US President Joe Biden has confirmed he met his national security team to discuss Iran’s attack against Israel. The US president cut his weekend trip to Delaware short to return to Washington for the meeting. “Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” he said.
Hezbollah launches ‘dozens’ of rockets at Golan Heights
The Iran-aligned Lebanese group says on its Telegram channel that it targeted the air and missile defence headquarters of the Israeli army in the “Keila barracks” in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights with dozens of Katyusha rockets.
The Israeli military has been carrying out attacks in southeast Lebanon as well in recent hours and there is escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency has quoted Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani as saying that Tehran would have a “firm response” for any country that “opens its airspace or territory for attacks on Iran by Israel.”
Iran’s Shiite government has strained ties not just with Israel but also with many of the country’s neighbors with Sunni Muslim leadership.
Officials in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq have said their countries’ commercial airspace had been closed.
Sirens sound across many areas in southern Israel
Siren, booms sound in Jerusalem amid a mass Iranian drone attack. Sirens sound across many areas in southern Israel, including Beersheba, Dimona, Nevatim and other areas amid a mass Iranian drone and missile attack.
Jordan said it shot down dozens of Iranian drones
Jordanian jets have shot down dozens of Iranian drones flying across northern and central Jordan heading to Israel, according to two regional security sources.
Earlier Iran said it was watching Jordan for any moves in support of Israel during the retaliatory attacks.
It warned that Jordan may become the “next target”, a military source told the semi-official news agency Fars on Sunday.
They said the army was also in a state of high alert and radar systems were monitoring any drone activity coming from the direction of Iraq and Syria.
Residents in several cities in the northern part of the country near Syria and central and southern areas heard heavy aerial activity. A security source said the country’s air force was intensifying reconnaissance flights.
Jordan had earlier said it closed its airspace starting on Saturday night to all incoming, departing and transiting aircraft in what officials told Reuters were precautionary measures in the event of an Iranian strike across its border.
“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.
Mubaideen denied media reports that the kingdom had announced a state of emergency, adding they were baseless and there was no cause for concern among its citizens.
Egyptian air defense on high alert
Egypt’s air defense is on alert, Egyptian military and security sources say, amid fears of an Iranian drone attack aimed toward Israel.
Egypt’s military General Command has formed a team to monitor the situation and make any necessary decisions regarding the country’s airspace, the sources say.
RAF jets deployed to intercept airborne attacks, says UK’s defence ministry
RAF jets have been deployed to intercept any airborne attacks in the Middle East, the UK’s defence ministry has said.
The MoD’s statement comes after reports that RAF jets had been involved in the defence of Israel this evening.
It said its forces will “intercept any airborne attacks within range of our existing missions, as required”.
“In response to increased Iranian threats and the growing risk of escalation in the Middle East, the UK government has been working with partners across the region to encourage de-escalation and prevent further attacks,” it added.
Air refuelling tankers have also been deployed to bolster the UK’s existing operation in the region.
