The wave of drones and missiles that flew towards Israel during the early hours of Sunday (15) brought with it a new phase of tension, uncertainty, and confrontation in the Middle East.
The Iran launched an unprecedented attack in response to an alleged Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month.
This episode marked a new chapter in the discord between the two states that has permeated for years and has been escalating since Israel declared war on Hamas last October.
The next steps remain unclear, but Israel is facing calls from its allies to steer clear of an open war.
How did Iran attack Israel?
More than 300 missiles—including about 170 drones and over 120 ballistic missiles—were fired at Israel in an aerial attack during the night from Saturday to Sunday. Approximately 350 rockets were launched from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
However, “99%” of the missiles were intercepted by Israel’s and its allies’ air defense systems, according to Israeli military sources, with only a small number hitting the territory.
The Tehran attack targeted the Nevatim airbase, an Iranian army official said on Sunday, claiming that it was from there that the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in early April was launched.
The Iranian ballistic missiles that hit Israel fell on an airbase in the south of the country and caused only minor structural damage, Hagari said. The base is operational and continues its activities after the attack.
A senior U.S. military official told reporters on Sunday that the U.S. assessed that “there is no significant damage within Israel.”
U.S. ships in the eastern Mediterranean destroyed between four and six Iranian ballistic missiles during the attack, and aircraft in the region shot down more than 70 Iranian UAVs heading towards Israel.
Why did the attack happen?
Israel and Iran are long-time rivals and have been involved in a parallel war for years.
Israel’s war against Hamas, which has been ongoing since the militant group attacked Israel on October 7, has heightened these tensions.
Iran-backed forces in Iraq and Syria have launched attacks against U.S. military positions in those countries, and Iran’s leadership has warned that attacks from its allies will not stop until Israel’s war in Gaza ends.
But fears of a regional war increased even further in early April when Iran accused Israel of bombing its diplomatic complex in Syria.
How did Israel and its allies respond to the Iranian attack?
Israel reacted angrily to the attacks.
In his initial comments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We intercepted, we contained. Together we will win.”
But Israel’s allies in the West urged the country to work to contain the crisis, rather than respond in a way that could lead to an open war.
U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and made it clear that the U.S. would not participate in any offensive operations against Iran, a senior White House official told CNN.
What will the next steps be?
An Israeli war cabinet meeting that lasted for hours on Sunday ended without a decision on how Israel will respond, according to an Israeli official.
The war cabinet is determined to respond, but has not yet decided on the timing and scope, the official said. One of the main dilemmas faced by the cabinet is determining how quickly Israel should respond.
Israel has told the United States that it is not “looking for a significant escalation with Iran,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters on Sunday.
Source: CNN