TEL AVIV, Israel – Israel on Sunday praised the success of its air defenses in the face of an unprecedented attack from Iran, saying the country and its allies thwarted 99% of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched towards its territory. But regional tensions remain high, amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counterattack.
US President Joe Biden said he would convene a meeting of the Group of Seven advanced democracies on Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack”. The language indicated that the Biden administration does not want the Iran attack to escalate into a broader military conflict.
Iran launched the attack in response to an attack widely blamed on Israel on an Iranian consular building in Syria earlier this month that killed two Iranian generals. Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles on Sunday morning.
The two enemies have been involved in a parallel war for years, marked by incidents such as the attack on Damascus. But Sunday’s attack, which set off air raid sirens in Israel, marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military attack on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Over the years, Israel has established – often with the help of the United States – a multi-layered air defense 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 much more devastating attack at a time when Israel is already mired in its war against Hamas in Gaza and engaged in low-intensity fighting. on its northern border. with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are supported by Iran.
Israeli and US officials praised the response to the airstrike.
“Iran has launched more than 300 threats and 99% have been intercepted,” said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman. “This is a success.” Asked whether Israel would respond, Hagari said the country would do whatever was necessary to protect its citizens.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a short message on X, formerly Twitter: “We intercepted. We block. Together, we will win.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also celebrated the results, thanking the US and other countries for their help, but warned that the incident was ongoing.
“This campaign is not over yet. We need to remain vigilant… and prepare for any scenario,” he said in a video statement. “At the same time, we blocked the first wave (of attacks) and did so with great success.”
Hagari said minor damage was caused to an Israeli air base but said it was still operational. Rescuers said a 7-year-old girl was seriously injured in southern Israel, apparently in a missile attack, although they said police were still investigating the circumstances of the injuries.
Israel can be particularly proud of the success of its defense because it contrasts sharply with the failures it suffered during the Hamas attack on October 7. Facing a much less powerful enemy in Hamas, Israel’s border defenses collapsed and the military took days to repel the marauding militants – an embarrassing defeat for the strongest and best-equipped army in the Middle East.
While thwarting the Iranian attack could help restore Israel’s image, what it does next will be closely watched both in the region and in Western capitals.
In Washington, Biden said US forces helped Israel shoot down “almost all” of its drones and missiles and promised to rally allies to develop a unified response.
Biden, who cut short a weekend at his Delaware beach house to meet with his national security team at the White House on Saturday afternoon, spoke with Netanyahu later in the day.
“I told you that Israel has demonstrated a remarkable ability to defend and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its enemies that they cannot effectively threaten Israel’s security,” Biden said.
In a statement on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US “does not seek escalation” and would hold talks with its allies in the coming days.
The US, together with its allies, sent direct messages to Tehran to warn against further escalation of the conflict.
In a statement released Saturday by Iranian state news agency IRNA, the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged the launch of “dozens of drones and missiles against the occupied territories and positions of the Zionist regime.”
In a later statement, the Revolutionary Guard issued a direct warning to the US: “The US terrorist government is warned that any support for or participation in harming Iran’s interests will be followed by a decisive and regrettable response by Iran’s military.” , the statement said.
Iran has vowed revenge since the April 1 airstrike in Syria, for which Tehran held Israel responsible. Israel has not commented on this.
Israel and Iran have been on a collision course during Israel’s six-month war against Hamas militants in Gaza, triggered by the October 7 attack on Israel. On that day, militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, also supported by Iran, killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped another 250.
An Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed more than 33,000 people, according to local health officials.
Ongoing negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire in exchange for the release of the hostages appeared to have suffered a setback on Sunday. Netanyahu’s office said Hamas rejected the latest deal proposal.
The proposal was presented to Hamas a week ago by mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Almost immediately after the war began, Hezbollah began attacking Israel’s northern border. The two sides have been engaged in daily exchanges of fire, while Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have launched rockets and missiles at Israel.
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