How US, UK, France and Jordan came to Israel’s rescue as Iran attacked

It was an attack the world saw coming. On Saturday, Iran fired more than 300 projectiles towards Israel in the first such strike from its soil. However, the Iranian munitions caused little damage to the Jewish nation.

Israel hailed its successful air defences that thwarted 99 per cent of more than 300 drones and missiles launched towards its territory. But this would have been a bigger challenge without the support of its allies and a neighbour, Jordan.

Israel is “working closely” with the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, adding that all three “acted” during the Iranian strikes.

“We are working closely with the US, UK and France who acted tonight. This partnership has always been close, but tonight it manifested itself in an unusual way,” he said, reports CNN.

A look at the role other countries played in thwarting the attack.

The United States

The US has been one of Israel’s closest allies. However, in the recent past, the two have had differences over Jerusalem’s non-stop onslaught on Gaza. But that did not come in the way as an Iranian attack on Israel seemed imminent over the past few days. On Saturday, it played a crucial role in Jerusalem’s defence.

Israel has over the years established – often with the help of the US — a multilayered air-defence network that includes systems capable of intercepting a variety of threats including long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones and short-range rockets.

That system, along with collaboration with the US and other forces, helped thwart what could have been a far more devastating assault at a time when Israel is already bogged down in its war against Hamas in Gaza and engaged in low-level fighting on its northern border with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, reports The Associated Press (AP).

Also read: How Israel shielded itself from more than 300 Iranian drones, missiles

US president Joe Biden said that the US built up its forces ahead of the widely anticipated attack and that had paid off.

“At my direction, to support the defence of Israel, the US military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defence destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” Biden said in a written statement. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.”

Iran launched around 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles during a five-hour attack overnight on Saturday.

US officials said that more than 70 drones and three ballistic missiles were intercepted by US navy ships and military aircraft, reports CNN.

The US navy shot down at least three ballistic missiles using the Aegis missile defence system aboard two guided-missiles destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean, American officials told CNN’s Oren Liebermann at the Pentagon. US warplanes also shot down Iranian ordnance, Liebermann reported. It is not clear where the US military operated from but its aircraft carriers and land-based aircraft are present in the region.

US military forces, operating from undisclosed bases in the region, shot down several Iranian drones in Sweida and Deraa provinces in southern Syria near the Jordanian border, security sources told Reuters.

Earlier in the week, the Biden administration sent the head of US Central Command, Gen Erik Kurilla, to Israel to help coordinate defences against the attack. He reportedly left the country before the first drones were launched.

The United Kingdom

The UK also played a significant role in helping Israel defend its territory. British fighter jets shot down Iranian drones.

The Royal Air Force jets and refuelling aircraft took off from their bases in Cyprus and reportedly flew over Iraq and Syria but not Israel.

“In response to increased Iranian threats and the growing risk of escalation in the Middle East, the UK government has been working with partners across the region to encourage de-escalation and prevent further attacks,” the UK ministry of defence said.

“We have moved several additional Royal Air Force jets and air refuelling tankers to the region. These will bolster Operation Shader, which is the UK’s existing counter-Daesh operation in Iraq and Syria. In addition, these UK jets will intercept any airborne attacks within range of our existing missions, as required,” it added.

The UK defence ministry, however, did not specify how many RAF Typhoons were airborne over Syria and Iraq, reports the BBC.

Also read: What is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the group believed to be behind Iran’s attack on Israel?

On Sunday, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that UK jets shot down several Iranian attack drones.

The UK participated in an “international coordinated effort” to intercept the missiles and drones Iran fired, he said. “The RAF sent additional planes to the region.”

Earlier, he condemned Iran’s “reckless attack”, pledging that his country would “continue to stand up for Israel’s security”. “Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard,” he said, adding that the “strikes risk inflaming tensions and destabilising the region”.

The British leader vowed continued support for the security of Israel and the UK’s other allies in the region including Jordan and Iraq.

France

The French navy was deployed to defend Israel from the incoming Iranian attacks, western and French officials, were quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). No further details were immediately available.

The Israel military spokesperson also said that France was involved in blocking the Iranian attack. It contributed by patrolling air space.

Hagari said that France was also involved in Israel’s defence, though he said he did not have exact details on whether French jets had shot down any of the missiles launched by Iran. “France has very good technology, jets, radar – and I know they were contributing in patrolling airspace,” he said.

French president Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack and urged restraint. “I condemn in the strongest terms the unprecedented attack launched by Iran against Israel, which carries the risk of destabilising the region,” Macron said on X. “This is an expression of my solidarity with the Israeli people and of the importance we attach to the security of Israel, of our partners and to regional stability.”

“France is working with its partners towards de-escalation and calls for restraint,” he added.

Jordan

Jordan also assisted in taking out some Iranian drones, according to security sources cited by the news agency Reuters. They shot down projectiles that violated its airspace and were heading to Israel.

The Iranian drones were brought down on the Jordanian side of the Jordan Valley. They were heading towards Jerusalem. Others were intercepted close to the Iraqi-Syrian border.

According to a statement by the Jordanian Cabinet, the country intercepted some flying objects that entered its airspace to ensure the safety of its citizens. “Some shrapnel fell in multiple places during that time without causing any significant damage or any injuries to citizens,” it added.

Regional security sources said the Jordanian army was on high alert and radar systems were monitoring any drone activity coming from the direction of Iraq and Syria, reports The Times of Israel.

A security source said the country’s air force was intensifying reconnaissance flights. Jordan earlier said it had closed its airspace starting on Saturday night to all incoming, departing, and transiting aircraft, in what officials told Reuters were precautionary measures in the event of an Iranian strike across its border.

“The relevant authorities took the decision to close the airspace for precautionary reasons as a result of the surrounding security situation,” Jordan’s government spokesperson Muhannad Mubaideen said. Mubaideen denied media reports that the kingdom had announced a state of emergency, adding that its citizens had no cause for concern.

Jordan borders Syria and Iraq, both countries where Iranian proxy forces operate, and is next door to Israel and the West Bank. It has closely watched the Israel war against Hamas, an ally of Iran, with the fear of getting caught in the crossfire.

While the US, Britain and France are military allies of Israel, Jordan has in the past heavily criticised Israel’s war in Gaza.

With inputs from agencies