April 14, 2024 - Iran's attack on Israel

The Israeli military said Sunday that “99%” of the more than 300 projectiles fired at Israel by Iran were intercepted.

Only “a small number” of ballistic missiles reached the country's territory, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.

Around 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles were launched at Israel by Iran, he said, the vast majority intercepted by the Israeli Air Force and Israeli “partners.”

The ballistic missiles that did reach Israel fell on the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, Hagari said, adding that they caused only light structural damage. The base was functioning and continuing its operations following the attack, with planes continuing to use the base, he added.

Remember: 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 forces were also involved in defending Israel, intercepting more than 70 one-way attack drones and at least three ballistic missiles, according to two US officials familiar with the situation.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made his first public statement after Iran's attack, vowing to the country's people that "together we shall win."

Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, Netanyahu said: “We have intercepted, we have contained. Together we shall win.”

Iran has warned that it will respond with more force if Israel retaliates over this weekend's strikes, which Tehran said were themselves a reply to an Israeli attack earlier this month on its embassy complex in Syria's capital Damascus.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defense when required," Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, said in a statement.

Citing self-defense against repeated Israeli military aggressions, Iravani said the strikes were specifically in retaliation to an Israeli attack on April 1 against what Iran says were diplomatic facilities in Damascus.

Iran claims the attack violated international law and led to the death of seven Iranian military advisors, including key commanders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The statement also criticizes the United Nations Security Council for “failing to uphold international peace,” allowing Israel to “breach” established international norms and “escalate” regional tensions.

Additional context: Israel has carried out numerous strikes on Iran-backed targets in Syria, often targeting weapons shipments allegedly intended for Hezbollah, a powerful Iranian proxy in Lebanon. 

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the April 1 attack which destroyed an Iranian consulate building in the capital Damascus, including Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top Revolutionary Guards commander.

However an Israel Defense Forces spokesman told CNN that their intelligence showed the building was not a consulate and was instead “a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building.”

US President Joe 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. 

US defensive assets moved to the region earlier this week and “helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,” according to the statement.

Biden also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu following Saturday’s attack “to reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.” 

I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks – sending a clear message to its foes that they cannot effectively threaten the security of Israel,” the president wrote.

US forces intercepted more than 70 one-way attack drones and at least three ballistic missiles during Iran's attack on Israel, according to two US officials familiar with the situation.

The ballistic missiles were intercepted by warships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, one of the officials said. Iran launched more than 100 ballistic missiles in total at Israel, according to a senior administration official.

US fighter jets were also part of the response to Iran’s attack on Saturday and shot down drones launched towards Israel, another US official told CNN.

Defense experts have been speaking to CNN about whether and how Israel might respond to this weekend's strikes by Iran.

Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador the United States, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that “the rules have to be changed” following Saturday night's attack. 

Eyal Hulata, a former Israeli national security adviser, said military retaliation is not the only response available, adding further international sanctions against Iran could be possible.

Some context: Iran has been under a host of international sanctions for years which have battered the country's economy. But they have had limited impact on changing the government's approach to Israel and the wider Middle East.

The US announced new sanctions on Iran in February -- targeting a range of malicious Iranian initiatives, including their cyberwarfare and drone programs.

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:

The US will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran, US President Joe Biden has made clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior administration official told CNN.

The comments were relayed during the phone call that the two leaders shared in the aftermath of Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel.

Israel 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, President Joe Biden told Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their phone call, a senior administration official told CNN.