Iran has conducted a successful large-scale missile and drone attack against Israel, the Revolutionary Guard Corps has said in a statement published by IRNA news agency. The Islamic Republic’s military managed to hit and destroy “important military targets,” it added without providing further details.
The strikes were a response to what Tehran called “numerous crimes” committed by West Jerusalem, including an alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The attack, which took place on April 1, killed seven officers of the IRGC’s Quds Force, including two generals.
The Islamic Republic’s attack involved more than 100 drones, Israeli and Western media reported. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it tracked incoming unmanned aerial vehicles and intercepted them mid-air, with help from allied forces.
Iranian media published several short clips on social media purportedly showing the moments the missiles hit their targets in Israel. One was said to be from a settlement in the Negev desert in the southern part of the country.
The videos show what appear to be several missiles striking targets in a settlement. RT could not independently verify the clips.
The IDF has confirmed only “minor” damage to a single military base resulting from the Iranian strike. The only person injured in the attack so far is a 10-year-old child in southern Israel.
In a statement, the IRGC warned the US that any support it provides to Israel that harms Iran’s interests would be met with a “decisive response.” Tehran considers Washington “responsible for the evil actions” of West Jerusalem, the statement added. Iran also warned its neighbors against assisting the US or Israel in potentially attacking the Islamic Republic.
In the wake of the Iranian strikes, Israeli media reported that the government is planning a massive retaliation. TV Channel 12 cited a senior Israeli official as saying that an “unprecedented response” to the attack is in the works. Israel’s culture and sports minister, Miki Zohar, also stated that West Jerusalem “received broad international legitimacy tonight to strike Iran with unprecedented force.”