Iran launches drones toward Israel in retaliatory attack after consulate strike in Syria

Iran on Saturday evening launched drones toward Israel in a retaliatory attack, the Israeli military said.

In a statement, Israel Defense Forces said that Iran launched unmanned aerial vehicles "from within its territory toward Israel." 

"The IDF is on high alert and is constantly monitoring the operational situation," the statement read. "The IDF Aerial Defense Array is on high alert, along with IAF fighter jets and Israeli Navy vessels that are on a defense mission in Israeli airspace. The IDF is monitoring all targets."

Israeli officials told CBS News it could be many hours before the drones reach Israeli airspace, which Israel closed at midnight local time. Alerts started to sound across Israel close to 2 a.m. local time, the IDF said. Alarms went off in Southern Israel, by the Dead Sea, in Jerusalem, and the Shomron area.

U.S. forces in the region have also shot down some of the Iranian-launched drones, two U.S. officials told CBS News...

The attack is in retaliation for an April 1 Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, which killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.