 "How Israel shielded itself from more than 300 Iranian drones, missiles")
West Asia is on the boil. Iran’s attack on Israel was imminent. And it happened on Saturday. The country launched direct military strikes on Israel.
Iran’s aggression came in retaliation to the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, which killed at least 13 people including two high-ranking officials of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on 1 April. Saturday’s strikes by Iran are the first time that it has directly Israel from its soil.
We take a look at how the attack unfolded and how Israel intercepted it.
How Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel
Iran fired hundreds of bomb-carrying drones toward Israel, says the Israeli military. Hours later, Iran announced it had also launched much more destructive ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency says Tehran has fired ballistic missiles at targets inside of Israel. The announcement came shortly after Iran said it fired dozens of bomb-carrying drones. Slow-moving Shahed-136 drones have been seen in the skies over Iran. However, those are more easily shot down.
Booms and air raid sirens sounded across Israel early Sunday after Iran launched the attack.
Around 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles were launched at Israel by Iran, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOnly “a small number” of ballistic missiles reached the country’s territory, he said. The remaining ballistic missiles, all cruise missiles, and all drones were intercepted before reaching Israeli territory, he added, reports CNN.
The ballistic missiles that did reach Israel fell on the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, Hagari said, adding that they caused only light structural damage. The base was functioning and continuing its operations following the attack, with planes continuing to use the base, according to him.
The attacks now seem to have subsided but the barrage of projectiles continued for approximately five hours.
There have been no reports of injuries suffered directly through Iranian strikes, according to Israel’s emergency service. However, the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said it was called to treat a total of 31 people who suffered minor injuries while making their way to shelters and who suffered panic attacks during the drone and missile attacks.
Also read: Iran’s attack on Israel: How capable is Tehran’s military?
How did Israel intercept the attack?
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement early Sunday the “vast majority” of missiles launched from Iran were intercepted outside of Israel’s borders. Israel has made missile defence a priority, with a variety of air defence systems available to shoot down incoming missile and drone fire.
Israel has missile defence systems capable of targeting ballistic missiles. However, in a massive attack involving multiple drones and missiles like the campaign launched late Saturday by Iran, the likelihood of a strike making it through is higher.
The IDF said in a statement early Sunday that dozens of surface-to-surface missile launches from Iran were identified approaching Israeli territory and that “the IDF Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted the majority of the launches using the “Arrow” Aerial Defence System, together with Israel’s strategic allies, before the launches crossed into Israeli territory."
“A small number of hits were identified, including at an IDF base in southern Israel, where minor damage was caused to infrastructure,” the statement added. It said that “many dozens of hostile aircraft, as well as dozens of cruise missiles from Iran were identified approaching Israeli territory and intercepted”.
Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets are currently operating to intercept aerial threats approaching Israeli territory, it added. Israel said it closed its airspace to all flights after Iran’s missile and drone attack.
Israel is “working closely” with the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, Hagari said, adding that all three “acted tonight” 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,’ Hagari said, according to CNN.
What role did the US, the UK play?
US officials said that American military forces downed some Iran-launched attack drones flying toward Israel. That is according to a US defence official and two US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, reports The Associated Press (AP).
The defence official said the effort to intercept the attack was continuing.
US president Joe Biden said that US forces helped Israel down “nearly all” of the drones and missiles launched by Iran and pledged to convene allies to develop a unified response.
Biden and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke early Sunday, Israeli time, their governments said. Biden said in a statement that he reaffirmed “America’s ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security — a departure from his harsh criticism over the country’s handling of the war in Gaza.
“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 the 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.”
UK defence secretary Grant Shapps said additional Royal Air Force jets and air refueling tankers have been sent to West Asia to bolster Britain’s existing operation against the Islamic State Group in Iraq and Syria. He said the jets “will intercept airborne attacks within range of our existing missions,” but did not confirm whether RAF jets had already shot down any Iranian drones.
What has Iran said?
Iran said that the attack was carried out in self-defence against the Israeli military’s “aggression”. It justified the strikes as a “legitimate” defensive response to the attack in Damascus. Tehran has also warned the US to stay away from the conflict.
“On 14 April 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces carried out a series of military strikes on Israeli’s military bases in response to, and in exercise of its inherent right of self-defence as recognized under Article 51 of the Charter, against Israel’s recurring military aggressions, resulting in the martyrdom of the Iranian military advisors present in Syria,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in its statement.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law while reiterating its determination to forcefully defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests against any unlawful use of force and aggressions,” it added.
The country also reiterated that it would launch more attacks if Israel does not cease their actions.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran would not hesitate to take further necessary defensive measures to protect its legitimate interests against any act of military aggression or unlawful use of force,” Iran said.
Hundreds of Iranians gathered in Tehran’s Palestine Square waving Iranian and Palestinian flags to celebrate the unprecedented military action against Israel.
Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel’s six-month war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The war erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.
An Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,000 people, according to local health officials.
What has Israel said?
The Israel PM has made his first public statement after Iran’s attack, vowing to the country’s people that “together we shall win.”
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, Netanyahu said, “We have intercepted, we have contained. Together we shall win.”
How has the world reacted?
The Iran attack on Israel is a major escalation of the long-running covert war between regional foes.
Biden cut short a weekend stay at his Delaware beach house to meet with his national security team and monitor the situation in West Asia. He will meet with G7 leaders Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” according to a statement released by the White House.
“My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will stay in close touch with Israel’s leaders,” the statement reads. “And while we have not seen attacks on our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people.”
The UN Security Council will convene on Sunday for an emergency meeting over attack on Israel, the body’s president has said. The meeting was requested by Israel, who wrote in a letter to the council’s president, Vanessa Frazier, that the attacks “pose a grave threat to international peace and security”, reports the BBC.
UN secretary-general António Guterres is calling for an immediate halt to hostilities in West Asia. “I strongly condemn the serious escalation represented by the large-scale attack launched on Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran this evening,” Guterres wrote in a statement Saturday night.
Germany, France and Canada have also condemned the attack.
French foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné said in a statement Saturday that in “taking such an unprecedented action, Iran has crossed a new threshold with regard to its destabilising activities and is risking a potential military escalation.”
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock wrote early Sunday on X that Germany condemns “in the strongest possible terms the ongoing attack, which could plunge an entire region into chaos. “Iran and its proxies must stop it immediately,” Baerbock wrote. “We offer Israel our full solidarity at this time.”
Likewise, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said his nation “unequivocally condemns Iran’s airborne attacks against Israel”. “We stand with Israel. After supporting Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack, the Iranian regime’s latest actions will further destabilise the region and make lasting peace more difficult,” Trudeau said in a statement. “We support Israel’s right to defend itself and its people from these attacks.”
With inputs from agencies
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