An Iranian military helicopter hovers over an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. Photo from video: AP
Iran launched "hundreds" of attack drones and missiles against Israel on Saturday night local time, Israeli officials said.
The big picture: It's the first time Iran has launched an attack from its soil against Israel. U.S. officials are concerned that an Israeli retaliation against Iran will lead to another regional escalation.
Iranian officials had threatened to retaliate against Israel for an airstrike in Syria last week that killed a top Iranian general.
Zoom in: Iran's specific targets were initially unclear, but the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ordered citizens in several areas to stay close to a safe room or a bomb shelter, saying the warning reflected officials' assessment of the targets. Those areas included:
The northern Golan Heights
The southern city of Eilat, where the Israeli navy has its second-largest base
The city of Dimona, near the Israeli nuclear reactor and near the Nevatim air base in southern Israel
The Biden administration has vowed to help Israel counter the Iranian attack.
Driving the news: Iran launched the drones from its territory toward Israeli territory, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
Iran's state television confirmed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched "a wide-ranging drone strike against Israel."
The IRGC also said it "fired dozens of cruise missiles at specific targets inside the occupied territories."
Israel announced it was temporarily closing its airspace.
Hagari said it would take the drones several hours to reach Israeli airspace.
A senior Israeli official said the attack included "hundreds of attack drones."
Two Israeli officials told Axios the plan is to intercept many of the drones outside Israeli airspace with the help of the U.S. and other countries.
What they're saying: "Our defensive systems are deployed. We are ready for any scenario, both defensively and offensively," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
"We have determined a clear principle: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We will defend ourselves against any threat and will do so levelheadedly and with determination."
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in a statement said the White House 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 statement said.
Catch up quick: Iran publicly vowed to "punish" Israel for the recent assassination of Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a top Iranian Quds Force general in charge of Iran's military operations in Lebanon and Syria.
Zahedi was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building near the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria.
He was the most senior IRGC officer to be killed since the U.S. assassinated Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
Iran's mission to the United Nations said in a statement that the attacks were justified by Article 51 of the UN Charter, which recognizes a nation's right to self-defense if attacked by another nation.
The statement said that "Iran's military action was in response to the Zionist regime's aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus."
"The matter can be deemed concluded," the statement said. "However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran's response will be considerably more severe."
The statement concluded by saying the conflict was between Iran an Israel and that the U.S. "MUST STAY AWAY!"
Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
