Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran that it had “made a grave mistake” by launching more than 180 missiles at Israel, while Joe Biden he took credit for helping Israel defend itself and thwarting the attack. Despite the tensions the two leaders have endured in recent months, they also stressed their determination to confront threats launched by Iran and reaffirmed their cooperation at a time of great tension in the Middle East.
The Israeli prime minister spoke for the first time around dawn, at the start of an emergency government meeting. In a video posted on social networks, he expressed that “the regime of Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and fight back against our enemies. Netanyahu stressed that the Iranian attack was a failure, as most of the missiles were intercepted by Iron Dome, Israel’s air defense system, and no deaths were reported.
“Whoever attacks us, we will attack”he declared. Furthermore, he warned that “they will pay for this” and, according to Efealso referred to ongoing military operations in Gaza and southern Lebanon, areas where Israeli soldiers are fighting the Hezbollah militia, supported by the Iranian regime.
For its part, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed that 90% of their missiles had hit their military targets in Israel, a statement that Netanyahu rejected, saying that the attack had been “upset”.
American support
In Washington, the president Joe Biden took advantage of salute the role of American forces in the defense of Israel. “Under my leadership, U.S. naval forces in the Eastern Mediterranean have helped Israel shoot down waves of missiles,” Biden said.
According to the New York Timesthe American president stressed that common defense was the result of “careful planning” between the two allies and reaffirmed his country’s “total and absolute” commitment to Israel’s security.
Biden’s statements come at a time when relations between the United States and Israel are marked by tensions, particularly due to American concerns over recent Israeli military actions in Gaza. However, according to the *New York Times*, the collaboration in this latest attack reflects a change in tone in the bilateral relationship, in an effort to show unity in the face of the Iranian threat.
Biden also warned that Iran is not only a threat to Israel, but also to American interests and personnel in the region. In the same spirit, the vice-president Kamala Harris He stressed that the United States would not hesitate to take necessary measures to protect its forces in the Middle East.
The US military response included deployment of two destroyersthe USS Bulkeley and the USS Cole, which launched a dozen interceptors to neutralize Iranian missiles, as confirmed by Pentagon spokesperson Patrick S. Ryder. Although it was not specified how many missiles were intercepted by each destroyer, sources cited by the New York Times They reported that several projectiles were destroyed before reaching Israeli territory.
Israel has a firm goal of ending Hezbollah and Hamas in the region, and to that end it has been launching methodical attacks for nearly two weeks to allow the leaderless organizations to reduce their capacity to respond. Likewise, it attacked positions in Syria and against the Houthis in Yemen.
After the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah last week in an attack in Beirut and the start of the ground invasion of southern Lebanon on Monday, Iran responded by launching nearly 180 missiles into Israeli territory .
Even if it did not have much impact on the territory, this morning the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khameneithreatened Israel by stating that “the blows from the insurgent front will be stronger and more painful on the worn and rotten body of the Zionist regime.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued to bomb targets south of Beirut and north of Gaza, where Hezbollah and Hamas warehouses and command centers are believed to be located, respectively.
