Tehran has reportedly fired dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles in apparent retaliation for an airstrike on its Damascus consulate
An Iranian Shahed drone is shown at a weapons exhibition.
Iran has reportedly launched an attack against Israel using dozens of drones in apparent retaliation for a recent missile strike that killed seven military officers at its consulate in Damascus.
Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported the drone swarm on Saturday, citing four unidentified US and Israeli officials. Videos posted on social media purported to show Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being fired toward Israel from Iran.
Earlier on Saturday, US President Joe Biden cut short a weekend visit to his Delaware beach home, returning to the White House for consultations with his national security advisers due to fears of an “imminent” Iranian attack against Israel. Tehran, which had vowed to take revenge for the April 1 killing of its officers, seized an Israeli-operated container ship in the Persian Gulf around noon on Saturday.
READ MORE: Iran attacks Israel: Live updates
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari warned in a video statement that Iran would “bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further. Israel is on high alert.” Iranian-backed militias in the Middle East have ramped up attacks against Israeli and US assets in the region amid West Jerusalem’s war with Hamas.
