In a bold, perilous ratcheting up of Middle East tensions, Iran carried out a massive air raid on Israel with over 300 drones and missiles. Never before had there been such a dramatic escalation in hostilities between the two countries.
The attack was staged by Iran and enabled its proxies operating from bases in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. The offensive resulted in significant engagements involving Israeli defenses and the possibility of a broader regional conflict, drawing in the United States as a key ally of Israel.
Fortunately, the scale of the attack was contained within Israel's borders, in which defensive systems-most notably the Iron Dome-neutralized most of the threats. According to a report provided by Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israeli military, almost 99% of the aerial threats had been destroyed, with no major damage to facilities like Nevatim air force base in the Negev desert.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after the attack, promised a severe response. Statements by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant gave expressions similar to Netanyahu's resolution: "The confrontation continues, and thanks to the good performance of the defense systems, the number of casualties was minimal.".
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement condemning the attacks, also via social media, referring to the actions by Iran "in the strongest possible terms." The President outlined what the U.S. military had done in support, which included positioning aircraft and missile defense systems in support of Israel. He said:
"Earlier today, Iran—and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria and Iraq—launched an unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel. I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms. 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. Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles."
President Biden sent word of America's unwavering commitment to the security of Israel in a blunt phone call to Prime Minister Netanyahu, reassuring him the U.S. would watch out and be prepared to act at the behest of its own interests and allies:
"I just spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu to reaffirm America's unwavering commitment to Israel's security. And I said then again: once more Israel had exemplified the extraordinary capacity for defense and defeating even the unprecedented attacks by conveying, in unmistakable terms to those enemies that they simply could not, would not effectively threaten the State of Israel.
Looking ahead, President Biden pledged a call with G7 leaders over the action by Iran to forge a unified response, emphasizing what it means on the global scene: "Tomorrow, I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran's brazen attack. My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will stay in close touch with Israel's leaders."
The U.S. and its allies have shown zero tolerance for aggression against Israel; therefore, this no doubt will have set a stage for quite an immense international response against further escalation by Iran.
This story outlines the precarious balance of power in the Middle East and how much worse things could get if diplomatic efforts fail to de-escalate tensions.
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