Donna Ferguson

Syria has put its Russian-made Pantsir ground-to-air defence systems around its capital Damascus and major bases on high alert, anticipating an Israeli strike, army sources have told Reuters.

They said they expected Israel would retaliate against army bases and installations where pro-Iranian militia were based.

Dan Sabbagh

Initial reports indicated that Iran had launched multiple drones aimed at Israel, backed up by night-time videos from Iran of appearing to show noisy Shahed drones presumably flying west.

The slow moving Shaheds flies at a speed of 110 miles per hour, would take six hours to fly from Iran, and are relatively easy to intercept, as Ukraine has demonstrated with a less effective air defence system.

On March 23, Ukraine’s air force said it had shot down 31 out of 34 attacking, for example – meaning that an attack by a few dozen drones, whilst dramatic, would not in itself demonstrate military seriousness by Tehran.

A more dangerous assault would involve a combination of manoeuvrable cruise missiles and high speed ballistic missiles.

At the time of writing, there were emerging reports that cruise missiles had been fired after the drones. A cruise missile might take two hours to reach Israel, but a high ballistic missile could take as little as 15 minutes. These would be launched after the drones in an attempt to arrive at similar times and perhaps in waves in an effort to overwhelm Israel’s air defences.

A week ago, Iran’s ISNA news agency published a graphic on Sunday that listed nine different types of missiles it claimed can hit Israel, at the closest point less than 600 miles from Iran itself.

These included the Sejil ballistic missile, said to be capable of flying at more than 10,500 miles per hour or the Kheibar with an estimated range of over 1,200 miles and the Paveh cruise missile, with a claimed range of 1,000 miles, first publicly demonstrated a year ago.

Faster speeds and shorter flight times make them harder to shoot down than drones, although also relevant are the numbers fired and the overall sophistication of the attack.

Donna Ferguson

The Israeli airline El Al Airlines has cancelled 15 flights scheduled for this weekend. Israel has closed its airspace as a precaution.

Foreign destinations affected include Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Milan, Bucharest, Sofia, Athens, Dubai and Moscow. Flights on Saturday and Sunday are affected, a statement from El Al said.

Jordan declared a state of emergency amid Iran’s drone attack on Israel, Reuters reported, citing state media.

Two regional security sources told Reuters that the country’s air defenses are prepared to intercept and shoot down any Iranian drones that enter its air space.

The sources said that Jordan’s army is also on high alert and its radar systems are monitoring for drone activity.

Joe Biden’s motorcade arrived back at the White House at 5.02pm, according to the White House pool report.

He walked into the Oval Office and the pool was too far away to shout questions.

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has vowed that Israel’s “malicious Zionist regime will be punished”, following Iran’s launch of drone attacks against Israel.

In a video on X, Khamenei said:

The malicious regime itself, which is all malice, evil and error, added another mistake to its own errors by launching an attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria.

The consulate and embassy offices in any country where they exist are regarded as the soil of the country to which the embassy belongs. Attacking our consulate is like attacking our soil …

The malicious regime has made a wrong move in this case. It should be punished and it will be punished.

Donna Ferguson

Jordan’s air defence is ready to shoot down any Iranian aircraft that violates its airspace, Reuters reports.

Two regional security sources have said the army was also in a state of high alert and radar systems were monitoring drone activity.

In a statement released on Saturday, the US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said:

Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel. President Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House.

His team is in constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies. This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours.

President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.

Joe Biden cuts short Delaware trip and heads back to White House

Julian Borger

Joe Biden has cut short his weekend at the beach at Rehoboth and is returning to the White House in his Marine One helicopter, which lifted off at 3.36pm local time.

Among the aides travelling with the president is Marc Gustafson, the senior director for the White House situation room, which is where Biden will be heading as he touches down.

According to the White House, the president will be joined by Lloyd Austin, the defence secretary; Antony Blinken, the secretary of state; Gen Charles Brown, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff; William Burns, the CIA director; Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence; and Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser.

Meanwhile, Gen Erik Kurilla, the head of US Central Command, who has been in Israel for the past two days coordinating and rehearsing responses with Israeli defence leaders, is reported to have flown out.

Much of the Biden administration’s diplomatic focus since the Gaza war broke out has been on preventing a broader regional conflict. That effort is now at its most precarious point.

The Israeli prime minister released the following statement on Saturday evening amid Iran’s launch of drones towards Israel:

In recent years, and especially in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for a direct attack by Iran.

Our defensive systems are deployed; we are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively. The State of Israel is strong. The IDF is strong. The public is strong.

We appreciate the US standing alongside Israel, as well as the support of Britain, France and many other countries.

We have determined a clear principle: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We will defend ourselves against any threat and will do so level-headedly and with determination.

Citizens of Israel, I know that you also are also level-headed. I call on you to follow the directives of IDF Home Front Command.

Together we will stand and with God’s help – together we will overcome all of our enemies.

Iran launches drones towards Israel, says IDF

Bethan McKernan

Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, has said that Iran has launched dozens of drones towards Israel, a development that brings the two countries to the brink of all-out conflict after more than a decade of shadow war and soaring tensions in the wake of 7 October and Israel’s war in Gaza.

The drones are “hours away” from reaching Israeli soil, officials told local media on Saturday night. Israel’s forces have been on high alert for days for the possibility of a direct attack launched by Tehran, and jets could be heard roaring across the north of the country after the announcement. Israel’s sophisticated Iron Dome air defence system is expected to be able to intercept Shahed drones, which fly at around 150km/hour.

Rumours swirled for several hours before Hagari’s statement at 11pm local time (9pm BST) about Iran’s threatened retaliation for the 1 April killing of Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, in a strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital of Damascus for which Tehran holds Israel responsible.

As several surrounding countries closed their airspaces in anticipation of the attack, Israel announced that schools will be closed for the next two days.