Iran began its retaliation campaign against Israel on Friday, after warning Israel that it would pay a “heavy price” for its earlier strikes targeting military leaders, civilian officials, and nuclear sites across the country.
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Effie Defrin said, according to CNN, that Iran had launched more than 100 drones toward Israeli territory.
“All [aerial] defense arrays have been operating to intercept the threats,” Defrin was quoted as saying. “This is a different event to what we’ve experienced thus far, and we’re expecting difficult hours. We should show resilience and patience.”
The Times of Israel reported that Tel Aviv’s municipal authorities cancelled a scheduled Pride parade for Friday. Israel’s National Security Council also warned Israelis overseas to “take precautions” as “terrorist elements will seek to carry out acts of revenge against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier said Israel should expect an “immediate” retaliation from Tehran following the strikes, which came a day after the U.S. began evacuating embassy personnel across the Middle East amid concerns of possible escalation of conflict. The State Department on Thursday evening directed embassy employees and their families in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza to take shelter.
Jordan announced early Friday that its airspace would be closed in light of the “military escalation” in the region. Iran, Israel, and Iraq have similarly closed their respective airspaces.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
