Israel and its coalition partners in the Middle East successfully defended against an unprecedented Iranian attack featuring hundreds of drones and missiles soaring into Israeli airspace.
The Israel Defense Forces said early Sunday morning Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles, with over 99 percent of them getting intercepted. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari called the defense “a very significant strategic success” as only a small fraction of them reached Israel itself.
A seven-year-old girl suffered severe injuries from shrapnel that fell directly onto her home. She was rushed to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery for a head wound. An estimated 31 people in total were treated for stress and minor injuries.
The U.S., U.K, France, and Jordan came together with Israel to intercept the onslaught of Iranian drones, according to multiple reports. Explosions could be seen over Jerusalem and other parts of the Jewish state as Israel and its allies defended the Jewish state. Most notably, Israel intercepted Iranian missiles headed towards the temple mount, a holy site for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
President Joe Biden said in a statement on Saturday the U.S. military helped Israel take down “nearly all of” the drones and missiles launched by Iran.
“At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” Biden said. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.”
Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, Biden was being briefed on the situation by top U.S. national security brass. Biden promised G-7 nations would meet tomorrow to devise a diplomatic response and engage with counterparts in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded defiantly, saying his country is “strong” and prepared to defend itself from any threat.
“Our defense systems are deployed, and we are prepared for any scenario, both in defense and offense. The State of Israel is strong, the IDF is strong, the public is strong,” Netanyahu said.
“We appreciate the US for standing by Israel’s side as well as the support of the UK, France and many other countries,” he continued.
“I established a clear principle — whoever hurts us, we will hurt them. We will defend ourselves from any threat and we will do so calmly and with determination.”
Upon the attack, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei launched a tirade against Israel on Saturday and blamed the Jewish state for the recent attack on an Iranian compound in Damascus, Syria.
“The malicious regime has made a wrong move in this case. It should be punished and it will be punished,” he said of Israel.
Iran typically targets Israel through its network of well-resourced regional proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel continues to fights its war against Hamas sparked by the terrorist group’s mass civilian slaughter and rape on October 7.
Hamas rejected another temporary cease-fire proposal after negotiations began in Cairo, Egypt last weekend between U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian officials. The cease-fire proposal would have seen Israel exchange hundreds of Gazan prisoners for dozens of the hostages held in captivity by Hamas.