JERUSALEM/TEHRAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Iran and allied armed groups launched coordinated drone and missile strikes on Israel late Saturday night in retaliation for a deadly Israeli assault on the Iranian consulate in Syria about two weeks ago, heightening fears of a wider regional war as a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip remains elusive.

Hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones launched from Iran triggered sirens in Jerusalem, the Negev Desert, the Dead Sea in the south, the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights in the north, and the occupied West Bank. Massive explosions were heard in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel as Iranian drones and missiles were intercepted, according to Xinhua correspondents in Jerusalem and local witnesses.

During a press briefing, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel intercepted the majority of the missiles and drones launched towards its territory.

As Iran launched drones and missiles toward Israel, Hezbollah in Lebanon fired rockets at Israeli barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and the Houthis in Yemen launched drones toward Israeli targets.

Israel's Maged David Adom rescue service said in a statement that a 10-year-old boy was seriously injured in a Beduin village in the Negev. A projectile or parts of a projectile fell near Umm Al Fahm, an Arab city in northern Israel, causing no injuries.

After Iran's attack, U.S. President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a call on Saturday night that the United States will oppose any Israeli counterattack against Iran, U.S. news portal Axios reported, citing a senior White House official.

Biden also said that he would convene leaders of the Group of Seven countries on Sunday to coordinate a "united diplomatic response" to the attack.

ESCALATING IRAN-ISRAEL TENSION

Israel has been on high alert over the past few days following Iranian threats to retaliate for an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consular building in Damascus, capital of Syria, on April 1, which killed seven Iranians, including two military commanders.

Ahead of the anticipated Iranian attack, Israeli authorities took precautionary measures by closing schools, advising citizens to stay near shelters, and activating air defenses to counter potential threats.

Following Iran's attack on Saturday, Netanyahu convened the war cabinet at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office confirmed.

Israel is planning to launch a "significant response" to the Iranian aerial attack, the nation's state-owned Kan TV news reported early Sunday, citing an anonymous senior Israeli official.

"The fact that Iran fires for the first time from its territory at Israel requires a significant response. It will come soon," the official said.

In response to the drone and missile attacks by Iran, the United States has pledged unwavering support for Israel.

Calling it a conflict between Iran and Israel, Iran's mission to the United Nations warned the United States to stay away. Iran also warned of a "firm response" to any country that opens its airspace or territory for Israeli attacks.

"PANDORA'S BOX"

The Iranian strike on Israel has intensified concerns of a wider war in a region already embroiled in the six-month Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Since the outbreak of the conflict in October last year, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and resistance groups in Iraq have launched attacks on targets associated with Israel.

As Iran launches direct attacks on Israel, analysts posit that the security landscape in the Middle East could be on the precipice of further deterioration.

Iran's retaliation against Israel is transforming "the years-long 'shadow war' between Israel and Iran into an open and all-out regional conflict," according to a report by the International Crisis Group, a global think tank based in Belgium.

Before this round of strikes began, both Iran and Israel had prepared for an escalation.

Earlier this month, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held an online meeting with Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, vowing to intensify attacks against Israel.

Iran's strike against Israel "could be it, but it could be that this is a prelude to a bigger attack," said Alex Rossi, an analyst from Sky News, stressing that the attack could "set off a chain of events" which spark a wider conflict.

Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, said that given Israel's anticipated forceful retaliation, such a move "has a high potential to trigger a full-scale, region-wide war."

Apart from Israel's retaliatory strikes, another factor that could precipitate a worsening trend is the intervention of the United States.

Washington has promised Israel "ironclad" support, and already rushed U.S. warships into position to protect Israel.

On Friday, U.S. Central Command Commander Michael Erik Kurilla attended a situational assessment meeting with commanders of the IDF in Tel Aviv.

"Washington is unlikely to sit idly by," analyzed the International Crisis Group, noting that Iran's attack "could quickly spark a wider confrontation involving each side's respective allies."

"We are at the beginning of a unique and unprecedented event whose results are difficult to see," Danny Citrinowicz, a fellow at the Israel Institute for National Security Studies, said on social media platform X. Enditem

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