Military says it shot down missile debris, while its interceptor fragments landed in open area near Eilat; Israeli source tells Saudi outlet that Mojtaba Khamenei is ‘not in Iran.’
Israel launched interceptors on Sunday after fragments from Iranian missiles fired at Jordan’s southern city of Aqaba potentially threatened the nearby city of Eilat, as the escalation in US-Iran fighting showed no signs of abating. The missiles were intercepted by American air defense systems, according to initial Israel Defense Forces assessments, while the military said it also launched Iron Dome interceptors amid the missile attack to shoot down fragments. No sirens sounded in Eilat, as the fragments were shot down. Interceptor fragments fell in an open area near the city, without causing any damage or injuries, the IDF said.
The Jordanian military said three Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted while a fourth hit an open area, according to a statement carried by the official Petra news agency. There were no reports of injuries in the attack. Iran launched fresh missile attacks against nations allied with Washington as the US has struck Iran for eight consecutive nights and has expanded its airstrike campaign by increasingly hitting civilian infrastructure. The operations followed US President Donald Trump’s threats to start striking infrastructure to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway for the global energy supply.
So far, Israel has not been involved in the latest escalation, and Tehran has not directly targeted the Jewish state. Echoing similar comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel would respond powerfully to any attack by Iran. “If Iran fires missiles at Israel, we will attack them with full force,” Katz said during a visit to a rescue service facility. “If the United States changes its policy, which is also something that could happen, we are prepared for both defensive and offensive” action against Tehran, he added. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the military is “closely monitoring the developments in Iran and maintaining a high level of readiness.”
“We monitored the launch toward the Aqaba area today, and our air defense array is on alert to protect the citizens of Israel,” Zamir said during a visit to the West Bank today, according to remarks provided by the military. “We are prepared to immediately resume fighting and will act with great force against anyone who harms us,” he added. The US said strikes overnight Saturday-Sunday were intended to “punish” the IRGC for a deadly strike that killed two US military personnel in Jordanand left another missing. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization on Sunday condemned a US attack on the site of the nuclear power plant under construction in Darkhovin, saying the strike violated international law, Mehr news agency reported. It did not say when the strike occurred. Construction of the plant in southwestern Iran’s Khuzestan province began in 2022. (Read More)
