The Israeli military says, Saturday, April 13, that Iran has launched a number of drones toward Israel. The army's spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said, Saturday evening, that it would take several hours for the aircraft to arrive and that Israel was prepared. According to state media, the Iran Guards confirmed the drone attack that is underway.
Israel aviation authorities will close Israeli airspace at 2130 GMT to all flights ahead of an impending Iranian drone strike and the army says that Israel is working with the US to 'intercept' the Iranian drones. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement on Saturday that "Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel." She added: "The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran."
Israel has been on heightened alert since an airstrike last week killed two Iranian generals in Syria. Iran accused Israel of being behind the attack and vowed revenge. Israel has not commented on that attack. A US official briefed on the attack told the Associated Press that Iran had launched "dozens" of drones.
Earlier Saturday, the Israeli military said it was canceling school and limiting public gatherings to no more than 1,000 people as a safety precaution.
Briefing reporters, Hagari said Israel is "prepared and ready" with defensive and offensive actions. He also said there was "tight" cooperation with the US and other partners in the region.
The head of the US Central Command, Gen. Erik Kurilla, has been in Israel in recent days to coordinate with Israel about the Iranian threats.
Israel has a number of layers of air defense capable of intercepting everything from long-range missiles to UAVs and short-range rockets. Hagari said Israel has an "excellent air defense system" but stressed it is not 100% effective and urged the public to listen to safety announcements.
US President Joe Biden cut short a weekend trip to his beach house in Delaware to return to the White House and monitor the situation. Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip has inflamed decade-old tensions in the Middle East, and any new attack threatens to escalate that conflict into a wider regional war.
Amid concerns about the increased tensions, Lufthansa Group on Saturday extended its suspension of flights between Frankfurt and Tehran through Thursday and said its planes would avoid Iranian airspace. The German carrier also said that, until at least Tuesday, flights to and from Amman will be operated as "day flights" so crews won't spend a night in the Jordanian capital.
Dutch airline KLM said it will no longer fly over Iran or Israel but will continue flights to and from Tel Aviv.
The Gulf of Oman is near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all globally traded oil passes. Fujairah, on the United Arab Emirates' eastern coast, is a main port for ships to take on new oil cargo, pick up supplies or trade out crew.