The sound of sirens and airstrikes was heard in Tel Aviv early this Sunday after Iran launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles toward Israel in an unprecedented retaliatory mission that brought the Middle East closer to regional war.

This attack marks the first time Iran has directly launched a military assault on Israel, despite decades of animosity dating back to the country's Islamic Revolution in 1979. Condemnation was swift, with France stating that "Iran has crossed a new threshold regarding its destabilizing activities and risks potential military escalation," while Britain described the attacks as "reckless."

There were no immediate reports from authorities on whether any explosions were imminent attacks. Sirens were reported to have sounded in multiple locations, including northern Israel, southern Israel, northern West Bank, and the Dead Sea near the Jordanian border. The Israeli emergency service, Magen David Adom, reported that it was treating a 10-year-old child in critical condition in the Bedouin area of Arad, but did not provide further details.

U.S. forces intercepted some drones launched by Iran that were heading toward Israel, according to a U.S. defense official and other American officials speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The defense official stated that efforts to intercept the attack are ongoing.

The Israeli military stated that more than 100 drones had been fired. The ballistic missiles, which are not easily intercepted, were not specified, but Iran claimed they were part of the attack.

The spokesperson for the Israeli army, Admiral Daniel Hagari, stated in a nationwide televised address: "We are monitoring the threat."

Iran has vowed revenge since an airstrike on April 1 in Syria killed two Iranian generals inside an Iranian consulate building, accusing Israel of being behind the attack. Israel has not commented on this.

Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout the war that Israel has waged for six months against Hamas fighters in Gaza. The war erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two armed groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. The Israeli assault on Gaza has caused extensive destruction and killed over 33,000 people, according to local health officials.

Immediately following the outbreak of war, Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed armed group in Lebanon, began attacking Israel's northern border. Both sides are engaged in daily exchanges of gunfire, while Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen fire rockets and shells toward Israel.

In a statement released by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) late Saturday, the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged launching "dozens of drones and missiles toward the occupied territories and Zionist regime sites."

In a subsequent statement, the Revolutionary Guard issued a direct warning to the United States: "The terrorist American government has been warned that any support or participation in harming Iran's interests will be met with a decisive and regrettable response from the Iranian armed forces."

The Iranian news agency also quoted an unnamed official claiming that the ballistic missiles were part of the attack. The ballistic missile travels in a parabolic trajectory, heading into space before gravity brings the weapon down at several times the speed of sound.

Israel has missile defense systems capable of targeting ballistic missiles. However, in the case of a massive attack involving multiple drones and missiles, the likelihood of a successful strike is higher.

Iran possesses a vast arsenal of drones and missiles. Online videos released by Iranian state television purportedly show delta drones resembling the Shahed 136 drones used by Russia for a long time in its war on Ukraine. The slow-flying drones carry bombs. Ukraine has successfully targeted them with surface-to-air missiles and ground fire.

Israel has a multi-layered air defense network that includes systems capable of intercepting a range of threats, including long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones, and short-range missiles.

Hagari, the army spokesperson, stated that Israel is "prepared and ready." However, he cautioned that air defenses are not 100% effective and urged the public to heed safety instructions.

The military ordered residents in the Golan Heights – near the Syrian and Lebanese borders – as well as the southern towns of Nevatim and Dimona and the resort town of Eilat on the Red Sea “to stay close to protected areas until further notice.” Dimona houses Israel's main nuclear facility, and Nevatim has a major airbase.

The military's Home Front Command canceled schools on Sunday and limited public gatherings to no more than 1,000 people. Israel closed its airspace and canceled all flights.

Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: "Those who harm us, we will harm them."

In Washington, President Joe Biden cut short a weekend trip to his beach home in Delaware to return to the White House. The White House announced that a key National Security Council meeting is scheduled for Saturday to discuss the unfolding attack.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement: "The United States will stand by the people of Israel and support its defense against these threats from Iran."

General Eric Kurilla, the head of the U.S. Central Command, was in Israel over the weekend consulting with Israeli defense officials regarding the Iranian threat. Central Command oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations issued a warning to both Israel and the United States that "if the Israeli regime makes another mistake, Iran's response will be much more severe," as it wrote online. "It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, and the United States should stay out of it!"

For several days, Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have threatened to "slap" Israel for its strikes in Syria.

In the Iranian capital Tehran, witnesses reported long lines at gas stations early Sunday, as people appeared anxious about what might happen next. Dozens of hardliners demonstrated in support of the attack in Palestine Square.

The state-run Lebanese National News Agency reported intensive Israeli airstrikes and shelling on multiple sites in southern Lebanon following Iran's launch of drones, while Lebanese Hezbollah announced that it fired "dozens" of Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military position in the Golan Heights early Sunday. It was not immediately clear if there was any damage.

Regional countries began closing their airspace.