"Almost all" intercepted

Israel’s Foreign Minister postpones visit to Austria

Early on Sunday morning, interceptor missiles were fired into the sky over Jerusalem.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS, Krone KREATIV)

Iran has attacked Israel directly for the first time - despite international warnings (see video above). Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed last night that over 300 drones, rockets and cruise missiles had been fired at Israel. The "overwhelming majority" of these had been intercepted, with an army spokesman claiming a launch rate of around 98%.

Following the Iranian attack, there were rocket alarms at various locations in Israel on Sunday night. According to the army, warning sirens were sounding in the south of Israel, the Dead Sea, the greater Jerusalem area and the north of the country. However, according to media reports, almost all missiles were intercepted on their way to or over Israel. As a reminder, Iran is around 2000 km away from Israel.

Interceptor missiles were fired into the sky over Jerusalem early on Sunday morning.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS, Krone KREATIV)

There was only damage to the infrastructure of an air force base in Israel, but it continued to operate as usual. A ten-year-old child was injured in the attacks, possibly by falling debris, the Magen rescue service said. Army spokesman Hagari did not comment on a possible Israeli response in a short press statement, but said that the army was ready "for any threat that will come to Israel" and would "do everything to defend the State of Israel".

Iran's UN mission declares military action against Israel "completed"
 That very night, the Iranian mission to the United Nations declared in a statement shared on X that the unsuccessful retaliatory strike against Israel had been "completed". The USA was warned not to interfere in the conflict:

"The Iranian military action, carried out on the basis of Article 51 of the UN Charter on legitimate defense, was in response to the aggression of the Zionist regime against our diplomatic facilities in Damascus. The matter can be considered closed. However, if the Israeli regime makes another mistake, Iran's response will be much harsher. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime that the US MUST stay out of!"

This is how Israel's air defenses work.

Hezbollah and Houthis also attacked Israeli targets
At the same time as the Iranian airstrike on Israel, the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon fired missiles at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The militia, which is allied with Iran, announced on Sunday night that it had attacked an Israeli army base on the Golan Heights with "dozens of Katyusha-type rockets".

Netanyahu convenes war cabinet
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting of the war cabinet due to the Iranian attack on Israel. Netanyahu's office announced on Saturday evening that the five-member war cabinet was meeting in Tel Aviv. In addition to Netanyahu, it includes Defense Minister Joav Gallant and the centrist opposition leader Benny Gantz, who joined the emergency government after the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

Netanyahu addressed the citizens of his country shortly before the attack. "The State of Israel is strong. The IDF is strong. We appreciate that the US stands by Israel, as well as the support of the UK, France and many other countries," he said. "We have a clear principle: whoever harms us, we will harm them," he warned. "Together we will stand firm and, with God's help, defeat all our enemies," Netanyahu added.

Defense Minister Galant had repeatedly stressed that such an attack would not go unanswered. "A direct Iranian attack will require an appropriate Israeli response against Iran," Galant warned most recently on Friday.

Iranian missiles were intercepted over Jerusalem early on Sunday morning.

(Bild: AP)

USA confirms attack
The USA also confirmed the Iranian attack. US President Joe Biden is being kept informed of the situation and will meet with his security team at the White House on Saturday afternoon (local time) for consultations, according to a spokeswoman for the National Security Council. 

Iranian Revolutionary Guards claim responsibility for attack
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the attack on Israel. Specific locations in Israel were attacked with drones and missiles, according to a statement distributed via state media. According to a report by the Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, Iran also fired cruise missiles at Israel. Their flight time is said to be shorter than that of the drones. According to the report, Iran has fired more than 100 drones and cruise missiles. Some were fired over Syria and Jordan.

Israel's foreign minister had to cancel visit to Austria
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has now postponed his visit to Austria. The Austrian Foreign Ministry confirmed a corresponding report by the news agency dpa on Saturday evening. Katz was due to meet Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (both ÖVP) on Tuesday.

The Israeli Foreign Minister's trip would have begun tomorrow, Sunday, and would have taken him first to Hungary. He would then have traveled on to Vienna. The visits have been postponed "until further notice", Katz's office announced on Saturday evening.

Civilian population receives protection instructions
On Saturday evening, the Israeli army published new protection instructions for the civilian population. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari told journalists that from Sunday there should be no school lessons or other educational activities, no vacation camps and no organized excursions. Sunday marks the start of a two-week school vacation for the Jewish festival of Passover.

Homeland Security also published further instructions on its website. These began on Saturday evening at 11 p.m. local time (10 p.m. CET) and were initially to apply for 48 hours. Accordingly, up to 1,000 people are allowed to take part in gatherings in areas that are not close to the Gaza Strip or Lebanon. In the so-called conflict zones, up to 30 people are allowed to gather outside and up to 300 inside. In these areas in particular, citizens should ensure that they can reach a shelter quickly if necessary.

USA backs Israel
Military tensions in the Middle East had become extremely tense after two Iranian brigadier generals were killed in a suspected Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria on April 1.

Biden had assured Israel of full US support in the face of the feared Iranian attack. On Saturday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin renewed this assurance.