The unprecedented Iranian attack on Israel using hundreds of drones and missiles on Saturday night marked the peak of two weeks of tension during which Washington made significant efforts to prevent the situation in the region from deteriorating. The United States, supported by European destroyers, succeeded in destroying "more than 80" drones and "at least six ballistic missiles intended for striking Israel from Iran and Yemen," according to a statement made by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday.
In this regard, two U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News on Monday that at least half of the ballistic missiles fired by Iran at Israel either did not launch or fell after flying or before reaching their targets in Israel. A senior U.S. official told the news network that more than 300 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles targeted Israel, of which between 115 and 135 were ballistic missiles.
This means that Israel and other countries only needed to intercept half of the ballistic missiles launched by Iran the previous night. U.S. Central Command announced that it destroyed more than 80 drones and six ballistic missiles aimed at striking Israel from Iran and Yemen. It added in a statement released on the platform X that its forces destroyed a ballistic missile and seven drones in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen before they were launched.
The statement emphasized that "Iran’s continued unprecedented, malicious, and reckless behavior poses a threat to regional stability and the safety of U.S. and coalition forces." CENTCOM confirmed that it would continue to work with regional partners to enhance the security of the area.
Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel last night using dozens of drones and cruise missiles, following the killing of a senior commander of the Revolutionary Guards in an attack believed to be Israeli that targeted the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus last week, escalating tensions in the troubled Middle East. According to a U.S. military official, about 100 medium-range ballistic missiles, more than 30 cruise missiles, and at least 150 attack drones targeted Israel from Iran.
The Israeli army, for its part, counted more than 350 projectiles and stated that 99% of them were destroyed. Two U.S. ships in the region, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Carney, intercepted and destroyed six missiles before aircraft intervened and destroyed more than 70 Iranian drones.
A Patriot missile battery intercepted a cruise missile not far from Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. President Joe Biden monitored the events live from the famous "Situation Room" in the White House on Saturday night. When asked about potential Israeli responses to the attack Iran carried out over the weekend, a U.S. official stated, "We will not participate in any potential actions on their part, nor do we see ourselves as being engaged in it." The official added that Israel "was clear with us that it does not want to escalate with Iran," continuing, "The big question is not just whether Israel intends to act, but also what it will choose to do."
