 "Israel Iran conflict")
Amid escalating conflict in West Asia, Iran launched a wave of drone and missile attacks on Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the April 1 air strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, where a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander was killed. The attack marked the first time any nation-state in the region had launched an attack on Israel since the 1991 Gulf War.
Here are the key points in the Iran-Israel conflict so far:
Iran attacks Israel with missiles and drones
Iran's attack, involving 300 drones and dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles, demonstrated its capabilities and sent a clear message that it is ready for escalation, various international media outlets claimed. This is a shift from previous responses, which were launched from neighbouring countries or against US bases in Iraq.
The attack caused no deaths, but 12 people were brought into the Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel overnight, foreign media reports said. The chief spokesman for Israel's military said the Nevatim Air Force base in the Negev desert in southern Israel suffered light damage from the attack and was functioning.
US shoots down Iranian missiles and drones
The US military said its Central Command forces successfully engaged and destroyed more than 80 "one-way attack" drones and at least six ballistic missiles intended to strike Israel from Iran and Yemen, as per media reports.
"This includes a ballistic missile on its launcher vehicle and seven UAVs destroyed on the ground in Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen prior to their launch," it added.
Reportedly, the US, which helped the Israeli air defence, lauded the 'remarkable Israeli defence' and reiterated America's "ironclad' security commitments to Israel. Iran says the matter is concluded for now but vowed to strike back with greater force if Israel retaliates.
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Israel issues warning to Tehran
Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet, said that Israel will exact a price from Iran in response to its mass missile and drone attack when the time is right. His comments came ahead of a war cabinet meeting alongside Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the country's defence minister, Yoav Gallant.
"We are not a frog in boiling water," he said. "We are a nation of lions. Following such a massive and direct attack on Israel, the entire world, let alone Israel, cannot settle for inaction. We will defend our future," media reports quoted him as saying.
Iran's counter with threats of greater escalation
Tehran has warned it will strike again with greater force if Israel or the US retaliate for the Iranian strike on Israel. The air raids, the Islamic Republic's first-ever direct attack on the Israeli state, brought a years-long shadow war into the open and threatened to draw the region into a broader conflagration as Israel said it was considering its response. The Israel's War Cabinet is yet to come up with a strategy to counter Iran's attack.
US refuses to join the conflict 'directly', wants to fund Israel
The US ruled out joining any Israeli counterattack against Iran, officials said, as Israel's war cabinet concluded a meeting reportedly without a decision on what action to take in response to Tehran's first direct attack against the country.
However, US President Joe Biden urged Congressional leaders to pass a spending bill that includes $14 billion in aid for Israel in a phone call to discuss Washington's response to Iran's retaliatory attacks, as per media reports.
Since February, the Biden administration has been pressing the Republican-controlled House to pass the sweeping $95bn US national security supplemental spending package, including for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in the wake of Iran's retaliatory attacks against Israel, according to reports.
During his conversations, the US's top diplomat reiterated that Washington is not seeking escalation in the region but will continue to support Israel's defence.
UN emergency meeting on Sunday
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), on Sunday, convened an emergency meeting to address and react to Iran's assault. During the meeting, Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the importance of preventing actions that could escalate into significant military conflicts across multiple fronts in the Middle East, reports claimed.
Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to the UN asserted during the meeting that his country was compelled to act due to the failure of the international community to condemn Israel's embassy attack in Syria. The Israeli ambassador advocated for the imposition of "all possible sanctions" against Iran, citing Tehran's crossing of a "red line".
China's UN Ambassador Dai Bing characterised the suspected Israeli assault on Iran's consulate in Syria, which incited the Iranian retaliation, as "extremely vicious". Dai Bing also expressed "deep concern" regarding Iran's attack on Israel and urged all parties to exercise "maximum calm and restraint".
G7 nations blame Iran
The leaders of the G7 nations accused Iran of further stepping "toward the destabilisation of the region", adding that Tehran "risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation". Israel's war cabinet has reportedly been unable to agree on what action to take in response to the unprecedented Iranian attacks.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard warnings
The Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, has warned of a 'much bigger' assault on Israel should Netanyahu decide on a tit-for-tat attack, creating a new equation in the conflict.
The decisions made by Israel's War Cabinet will determine the immediate next steps, potentially setting the stage for a wider regional conflict.
