BREAKING - Iran launches “mass drone and missile attack” on Israel _ BBC News

Breaking news .

In a major escalation of the crisis in the Middle East , Iran has started a direct attack on Israel by launching dozens of drones to attack targets there .

They're expected to reach Israel in the next couple of hours .

Israel says its armed forces are on full alert with combat planes in the air .

Iran has said it wants revenge for a suspected Israeli attack almost 2 weeks ago on its consulate in Damascus when the US , president Joe Biden , has cut short his weekend to return to the White House for briefings on the crisis .

Well , in a moment , we'll get the very latest from Washington and our correspondent there , Will Vernon .

1st , though , let's go straight to James Landale , who's live for us in Jerusalem tonight .

And , James , this is an attack that Israel has been expecting for several days now .

Yeah .

That's right , Ben .

Ever since that attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria , there's been growing speculation that Iran will have to respond in some way .

There's been talk about different types of attack , but it now appears that attack is underway .

Military spokesman men here in Israel say that , drones have now been launched from Iran .

They are directed towards Israel .

There've been reports from Iraq of drone many drones been seen in the sky .

The Israeli spokesman said that those drones will take some hours before they reach , their target here .

And he says that , he's confident that Israel's air defenses will shoot them down .

Earlier today , just before this attack was formally confirmed , the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an address to the nation saying that his country would overcome all its enemies .

Israeli citizens .

In recent years and even more so in recent weeks , Israel has been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran .

Our defense systems are deployed .

We are prepared for any scenario , both in defense and attack .

The state of Israel is strong .

The IDF is strong , and the public is strong .

Now as you heard there , the Israelis at the moment are just talking about drones .

But the Iranian revolutionary guards have put out a statement saying that they are attacking with drones and missiles too .

And in a statement , the , supreme leader in Iran , Ali Khamenei , said , and I quote , the malicious Zionist regime , that's his name for Israel , will be punished for what he called an attack on Iranian soil .

In other words , the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria .

Now the question tonight is how effective this attack will be and what response Israel may make , in in as a result of that .

A spokesman said this evening , this is a severe and dangerous escalation .

Ben .

Alright , James .

Thank you very much indeed .

That's James Landau live in Jerusalem .

Let's go to Will Vernon in Washington .

And , Will , the United States , of course , is Israel's closest ally .

President Joe Biden has promised ironclad support , in his words , for Israel , with this attack tonight .

That's right , Ben .

President Biden is back in the White House .

He earlier cut short a weekend away in Delaware to come back to Washington and attend , that urgent , National Security Council meeting .

And we've had a statement from National Security Council saying Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel .

President Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team who are in constant communication with Israeli officials .

And it goes on to say that this attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours .

And unnamed US officials have been speaking to US media , saying that they expect , this drone attack to be synchronized with missiles that could be launched later on .

But as you said , president Biden and other US officials have repeatedly said over the pre over the last few days , that American support for Israeli security is ironclad .

And we know that US forces , in the region are on alert and are ready , to assist , the Israelis , with protecting their territory .

But , US intelligence officials here reportedly believe that the Iranians are targeting multiple sites , inside Israel , but importantly , not US forces , in the region directly .

That would , of course , be a dangerous escalation .

That's what everyone , here , is keen to avoid , any sort of tit for tat escalatory , retaliatory conflict , that could ignite a wider regional war .