Courtesy: all israel news
IRAN launched a swarm of explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday in its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory, risking a major escalation as the United States pledged “ironclad” backing for Israel.
Sirens wailed and Reuters journalists in Israel said they heard distant heavy thuds and bangs from what local media called aerial interceptions of explosive drones. Authorities said a 7-year-old girl was critically injured.
Israel’s military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Iran launched dozens of ground-to-ground missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted outside Israeli borders. They included more than 10 cruise missiles, he said.
The Iranian salvo amounted to more than 200 drones and missiles so far, Hagari said, and had caused light damage to one Israeli military facility.
The Israeli military said later that it was not advising any residents to prepare to take shelter, revising an earlier alert in what appeared to signal the end of the threat.
Israel’s Channel 12 TV cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying there would be a “significant response” to the attack.
Iran had vowed retaliation for what it called an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April 1 that killed seven Guards officers including two senior commanders and said its strike was a punishment for “Israeli crimes”. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the consulate attack.
“Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations said, warning the U.S. to “stay away”. However, it also said Iran now “deemed the matter concluded”.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Iran’s attack, saying he was “deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation.”
On Sunday, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity, after Israel requested it condemn Iran’s attack and designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who on Friday had warned Iran against an attack, cut short a weekend visit to his home state of Delaware. He returned to Washington and met national security advisers, including his secretaries of defence and state, in the White House Situation Room. He pledged to stand with Israel.
“Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” he said on X after the meeting.
The Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, now in its seventh month, has ratcheted up tensions in the region, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq.
British maritime security company Ambrey said in a statement that drones were also reportedly launched against Israel by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group.
Those clashes now threaten to morph into a direct open conflict pitting Iran and its regional allies against Israel and its main supporter, the United States. Regional power Egypt urged “utmost restraint”.
While Israel and Iran have been bitter foes for decades, their long feud has mostly unfolded via proxy forces or by targeting each other’s forces operating in third countries.
U.S. and British warplanes were involved in shooting down some Israel-bound drones over the Iraq-Syria border area, Channel 12 reported. Two U.S. officials said the U.S. military had shot down dozens of drone aircraft headed for Israel.
PBBM on Duterte: I don’t consider him political enemy
DESPITE personal attacks by former president Rodrigo Duterte against him, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. clarified that he does not consider his predecessor as a political enemy.
“I don’t consider him a political enemy. It takes two to tango. I don’t consider him a political enemy,” President Marcos said.
The President made the remarks during a media interview on the sidelines of the Philippines-US-Japan trilateral meeting in Washington, DC.
President Marcos was asked to comment on Duterte’s statements saying they will become political enemies following the suspension of Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib.
Asked if he is willing to sit down with Duterte to discuss the supposed “gentleman’s agreement” with China, President Marcos replied in the affirmative.
“Send those documents to me. And then we’ll sit down and discuss it,” President Marcos said as he emphasized that he will surely review the documents so he can ask appropriate questions.
Marcos said the documents should be directly sent to him, not to the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) or any government agency.
“Pag-aaralan ko, mag-uusap kami kung gusto n’ya,” he said.
President Marcos believes there was indeed a “secret agreement” that was forged during the administration of Duterte with China as far as the issue in the West Philippine Sea is concerned.
4 Pinoy seamen on board MSC Ariel seized by Iran, DMW confirms
THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirms the seizure by Iranian authorities of the containership MSC Aries, with 4 Filipino seafarers on board.
Upon the directive of the President, we are in touch with the families of our dear seafarers and have assured them of full government support and assistance.
We are also in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the licensed manning agency (LMA), the ship manager, and the operator to ensure the safety and well-being as well as work on the release of our dear seafarers.
The said vessel is the container ship MSC Aries, it added in a statement shared on X by DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac.
“Upon the directive of the President, we are in touch with the families of our dear seafarers and have assured them of full government support and assistance,” the DMW said.
“We are also in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the licensed manning agency, ship manager and operator, to ensure the safety and well-being, as well as work on the release, of our dear seafarers,” it said.
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps helicopter boarden the Portugues-flagged MSC Aries and took it into Iranian waters on Saturday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported, according to Reuters.
“MSC, which operates the Aries, confirmed Iran had seized the ship and said it was working ‘with the relevant authorities’ for its safe return and the wellbeing of its 25 crew,” Reuters reported.
“MSC leases the Aries from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, Zodiac said in a statement, adding that MSC is responsible for all the vessel’s activities. Zodiac is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer,” it added.
This incident prompted Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to accuse Iran of piracy.
