In a significant retaliatory move, Iran launched a wide-scale attack against Israel, utilizing a barrage of missiles and drones predominantly from its territory as well as through the assistance of allied groups in neighboring countries. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that their air defense systems successfully intercepted the majority of the incoming projectiles, resulting in “very little damage.”
The only known casualty from the Iranian assault was a 7-year-old girl from a Bedouin settlement in the Negev desert, who was critically injured by shrapnel and was still in a critical condition as of Monday.
According to two U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News’ national security correspondent David Martin, Iran’s offensive was strategized to overwhelm both Israeli and U.S. air defense systems with an array of drones and cruise missiles, intending to create an opening for Iran’s ballistic missiles. The attack, which took several hours to reach Israel, triggered nationwide alerts around 2 a.m. local time on Sunday.
The IDF stated that out of the 170 drones launched from Iran, the Israeli Air Force managed to shoot down dozens, while U.S. aircraft operating from bases in Saudi Arabia and Jordan accounted for an additional 70 to 80 interceptions.
It was reported that none of the drones launched by Iran breached Israeli airspace, and the same held true for over 30 cruise missiles deployed by Iran.
Out of the 120 ballistic missiles fired from Iran, only five penetrated the combined Israeli and U.S. air defenses, impacting Israeli territory. One U.S. official indicated to CBS News that approximately half of the launched ballistic missiles either malfunctioned or crashed mid-flight.
The Nevatim Air Base, which houses Israel’s F-35 fleet, was targeted by four of the missiles, with one hitting a runway, another an unoccupied hangar, and a third striking a disused hangar. Despite the hits, the base remained operational, according to the IDF.
A ballistic missile that was likely intended for a radar facility in northern Israel missed its target, as relayed by U.S. officials to Martin.
Additional launches were detected from Yemen and Iraq, though none penetrated Israeli airspace. Concurrently, dozens of rockets were launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel, prompting Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Iran’s weekend offensive was a response to an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, which resulted in the deaths of seven officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals.
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