The unprecedented wave of strikes launched from Iran towards Israel appears to have subsided, two US officials said. The attacks lasted approximately five hours and plunged the already tinder box Middle East into uncharted territory.
Iran said the overnight attacks were retaliation for a deadly Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month.
The Biden administration says almost all of the drones and missiles – including more than 100 ballistic missiles – launched at Israel by Iran have been knocked out of the sky.
US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that his country should consider tonight a win because the current US assessment is that Iran’s attacks had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel’s superior military capability, a senior administration official told CNN.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has asked his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, to notify the US ahead of any potential response to the Iranian attack, according to a US official. The Israeli security cabinet has authorized the three-man war cabinet to decide on Israel’s response.
Here's what we know so far:
- No direct casualties: There have been no reports of injuries suffered directly through Iranian strikes, according to Israel’s emergency service. However, However, a 7-year-old girl was severely injured by shrapnel from an interceptor missile while 31 people were treated for minor injuries or panic attacks.
- G7 leaders to meet: Biden will meet with G7 leaders Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” according to a statement released by the White House. The leaders of Canada and Portugal condemned Iran's attack, while the prime minister of Spain expressed his “utmost concern."
- No US offensive involvement: The US will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran, Biden has made clear to Netanyahu, a senior administration official told CNN.
- How it started: Earlier this month, an airstrike destroyed Iran's consulate building in Damascus, Syria, and killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials — including top commanders, according to Iranian officials and state-affiliated media. The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria accused Israel of authoring the attack. Iran vowed to retaliate.
- More on Iran's position: Iran’s regional allies say they entered confrontations with Israel on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, Since the outbreak of war in Gaza, Iran’s proxies have launched attacks on Israel and its allies, while demanding a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.
- What this means: The beginning of a state-on-state conflict between Iran and Israel marks a serious escalation in the region – a scenario that the US has hoped to avoid since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.