions which could make the Arab state “the next target” if it acted in Israel’s defence.

Jordan had earlier said it closed its airspace starting to all incoming, departing and transiting aircraft.

“The relevant authorities took the decision to close the airspace for precautionary reasons as a result of the surrounding security situation,” Jordan’s government spokesperson Muhannad Mubaideen said.