Iran has begun an air attack on Israel, launching a variety of munitions against the Jewish State. The Iranian Ayatollah claimed the attack was in response to Israel bombing its embassy in Syria, killing the local Quds Force leader.
Iran has launched a series of suicide drones, commonly used in the Ukraine war. It has also launched ballistic missiles, though likely nothing from aircrafts as Israel air defenses are particularly strong. The Associated Press says:
Booms and air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem early Sunday after Iran launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles toward Israel in an unprecedented revenge mission that pushed the Middle East ever closer to a regionwide war.
The attack marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Condemnation was swift, with France saying that “Iran has crossed a new threshold with regard to its destabilizing activities and is risking a potential military escalation.” Britain called the attacks “reckless.”
The targets selected by Iran are not known as of yet. If Iran wants to maintain a proportional response, it will likely strike IDF installations. However, it could also justify striking civilians as retaliation for Gaza, though this would escalate the war and disrupt its credibility with third-party nations. The Hill says:
Iran’s counter-strikes are likely to raise tensions in the Middle East, which has been volatile since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Iran is the primary backer of Hamas, which invaded Israel on Oct. 7 and killed some 1,200 people, while taking another roughly 240 captive.
That war is still raging in Gaza, and it has led to clashes across the Middle East between Iranian proxies and Israel and U.S. forces. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are still targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and fighting with the U.S. Navy.
The US has reportedly been bringing down Iranian munitions, and the Iron dome will likely take down some of the others. However, Israel will likely still suffer casualties. Iran has declared that it considers the matter closed, but Israel could still decide to retaliate in turn against targets in Iran itself.
READ NEXT: Conservative Leader Persecuted by Senate
