Iran has launched dozens of drones against Israel, which will take several hours to arrive. Israel mobilizes dozens of planes and cancels educational activities, while Biden returns to the White House.
“We will defend ourselves against any threat with common sense and determination,” Netanyahu warns. Earlier in the day, Iran's Revolutionary Guard boarded a ship with 25 crew members and partially owned by an Israeli businessman in the Strait of Hormuz. It is an unprecedented action and the announced retaliation by Tehran for the murder of seven of its military commanders last day 1 in Damascus. The attack turns the hidden war that Israel and Iran have been fighting for years into an open conflict, despite calls in recent days for containment and the forceful “Don't [do it]” pronounced on Friday by Biden as a warning to Tehran. The day began with a measured action by Iran that, without causing injuries or directly attacking Israeli territory, gave it two advantages: it showed its ability to inflict economic damage in an important maritime passage between Iran and the Emirates.