TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – Israel on Sunday hailed the success of its air defense in the face of an unprecedented attack by Iran, claiming that its air defenses accounted for 99% of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched toward its territory. Allies said it was stopped. However, tensions in the region remain high, with fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counterattack.
US President Joe Biden said he would convene the Group of Seven Advanced Democracies on Sunday “to coordinate a unified diplomatic response to Iran's brazen attack.” This language indicates that the Biden administration does not want an Iranian attack to escalate into a broader military conflict.
Iran launched the attack in response to a widely condemned Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria that killed two Iranian generals earlier this month. Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles early Sunday.
By Sunday morning, Iran said the attack had ended and Israel had reopened its airspace.
The two sides have been engaged in a shadow war for years, marked by incidents such as the attack on Damascus. But Sunday's attack, which set off air raid sirens across Israel, was the first time Iran has launched a direct military attack on Israel, despite decades of hostility since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Over the years, Israel has built a multi-layered air defense network that includes systems capable of intercepting a variety of threats, including long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones and short-range rockets, often with support from the United States.
At a time when Israel is already embroiled in a war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and engaged in low-level fighting in the north, this system, along with cooperation with the U.S. and other militaries, has the potential for far more devastating attacks. It helped thwart an attack. It borders the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are supported by Iran.
Israeli and US officials praised the response to the air raid.
“Iran has made over 300 threats, and 99% of them have been thwarted,” Israeli military spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said. “That's a success.” Asked if Israel would respond, Hagari said it would do what was necessary to protect its people.
Hagari said none of the drones or cruise missiles reached Israel, and only a few ballistic missiles passed. He said 25 of the cruise missiles were shot down by the Israeli Air Force.
Hagari said the Israeli air base suffered minor damage but was still operational. A 7-year-old girl was seriously injured in southern Israel, rescuers said, apparently from a missile attack, but police said the circumstances of her injuries were still being investigated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted the following short message on X (formerly Twitter): we blocked. Together, we will win. ”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also celebrated the results and thanked the United States and other countries for their support. He said Israel needed to remain vigilant and prepare for all scenarios, but called the interception a “huge success.”
Israel announced it had reopened its airspace and eased one of the restrictions it had imposed ahead of the airstrikes, but schools across the country remained closed. Neighboring Jordan has also reopened its airspace.
Iran's military chief of staff, General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, said the operation had ended, according to state news agency IRNA.
“We have no intention of continuing operations against Israel,” he said.
Israel is particularly proud of its defense successes because they contrast with the failures it endured in the October 7 Hamas attack. In the face of a far less powerful enemy, Hamas, Israel's border defenses collapsed, and the military took days to defend. Repelling the attacking militants would be an embarrassing defeat for the Middle East's strongest and best-equipped military.
While thwarting Iran's onslaught may help restore Israel's image, what Israel does next will be closely watched both in the region and in Western capitals.
Biden said in Washington that the U.S. military had helped shoot down “nearly all” of Israel's drones and missiles and promised to convene allies to develop a unified response.
Biden, who cut short a weekend stay at his Delaware beach house to meet with his national security team at the White House on Saturday afternoon, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day.
“Israel has demonstrated an incredible ability to defend against and defeat unprecedented attacks, sending a clear message to adversaries that they cannot effectively threaten Israel's security,” Biden said. ” Biden said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Sunday that the United States was “not seeking escalation” and would consult with allies in the coming days.
The United States, along with its allies, sent a direct message to the Iranian government, warning of further escalation of the conflict. G7 leaders will hold a video conference early Sunday afternoon to discuss Iran's attack on Israel, according to Italy, which chairs the group of developed countries that includes the United States, Japan, Germany, France and Britain. And Canada.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guards has issued a new threat to the United States, warning that “the terrorist U.S. government warns that any support or participation in harming Iran's interests will be met with a firm and regrettable response by the Iranian military.” “We are doing so,” IRNA reported.
Iran has vowed retaliation since the April 1 airstrike in Syria, which Tehran blamed on Israel. Israel has not officially commented on this.
Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel's six-month war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, which began with the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. That day, Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, also supported by Iran, killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others in Israel.
Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip have caused widespread devastation and killed more than 33,000 people, local health officials said.
Ongoing negotiations aimed at bringing about a ceasefire in exchange for the release of the hostages appeared to have suffered a setback on Sunday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that Hamas had rejected the latest deal presented to Hamas a week ago by his mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Hamas officials said the group wants a “clear written commitment” from Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip in the second phase of the three-phase ceasefire agreement. The agreement submitted by both sides calls for a six-week cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, during which Hamas will take 900 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons in exchange for more than 100 people it holds in the enclave. 40 of the hostages are to be released. Serious crimes carry long prison sentences.
Hamas welcomed Iran's attack, calling it a “natural right and natural response” to the attack on Syria, and called on Iranian-backed groups in the region to continue supporting Hamas in its war against Israel.
Almost immediately after the outbreak of the war, Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel's northern border. The two countries engage in daily gun battles, while Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen fire rockets and missiles at Israel.
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Associated Press writers Amir Vahadat in Tehran, Iran, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan, and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.