Iran launched a major airstrike on Israel and territories it controls starting late Saturday, launching at least 300 drones and missiles. It is the first such direct attack launched from Iranian soil after decades of shadow wars between the two countries. The attack was in response to a recent strike on a building in the Iranian embassy compound in Syria that killed several of Iran’s top commanders.
Here’s a look at what we know about this weekend’s Iranian attack and its implications:
What happened during the attack?
Air raid sirens sounded overnight in Israel and the West Bank, signaling the start of an attack that had been expected for days. In this case, almost all the rockets and drones were intercepted, the Israeli military said on Sunday.
Israel had used two main defensive weapon systems, Iron Dome and Arrow 3, to deter the attack. The United States participated in the defense actions, and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said American forces intercepted missiles and attack drones launched from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Britain also said its planes shot down drones. Additionally, Jordan, which neighbors Israel, said its military shot down aircraft and missiles that entered its airspace.
What damage did the attack do?
The attack caused no deaths, but 12 people were taken to Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel overnight. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for Israel’s military, said the Nevatim air base in the Negev desert in southern Israel suffered minor damage in the attack and was operational.
What was the immediate cause of the attack?
Iran and Israel have been engaged in a secret war for decades, in which they have attacked each other’s interests on land, sea, air and in cyberspace. Iran provides support to proxy forces such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. Israel has launched a series of attacks, including the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2021 and the assassination of a Revolutionary Guards commander, Colonel Sayad Khodayee, in 2022.
The undeclared conflict escalated on April 1 when Israeli warplanes struck the building in Damascus that is part of the Iranian Embassy compound, according to Iranian and Syrian officials. At least three senior commanders and four officers overseeing Iran’s covert operations in the Middle East were killed. Iran has vowed to retaliate.
What did the leaders say about the attack?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far only spoken about the defensive military operation. In a social media post on Sunday, he said: “We understand. We blocked. Together we will win.”
President Biden, who has used increasingly strong language to criticize Mr Netanyahu’s war on Gaza, has also repeatedly asserted the country’s right to defend itself and has sent weapons into the country. He said he would convene a meeting of Group of 7 leaders on Sunday. The United Nations Security Council was also due to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the attack.
Several hundred Iranians gathered in Tehran to celebrate the attack. Iran’s foreign ministry described the attack as a defensive measure, and the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the United States not to get involved.
What are the wider implications of the attack?
Iran’s attack comes more than six months after the deadly Hamas-led invasion of Israel, which sparked the Gaza war. In the immediate future, the attack could distract from that conflict, but it also points to the region’s broader instability, according to Nomi Bar-Yaacov, a fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London and an expert on Middle East politics.
Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations said in a social media post overnight that “the matter may be it is considered complete. However, if the Israeli regime makes another mistake, Iran’s response will be much more severe.”
U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said President Biden and his team, hoping to avoid further escalation, are advising Israel that its defense against the Iranian attack was a major victory that may not require another round of retaliation.
But Israel’s government will be under pressure to respond to the attack, and Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said its standoff with Iran was “not over yet.”
Even so, it is likely that any response would not involve a large-scale attack on Iranian soil itself, thus limiting the chances of further escalation, according to Ms Bar-Yaacov.
“The Iranians have made it very clear that they consider the attack to be over,” he said. “I would expect the US to put tremendous pressure on Israel not to respond inside Iran, but rather to attack Iranian assets abroad, meaning its proxies.”
