Explosions, sirens heard in Jerusalem after Iran launches attack on Israel

The assault could be heard in Jerusalem early Sunday morning, local time, hours after the Islamic Republic of Iran launched the attack, according to a video released by the Associated Press. On Saturday, Iran launched a number of drones and dozens of missiles toward Israel, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said. Israeli Defense Forces released a statement saying Israel's military had identified dozens of surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles and "hostile aircraft" launched from Iran, the majority of which were intercepted by Israel's air defense system. The IDF says a "small number" of missiles made impact, including at a military base in southern Israel, which suffered minor damage. At the time of this writing, Israel's military says no one has died in the attacks, but one child was injured. The extent of her injuries is not known. Israeli fighter jets continued to respond to aerial threats early Sunday morning, local time, according to the IDF's statement.

The Reuters news agency released video that it said showed some sort of aerial interceptions taking place in the skies over Jerusalem. Citing U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, The Associated Press reported that American military forces had already downed an unspecified number of drones headed toward Israel. 

A spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council confirmed that “Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel” and said the United States would support the defense of its Mideast ally.

Shortly after 7 p.m. ET, U.S. President Joe Biden said he'd met with his national security team about the attacks, calling the United States' commitment to Israel's security "ironclad." Iran's attack drew condemnation from the leaders of several countries, including French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

Following the announcement of the attack's launch, Iran's mission to the UN posted a statement indicating that Iran considered the matter concluded, and warned the United States to stay out of the conflict. 

Earlier in the day, Iranian soldiers seized a container ship affiliated with Israel in the Strait of Hormuz.

Why is Iran doing this? Iran has accused Israel of killing seven of its military officials with airstrikes on one of its consular buildings in Damascus, Syria. Earlier this month, Iran asked the United Nations Security Council to condemn the attack. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the strikes.

Dig deeper: Listen to Cal Thomas’ commentary on The World and Everything in It podcast about how Israel is in a fight for its survival in the Middle East.