Israel celebrated this Sunday the effectiveness of its anti-aircraft defenses before a iranian attack unprecedented and assured that he managed to intercept, with the help of his allies, 99% of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched towards their territory. But regional tensions continue, amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counterattack.
The president of United States, Joe Bidenwill call a meeting for this Sunday of the G7 “to coordinate a diplomatic response linked to the “brazen Iranian attack.”
The terms used by the Democratic president indicate that his Administration does not want the Iranian bombing to lead to a broader military conflict.
The Iranian offensive was responding to an attack widely attributed to Israel on an Iranian consular building in Syria this month, which killed two Revolutionary Guard generals.
The two rivals have been fighting for years. covert war characterized by incidents such as the attack of Damascus. But the escalation of tensions this Sunday, which caused air raid sirens to sound throughout Israel, constituted the first direct military aggression of Iran against Israel, despite decades of enmity that began with the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Over the years, Israel has established a network of anti-aircraft defense multi-layered that includes systems capable of intercepting different threats, such as long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones and short-range rockets.
That system, along with its collaboration with U.S. and other forces, helped thwart what would have been a much more devastating attack at a time when Israel is already embroiled in a war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and fights low-level combat on its northern border with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Both Hamas and Hezbollah have Iranian support.
“Iran launched more than 300 threats and 99% of them were intercepted“said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israeli army spokesman. “That’s a success.” When asked if Israel would respond, Hagari indicated that the country would do whatever was necessary to protect its citizens.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, posted a brief message on X in which he said that “we intercepted. We block. Together, we will win.”
For his part, the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallantalso celebrated the results and thanked the United States and other countries for their assistance, although he warned that the incident was still ongoing.
“This campaign is not over. We must remain alert (…) and prepare for any situation”, he expressed in a video statement. “At the same time, we blocked the first wave (of attacks) and did so with great success.”
Hagari also reported minor damage to one Israeli air base.
Israel could be especially proud of its defense performance because it marks a stark contrast to the failures recorded during the Hamas attack on October 7.
Although thwarting Iranian aggression could help restore Israel’s image, its next steps will be closely watched in the region and in Western capitals.
In Washington, the president Joe Biden He said U.S. forces helped Israel shoot down “almost all” of the drones and missiles and vowed to convene allies to develop a unified response.
Biden, who had to end a weekend stay early at his beach house in Delaware to meet with his national security team in the White House On Saturday afternoon, he held a telephone meeting with Netanyahu hours after the attack.
““I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable ability to defend itself and defeat even unprecedented attacks, which sends a clear message to its enemies that they cannot effectively threaten Israel’s security.”Biden said.
In a statement issued this Sunday, the Secretary of State of the United States, Anthony Blinkenassured that Washington “is not seeking an escalation” and will talk with its allies in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard acknowledged having launched “dozens of drones and missiles toward the occupied territories and positions of the Zionist regime.”
In a subsequent statement, the Iranian regime directly threatened the United States: “The terrorist government of the United States is warned that any support or involvement that harms Iran’s interests will be met with a decisive and regrettable response by the Iranian military.”.
Iran had vowed revenge for the April 1 bombing in Syria, which Tehran blames on Israel.
Tel Aviv and Tehran have clashed during Israel’s six-month war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The conflict erupted after the October 7 attack in which Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both with Iranian support, killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped more than 250.
Negotiations to seek a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages appeared to have suffered a setback this Sunday. Netanyahu’s office said Hamas had rejected the latest deal proposal.
The mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States They had presented the plan to Hamas a week earlier.
Almost immediately after the war broke out, Hezbollah began attacking Israel’s northern border. Both sides have exchanged fire daily, while Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have launched rockets and missiles toward Israel.
(AP)
