On the night of Saturday to Sunday, the Islamic Republic of Iran launched Operation “True Promise” as a “punishment of Israel for its crimes,” according to Iranian state television. This marked the first time that the Islamic Republic had directly attacked Israel. The attack was in response to an alleged Israeli airstrike on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, which had been warned about by the Americans. Over 200 Iranian drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles were identified by the Israeli army, with most being intercepted. Drones from Yemen and Iraq were also shot down.
The Israeli army reported that some Iranian missiles caused minor damage to a military base and injured a ten-year-old girl. While there were missile alarms and deployments of the Iron Dome missile defense system, the army is prepared to intercept drones and missiles before they reach Israeli territory. Residents in certain areas were asked to stay near air raid shelters as tensions heightened.
It is unclear whether this was a single wave of attacks or if more will follow. Speculation had been circulating about Iran’s response to an alleged Israeli attack on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, which had been warned about by the Americans. The possibility of further attacks by Iran’s allies remains, with Hezbollah firing rockets into the Golan Heights. The situation has put the Middle East on the brink of a major war, with heightened alert levels for American, British, and other regional forces.
