Iran’s drone attack on Israel

Iran, last night launched over 300 drone attacks on Israel, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued his first public comments, saying in a post on X, “We intercepted, we stopped. Together we will win.” According to a report by NBC News, Israel boasted that Iranian barrage of missiles and drones caused little damage. Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has, therefore, warned that “a direct Iranian attack will require an appropriate Israeli response against Iran.”

It was a continuation of vendetta in the Middle East as an attack triggers others with deadly frequency. On 1 April, Israel carried out a deadly attack on Iran’s Damascus Consulate, killing 16 people, including two generals.

That notwithstanding, President Joe Bidden has declared support for Israel.

NBC reported further that Israel intercepted 99% of the more than 300 projectiles launched by Iran, and is ready for “any further developments and scenarios,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

Among the projectiles were some 30 cruise missiles, none of which made it into Israel, Hagari said. Only a “few” of the more than 120 ballistic missiles launched entered Israel, with the rest being intercepted, he added.

Some of the ballistic missiles hit the Nevatim airbase, but they caused only minor infrastructure damage, and the base remained operational, Hagari said.

Iraq and Yemen also carried out launches against Israel, but none made it into the country, the IDF spokesman said. He added that “dozens” of rockets were launched from Lebanon toward the north of Israel, though Israel suffered no injuries or deaths and hit back by striking different targets in Lebanon.

A 10-year-old girl was severely injured by shrapnel, but there were no immediate reports of other Israeli injuries or deaths, Hagari said.

“Iran did something very serious, very severe this night, as it pushed the Middle East toward escalation. We will do whatever is necessary in order to defend the citizens of the state of Israel,” he said.