Israel-Gaza live updates: Israelis fired 3 missiles in limited strike

Table Of Content

• Iran's attack is "likely to unfold over a number of hours," US security official says
• Israel strikes Iran, defense officials confirm
• "Whoever harms us, we will harm them," says Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
• Flotilla with humanitarian aid can lead to catastrophe
• Iran’s allegedly AI-guided ‘Abu Mahdi’ cruise missile is officially live
• Iranian state media says retaliatory strikes launched at Israel

The state news agency said the cruise missiles used in the attack were Paveh missiles, which it said were capable of attacking targets from multiple directions by taking varied paths. Iran launched cruise missiles at Israel, in addition to dozens of drones, according to Israeli media reports. Iran has readied a large number of missiles for a possible strike, according to three U.S. officials. Two of the officials said that Iran has readied more than 100 cruise missiles for a possible strike.

Iran's attack is "likely to unfold over a number of hours," US security official says

"In recent years, and especially in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for a direct attack by Iran," he said. Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden’s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients “will attend by secure video,” the White House said. The White House added that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown will be among those in the Situation Room, along with Sullivan and Finer. The group also includes Carrier Air Wing Three, which is composed of nine squadrons, including four strike fighter squadrons.

Israel strikes Iran, defense officials confirm

Iran's weekend attack was its promised retaliation for that Israeli strike in Damascus, which killed seven officers from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals. The Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group remains in the region after officials say that Iran launched dozens of drones towards Israel. Iran said on Wednesday it has the technology to build a supersonic cruise missile, Iranian state media reported, an announcement likely to heighten Western concerns about Tehran's missile capabilities.

"Whoever harms us, we will harm them," says Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

Israel says Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles, 99% of which were intercepted - The Associated Press

Israel says Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles, 99% of which were intercepted.

Posted: Sun, 14 Apr 2024 04:40:00 GMT [source]

The country says it has a stock of various kinds of missiles with ranges up to 2,000 kilometers (1250 miles), capable of reaching its archenemy Israel and U.S. bases in the region. In January 2020, Iran bombarded U.S. troops in Iraq for several hours with as many as 22 ballistic missiles in retribution for the U.S. killing of Qasem Soleimani. The attacks damaged U.S. facilities at the Al-Asad Air Base west of Baghdad, and left more than 100 U.S. service personnel with Traumatic Brain Injury. Iranian state media confirmed that retaliatory drone strikes have been launched against targets in Israel. Israeli officials said the country's Iron Dome defense system endured a big test from Iran's attack on Saturday, intercepting 99% of the 300 "threats of various types" thrown at it.

Iran's assault was designed to saturate Israeli and U.S. air defenses with drones and cruise missiles and clear the way for Iran's ballistic missiles, two U.S. officials told CBS News national security correspondent David Martin. It took several hours for the drones and missiles to travel toward Israel, and alerts began to sound across the country at about 2 a.m. Iran possesses the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East, with thousands of ballistic and cruise missiles, some capable of striking as far as Israel and southeast Europe. For the past decade, Iran has invested significantly to improve these weapons’ precision and lethality.

Iran’s allegedly AI-guided ‘Abu Mahdi’ cruise missile is officially live

Such developments have made Iran’s missile forces a potent tool for Iranian power projection and a credible threat to U.S. and partner military forces in the region. Iran has not yet tested or deployed a missile capable of striking the United States, but continues to hone longer-range missile technologies under the auspices of its space-launch program. Of 120 ballistic missiles fired at Israel from Iran, the U.S. officials told CBS News only five got through Israeli and U.S. air defenses and hit Israeli territory.

The first assessment is that the strike took out the site, but assessment hasn’t been completed, the official said. Three missiles were fired from Israeli fighter aircraft outside of Iran in Friday morning’s very limited strike, according to a senior U.S. official. Hagari said "99% of the threats launched towards Israeli territory were intercepted -- a very significant strategic achievement." From time to time Iran announces the test firing, production and commissioning of new military equipment that cannot be independently verified.

"This base is operating around the clock, it functioned during Operation 'Iron Shield' and today as well, from this base, aircraft took off to protect the skies of the State of Israel." The CSIS Missile Defense Project’s monthly newsletter has info on the project’s latest publications, events, and missile defense news. In June 2017, Iran launched six missiles into eastern Syria targeting Islamic States positions near Deir-Ez Zour in retaliation for Islamic States attacks in Tehran. In September 2018, Iran launched seven Fateh-110 missiles at the alleged headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran and Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan in Koya, Iraq. A US official has confirmed that Iran launched drones against Israel, shortly after an announcement from Israel Defense Forces. Despite US and European opposition, Iran has said it will further develop its "defensive" missile program.

Iran launches cruise missiles in addition to drones, Israeli media says

Iran has launched an attack against Israel that is “likely to unfold over a number of hours,” according to National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson. The announcement comes days after reports on the arrival of over 3,000 US sailors and Marines aboard two US warships in the Red Sea to deter Iran from seizing and harassing merchant ships traveling through the Gulf's Strait of Hormuz. Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau. A 7-year-old girl who was severely injured by shrapnel was the only known casualty in the attack. The child, from a Bedouin village in Israel's southern Negev desert, was still fighting for her life on Monday.

In the latest in a series of attacks on ships in the Gulf since 2019, the US Navy said last month it had intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, says its weapons are capable of reaching the bases of arch-foes Israel and the United States in the region. According to reports, the missile was developed by military experts from the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO). This organization is a high-tech complex based in Tehran and is subordinate to the Iranian Defense Ministry. They added, "In light of reports of strikes on April 19th [from Israel to Iran], we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation."

However, Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its missile capabilities. Iran’s recent missile announcement is believed to be a response to the actions of the United States in the region. As The Jerusalem Post points out, it remains unclear how these missiles will perform in combat as they have never been tested. Additionally, the ranges and capabilities that Iran claims these missiles possess can not be verified. The proclaimed use of AI for guidance in the new command and control systems and radar evasion is also not proven.

"We will hold the Iranian government accountable for its malicious and destabilizing actions and we stand ready to adopt further sanctions or take other measures, now and in response to further destabilizing initiatives," the leaders said. "I think it's fair to say that you'll see results very soon. I've made determinations, you can expect to see them in the days ahead," he told press gathered for G7 meetings. The State Department could announce sanctions against the IDF and withhold aid to the military. He said the Nasi has a range of 100 kilometers (62 miles) and can be installed on warships. In addition to actions taken by its numerous proxy groups, Iran has since 2017 employed its missile forces in combat operations against numerous adversaries across the Middle East. US President Joe Biden will meet with National Security Council officials in the White House Situation Room upon his return from Rehoboth, Delaware, according to a statement from the White House.

The “Abu Mahdi” missile’s warhead is enormous, capable of destroying various vessels, frigates, and destroyers by hitting them from multiple angles, explains the Tehran Times. This new missile has a robust integrated navigation system and a powerful motor, allowing it to be launched from deep within Iranian territory to target mobile naval units. Each “Abu Mahdi” launch system can efficiently prepare and launch multiple missiles with different trajectories from mobile and fixed launchers. Israel launched a retaliatory strike against Iran early Friday morning local time, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.

Iran's state news agency, IRNA, said its domestically built Shahed 131 and 136 drones were used in the attack, the larger of which have a range of around 1,200 miles. The IDF said 170 drones were fired at Israel from Iran, and Israeli Air Force jets shot down dozens of them. U.S. aircraft operating from bases in Saudi Arabia and Jordan shot down between 70 and 80 of the drones, Martin reported. U.S. officials continue to see indicators that Iran could be ready to attack Israel with missile and drone strikes. The Israelis were targeting an air defense radar site near Isfahan that’s part of the protection of the Natanz nuclear facility, the official said.

Iran has also readied a sizeable number of drones that could be used in an attack on Israel, according to one official. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari, launched 170 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more than 120 ballistic missiles and more than 30 cruise missiles in the attack. The strike followed Iran's attack on Saturday, when Tehran sent a volley of more than 300 drones and missiles toward targets in Israel, according to Israeli military officials. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.

Iran launched an unprecedented retaliatory attack on Israel over the weekend that included hundreds of missiles and drones launched primarily from its own soil, but also by Iran-backed groups in several other countries. Virtually everything fired at Israel was intercepted before entering the country's territory, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which reported "very little damage" from the attack. In September 2019, Iran launched coordinated attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles against Saudi Arabia’s oil faciitlies at Abqaiq and Khurais. Showing a high degree of precision, the attacks temporarily halted production at the Abqaiq oil refinery, which supplies 5-7% of the world’s daily petroleum. Iran is also a major hub for weapons proliferation, supplying partner/proxy groups such as Hezbollah and Syria’s al-Assad regime with a steady supply of missiles and rockets, as well as local production capability. Since 2015, Iran has provided Yemen’s Houthi rebels with increasingly advanced ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as long-range unmanned aerial vehicles.