Iranians celebrate across streets after multi-front attack on Israel using suicide drones and missiles
UN Secretary-General condemns Iran's drone attacks on Israel, urges restraint to avoid escalation. Netanyahu says Israel was prepared
Iranians have flooded the streets in large numbers to celebrate Iran's attack on Israel. Numerous videos and posts circulating online depict a large gathering and rally of Iranian citizens at Palestine Square in Tehran, marking the move with jubilation. The attack, launched by Iran and its proxies, involved hundreds of suicide drones, ballistic missiles, and rockets targeting the Jewish state from all sides.
Iran launches attack on Israel
After warning Iran of the possible consequences, the Israeli Air Force announced on Saturday that Iranian UAVs had been launched against Israel. This is the first time Iran has directly attacked Israel. According to US authorities, Iran is likely to launch about 500 drones and missiles from its own borders and from proxies in neighbouring countries such as Syria, Yemen, and Iraq as per ABC news.
Iranians celebrate the attack on Israel
On Saturday night, pictures and videos of Iranians celebrating in Teheran went viral. Video clips reportedly showing Palestinians celebrating in the al-Aqsa mosque in response to reports of Iran's rocket and drone attack also surfaced online. This large-scale attack highlights the huge population gap between the two long-time rivals. Israel has a population of less than 8 million people, while Iran has an estimated population of more than 89 million people, more than 10 times the size of Israel.
UN condemns Iran's attack on Israel
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned Iran's drone attacks targeting Israel. In a statement he said, “I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
"I am deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation. I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East." He added
Also read: ‘In response to numerous crimes…’: Iran launches drone attack on Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the nation
Shortly after the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation and said that the officials already saw this coming. “Citizens of Israel, in recent years, and even more so in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran.” Stressing that the Israeli force is ready for any situation whether defence or offence, he added, “Our defence systems are deployed, and we are prepared for any scenario, both in defence and offence. The State of Israel is strong, the IDF is strong, the public is strong.”
President Joe Biden rushed back to the White House
Biden, who had been on vacation in Delaware over the weekend, returned to the White House as soon as he heard the news. A spokesman, Adrienne Watson, said Biden was being kept up to date on the strike and would meet with his National Security Council team shortly.
“President Joe Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team (NSC) and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House.”
