Iran-Israel attack : Iran launches drones at Israel in retaliatory attack

 Israel says it and its allies have intercepted the vast majority of more than 300 drones and missiles launched by Iran

1. It says there were a small number of hits on its territory, including at an IDF base in southern Israel, while one child has been injured.
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3. Israel's minister of defence, Yoav Gallant, has said the confrontation with Iran is “not over yet"
4. Iran said the attack "achieved all its objectives" and added it would use greater force if Israel responded in kind.
5. Iran's unprecedented, retaliatory attack marks the first time it has targeted Israel directly from its own soil
6. Tehran's attack is a retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed an Iranian military commanders in Damascus earlier this month
7. Biden says he told Netanyahu that Israel has demonstrated "remarkable capacity" in defending itself, adding that the US helped "take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles".

8. Iran attack on Israel crosses a red line

   

   Jeremy Bowen

   International Editor

   A lot depends on what Israel does now. They're getting a lot of signals from their allies, who helped them out enormously over the course of the night.

   The Americans are giving a very strong signal of “ironclad” security - essentially saying "we've got your back". The British and the Jordanians were also involved, and Israel itself has formidable air defence capabilities.

   For Iran, I think it will be a bit crushing to see that they got almost nothing through that Israeli defence net. So the question now is: Will Israel decide to hit back, perhaps on Iranian soil? That would be a further escalation.

   I've been speaking to a senior western diplomat who tells me that it's been a long night, but that their job now is to draw a line under this.

   Please do not, they are telling the Israelis, carry out an attack on Iranian soil.

   It’s notable that US President Biden has called for a diplomatic response and is not talking about any kind of military response.

   The Iranians telegraphed quite clearly that they were going to do something – the Israelis, the US, Britain and others were ready. So this was a calibrated move on Iran’s part and Western allies are now hoping this will be the end of this episode.

   For Iran, it’s very important to restore a sense of deterrence.

   That’s what their network of allies across the Middle East is about. Clearly the fact that the Israelis were able to carry out that strike on a diplomatic compound on 1 April and think they could get away with it suggests Iran's deterrence wasn’t very strong and they are trying to restore that.

   What has not changed is that the Americans do not want an escalation in the Middle East. A red line has been crossed for the first time – the Iranians have directly hit Israeli soil.

   And Israeli right-wingers are already saying there must be a response. So it is by no means certain that this is the end of the episode and if the line is not drawn, it really is a very dangerous moment. 

   

   
   

   Israel and US were well prepared for Iran's attack

9. Israel, with the help of the United States, was well prepared for Iran’s attack.

   It had been telegraphed in advance. But more importantly both Israel and the United States had sophisticated air defence systems already in place.

   Israel has had plenty of experience shooting down simultaneous rocket attacks by Hamas from Gaza over many years.

   Israel has sophisticated air defences, including its Iron Dome system, David’s Sling and Arrow aerial defence system - which have all been used to take out Hamas rockets.

   The US has also been dealing with similar threats in the Red Sea – shooting down drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles fired by the Iranian backed Houthis in Yemen.

   US jets on the USS Dwight D Eisenhower have also been involved in destroying Houthi drones from the air, while the carrier strike group’s Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers have been successfully intercepting drones and missiles on a regular bases over the past four months.

   In other words, both Israel and the US already knew they had the military capabilities to successfully intercept Iranian weapons.

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