The Iranian military attack on Israel was repelled with the help of its allies. In the United States, the attack could become a catalyst for military aid.
Joe Biden and his national security team will discuss the situation in the Middle East at the White House on Saturday night (US time). Photo: Adam Schultz/White House via ap
WASHINGTON taz | Iran followed up its threats with actions this weekend. In a coordinated military attack, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel. Iran's IRNA news agency confirmed this late on Saturday, citing a statement from the Revolutionary Guard. During the night explosions and air raid sirens were heard in Israel due to the attack.
According to the Israeli military, the sophisticated air defense systems of Israel and allied states repelled 99 percent of the projectiles fired.
According to official information, the US military managed to shoot down several Iranian drones. At the same time, US President Joe Biden ended early his planned weekend trip to his beach house on the Atlantic coast to discuss the situation in the Middle East with Cabinet members and other government advisers.
“The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support them in their defense against these threats from Iran,” National Security Council press secretary Adrienne Watson said in a statement Saturday. The president's team is in constant communication with Israeli partners and other allies, she said. Later that night, Biden had a long phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Iran – and its proxies operating from Yemen, Syria and Iraq – launched an unprecedented airstrike against military facilities in Israel. “I condemn these attacks in the strongest terms,” Biden said.
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Attack as a catalyst for US military aid
However, his predecessor and presidential opponent, former President Donald Trump, stated this in a publication on his own social network. Social Truththat such an attack on Israel would not have occurred under his leadership. “Israel is under attack. This should never have happened; “This would never have happened if I were president!”
The leader of the Republican faction in the US Senate, Mitch McConnell, sees the Iranian attack on Israel as a possible catalyst for the security package prepared by the Biden administration, which has been stalled in the US Congress for months. “Congress must do its part,” the Kentucky senator said in a press release. In addition to military resources for Israel, the package also includes urgently needed services for Ukraine and US allies in Asia.
Republican Representative Steve Scalise said the US House of Representatives plans to put a bill supporting Israel on the agenda next week. “The House of Representatives stands with Israel and there must be consequences for this baseless attack,” said the Louisiana representative.
First direct military attack against Israel
According to the first information from Israel, the attack, which lasted several hours, was practically thwarted. According to an Israeli military spokesman, most of the drones and missiles have already been intercepted outside Israeli airspace. Only a “handful” of rockets hit Israel, Daniel Hagari said. Unfortunately, a ten-year-old girl was seriously injured.
It was the first time Iran had launched a direct military attack against Israel, even though the two countries have been on a collision course for decades. The Hamas attack on October 7, which killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, and the subsequent war in Gaza, which has so far claimed more than 33,000 lives, have only reinforced this situation.
When two Iranian generals were killed in an airstrike on an Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1, the regime in Tehran announced retaliation. Iran blames Israel for the attack. Tel Aviv has not yet commented on the matter.
The danger that the Gaza war could escalate into a larger regional conflict existed from the beginning. It remains to be seen whether the feared escalation after Iran's attack will occur. President Biden wants to discuss a possible response with the heads of state of the G7 countries on Sunday.