Iran’s leaders claim the attack against Israel was a victory
The Iranian attack on Damascus on Saturday and its implications for the U.S., the Middle East, and the House of Representatives
And Jeffrey Lewis, a member of the International Security Advisory Board at the U.S. State Department, said in a post on X that Iran was using land-attack cruise missiles that could carry around a ton of explosives.
The weapons Iran used on Saturday can travel much farther, and some of them can travel much faster. Israel said that the missiles and drones fired by Iran were all shot down, many with help from U.S. forces.
Israeli military officials say 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles and 112 surface to surface missiles were fired toward Israel on Saturday. The officials said most of the launches came from Iran, but a small amount came from Iraq and Yemen.
According to his post, different versions of that missile have also been provided to the Houthis in Yemen and to the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces.
During the days after the Iran strike on Damascus Israel warned Iran that an attack could lead to a reprisal on Iranian soil. That in turn prompted Iranian officials to warn that any strike by Israel would be met with an “even greater” and more resolute Iranian response.
Governments in the Middle East, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, also issued statements expressing concern and calling for restraint so as not to exacerbate tensions in the region.
On Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he condemned Iran’s attack and was “deeply alarmed about the very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation.”
G7 leaders said in a statement that they were in solidarity with Israel and that Iran had destabilizing effects on the region. The United States, Canada, Italy, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and the European Union comprise the G7.
Steve Scalise, the House Majority Leader, said that Republicans aim to include language that holds Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable.
In Congress, House Republicans are making changes to their legislative schedule for this week to consider a yet-to-be-revealed proposal that would further support Israel.
U.S. Embedding in the Israel-Hamas War: Israeli Air Defense Plans for the September 9th Eruption in Gaza
According to a U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Biden told Netanyahu that the U.S. remains fully committed to defending Israel, but will not take part in offensive operations against Iran. Biden doesn’t want the Israel-Hamas war to get into a larger regional war, since it erupted in Gaza last October.
According to the story on Iran’s English-language Press TV news site, “all hypersonic missiles in Iran’s strikes against Israel hit targets.” That claim could not immediately be confirmed.
Iran was fairly specific about what it was trying to accomplish with its attack. The head of Iran’s air force, Brig. The intention was to hit the air base and intelligence center in the northwest. But preliminary reports said the base remains operational, and there are no reports of significant damage to the intelligence center.
There will be no more attacks against Israel according to a senior Iranian military official.
In the days leading up to the attack, the U.S. and Israel closely coordinated their air defense preparations. Still, a U.S. official described the Iranian barrage as being at the “high end” of what the U.S. and Israel expected.
Israel’s most advanced air defense system, the Arrow 3, provided the main protection against Iran’s ballistic missiles. The Arrow 3 has been around for several years, but had never faced such an intense onslaught.
Israel’s response to the weekend Israeli aerial attack on Israel prompted criticism of Israel by its enemies and its proximitous allies
A 7-year old Bedouin girl underwent surgery for a head wound after she was injured in the attack, the Times of Israel and Haaretz reported. Hagari confirmed that the reports were true.
Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said the country notified the U.S. ahead of the attack through Swiss intermediaries, informing that the strike will not target American personnel or bases in the region. U.S. officials said that no notification was given before the attack on where weapons would be targeting.
The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli military said that Hezbollah was to blame for about 40 rockets targeted at Israel over the weekend.
The Hezbollah group in Lebanon was accused of carrying out an attack on Israel, but it was not used to support the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
At the meeting, Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan called for the U.N. to “impose all possible sanctions on Iran before it’s too late.” He stated that Israel had the right to retaliate after this attack crossed every red line.
As Israel’s leaders continued on Monday to mull a possible response to the massive Iranian aerial attack over the weekend, they faced several choices, all of which carry their own risks.
Other Israelis are urging restraint and so calledstrategic patience, which is wary of taking the nation’s focus away from war with Hamas in Gaza, the efforts to release its scores of hostages there, as well as its skirmishes with Hezbollah along its northern border.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Attack on Israel and the Security of the Negev Desert in the Light of Israel’s Predictions for the Middle East
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For the way Washington goes about supporting its closest Middle East ally, and for Israel’s approach to maintaining its security, it is likely to be the subject of a lot of planning over the coming weeks and months.
The attack has also raised questions both in and outside Israel about what recent events mean in terms of Israel’s ability to deter attacks against it.
Iranian officials praised the attack the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched against Israel. The widespread response comes despite Israel saying 99% of Iran’s missiles and drones were intercepted.
Praise for the Iranian attack also spread beyond Iran itself. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, and some Russian news sites quoted officials who were quick to applaud the attack too.
Israeli media reported that the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel’s Negev Desert had been struck but no significant damage had been caused. In Israel, any damage from the attack so far is not known.
The Iranian Regime Has No Right To Retaliate, And Is It Necessary That Israel Can’t Defend It
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Sima Shine worked for the Israeli intelligence. She now runs the Iran desk at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. She says this attack on Iran is against the country’s interests.
“Iran never before did anything similar to that. I think it’s not only that it’s unprecedented. The Iranians decided to carry on even though they were told not to, and that’s also taking into account.
An Israeli military spokesperson said on Sunday that leaders had “approved operational plans for both offensive and defensive action,” without going into further detail.
Shine sees two options for an Israeli response, one that looks possible, and one that she thinks would be more wise. Israel could de-escalate or delay its response given that there wasn’t major damage to any of the missiles.
It’s not possible while we’re in Gaza and fighting on the north. We could choose the better timing. But from what I hear – and I say it’s only, you know, open sources – it looks as if there is a feeling in the army, in the security establishment, that Israel cannot afford itself not to retaliate.”
Shine believes the Iranian regime doesn’t want a war, and she hopes this doesn’t deteriorate into a full scale war because of how it will impact the region. I believe the Iranian regime knows that its economic situation is not good and a large percentage of the population does not like it. She said they don’t want the war.
