Middle East enters dangerous new phase with Iran's drone and missile attack on Israel

Israel’s cabinet is expected to meet on Sunday afternoon to discuss the country’s response.

“This campaign is not over yet and we need to remain prepared,” Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant said. “Israel withstood the attack tonight. The Israel Defense Forces blocked this attack in the most impressive way, together with our partners. The entire world saw tonight what Iran is, a country of terror.”

Missile barrage

Israel’s military said Iran launched about 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles. Only the latter penetrated Israeli airspace and in “very small numbers,” according to the IDF. The drones and cruise missiles were all intercepted before they got to Israel.

Alarms sounded in various locations in Israel, including Beer Sheva and Dimona in the south and Jerusalem, as well the Jewish settlement of Ariel in the West Bank. Residents of Jerusalem heard blasts. The IDF said it cut off navigational services in some areas to hinder incoming GPS-guided projectiles.

A U.S. defense official confirmed its forces in the region — bulked up since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7 — shot down Iranian-launched drones. U.K. and French forces were also involved.

“Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our service members, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,” Biden said.

Israel has upgraded its air defenses considerably over the past decade and a half, adding new systems for interceptions of ballistic missiles fired from 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) away. That range includes Iran, which earlier this year showcased ballistic missiles able to go as far as Israel.

Israel’s most active and well-known air defense is Iron Dome, which has intercepted thousands of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza since 2011. But Iron Dome is designed for missiles and drones with a short range, and is just one of the advanced missile-defense systems in place.

Israel also has a medium-to-long-range interceptor known as David’s Sling and the Arrow defense system.

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