Friday 03 / May / 2024
Iran has launched more than 200 drones and missiles at Israel, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.
He said the attack was ongoing but that many of the incoming threats had been intercepted.
Most of the missiles were intercepted by the long-range Arrow air defense system, he said, and most of these were downed outside Israeli airspace.
Some of the missiles struck Israel, wounding a girl and causing light damage to a military installation.
Iran threatens additional 'measures' to protect its interests 'if necessary'
Iran said it would take additional "defensive measures" to protect its interests against any military aggression, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
"Iran, if necessary, will not hesitate to take further defensive measures to safeguard its legitimate interests against any military aggressions and unlawful use of force," it said, according to state TV, "while reaffirming its commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law."
In a separate statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) told the United States to stay out of the Middle East conflict.
"Any support and involvement in harming Iran's interests" would result in a "decisive response by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the IRGC said in a statement on state television.
The statement said "important military targets" in Israel were successfully attacked and destroyed.
Israel has not yet commented on casualties or damage done by the attacks.
Israel well equipped for Iran's long-range drones, but 'every system is breachable'
Marina Miron, a researcher at the War Studies Department at King's College London, told DW that it was likely Iran used Mohajer 10 drones for its attack.
Miron said these were "the only drones that Iran could use, at least from what we know Iran has in its arsenal, which would have the necessary equipment and the reach to reach Israel."
"These are long-range drones which can fly up to 24 hours," Miron said, but not at very high speeds. The Mohajer 10 is only capable of speeds of just over 200 kilometers or 120 miles per hour.
"It seems to be that these drones have been spotted very early on, they are fairly slow," Miron said. "So the IDF is aware of the fact that they are coming. ... It's not an unexpected move."
Miron said it was "absolutely" possible for Israel to intercept Mohajer 10's, but that the questions would ultimately be how many were launched, what else Iran might fire, and whether Tehran's proxies would try to saturate Israel's air defenses.
Israel has well-developed missile interception systems, often referred to as its "Iron Dome," but Miron warned that no systems could guarantee total coverage.
"It is breachable and we have seen it after the October 7 attacks," she said. "Every air defense system is to a certain extent breachable."
From a military perspective, Miron said, it was "surprising that Iran, knowing the potential consequences, has actually gone for an attack from its own soil."
Had its goals been to maximize damage in Israel — and to shield itself from potential ramifications — using its proxies might have made more sense, Miron said.
"They can act much faster. And they would rob Israel, and the United States, of the possibility to launch a counterattack on Iranian soil," she said.
