Iran attack on Israel: Girl, seven, hurt in missile strike is in critical condition after she was hit by shrapnel at 2am in her home, family say
A seven-year-old girl who was injured in the unprecedented Iranian missile strike against Israel is fighting for her life in hospital after being struck in the head by shrapnel in her home at 2am, her family have revealed.
The Israel Defences Force (IDF) said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and at least 120 ballistic missiles in an attack that has escalated the conflict in the Middle East and sparked fears of World War III.
IDF spokesman Dangiel Hagari revealed that '99 per cent' of the missiles launched on Saturday were intercepted overnight - but that one girl, now named locally as Amina al-Hassouni, was 'severely injured from shrapnel'.
Amina, from the Bedouin town of Al-Fur'ah in southern Israel, is now in a critical condition after she was hit by shrapnel which fell on the roof of the family home at 2am, the Times of Israel reports.
The young girl's brother told Haaretz how she lost consciousness and was unresponsive. Her parents then rushed her by car to Arad, before she was taken to the Soroka Medical Centre in an ambulance.
The remains of a rocket booster that, according to Israel, critically injured a seven-year-old girl
Residents transfer the remains of a rocket booster that reportedly injured seven-year-old Amina
The medical centre confirmed she is now in the hospital's paediatric intensive care unit receiving treatment for a major head wound.
Soroka said eight others had been brought in with minor injuries, some also hit by shrapnel.
The assault was launched in response to a strike widely blamed on Israel on an Iranian consular building in Syria earlier this month, which killed two Iranian generals.
Syria has said Iran exercised their 'right to self-defence' in the attack on Israel.
It is the first direct military attack launched by Tehran on Israel, despite long-standing enmity dating back to the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The latest development brought years of shadow war between the two foes out into the open as the conflict in Gaza inflames decades-old tensions in the Middle East.
Britain and the US have offered staunch support for Israel, although Tehran has threatened a 'heavier' response if Washington cooperates in any further military action.
After Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, near Arad, this is the remains of a rocket booster which reportedly injured Amina
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (pictured) condemned 'in the strongest terms' Iran's 'reckless attack' as he pledged to 'continue to stand up for Israel's security'
Attack drones were intercepted by the RAF in Syria and Iraq, where it was already operating as part of the Operation Shader mission against the Islamic State group.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that RAF jets shot down 'a number of' Iranian drones as he condemned the strikes as 'dangerous and unnecessary'. He warned that the fallout in regional stability would have been 'hard to overstate' if Iran had been successful.
Speaking to journalists in Downing Street on Sunday, Mr Sunak called for 'calm heads to prevail' in the aftermath.
He said: 'I can confirm that our planes did shoot down a number of Iranian attack drones. I want to pay tribute to the bravery and professionalism of our pilots flying into the face of danger to protect civilians.
'If this attack had been successful, the fallout for regional stability would be hard to overstate, and we stand by the security of Israel and the wider region, which is of course important for our security here at home.'
The PM is joining other G7 leaders for urgent talks this afternoon amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counter-strike.
Additional RAF aircraft were deployed this weekend to bolster the UK's presence.
A destroyed building targeted by Israeli air strikes on the village of Nabi Sheet in Baablbek
People gather around a destroyed building targeted by Israeli air strikes on the village of Nabi Sheet in the Baablbek district in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley on April 14, 2024
United States President Joe Biden meets with members of the National Security Council regarding the unfolding missile attacks on Israel
An Iranian man is holding a scale model of a cannon shell during a celebration in support of Iran's attack against Israel yesterday
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne and German foreign minister Annlena Baerbock joined a growing chorus of western leaders urging against escalation.
The US President said he would convene a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced democracies on Sunday 'to co-ordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran's brazen attack'.
The language indicates that the Biden administration does not want Iran's assault to spiral into a broader military conflict after Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant suggested the incident was 'not over yet.'
A top US official said the US had informed Israel it did not plan on striking Iran itself.
