On the night of Sunday, April 14, Tehran carried out a massive air attack on Israeli territory in retaliation for the missile attack on the Iranian consulate in Syrian Damascus on April 1. More than 300 attack drones and more than 150 cruise and ballistic missiles were launched in three waves from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
An air raid alert was declared throughout Israel.. For several hours, residents of Tel Aviv and other cities heard the loud wail of sirens and the roar of air defense systems, and also observed the arrival of meteorite-like rockets in the night sky.
By 3:00 a.m. the air attack had ceased, and the Iranian army's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared it had “successfully engaged and destroyed” important military targets in Israeli “occupied” territories.
“The damage is minor”
The Iranian attack was mainly aimed at an air force base in the Negev desert and the Golan Heights, which are technically considered Syrian territory occupied by Israel in 1967. Videos have appeared online of powerful Iranian missiles falling and exploding in vacant lots without hitting anything.. This gave experts a reason to call Iran’s air attack a “negotiation” and a farce.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the “vast majority” of the missiles were intercepted.. According to him, the military base in the Negev suffered “minor damage”. The only person injured in the attacks was a 10-year-old Bedouin girl in the Arad area, who was hospitalized with a shrapnel wound to the head.
Experts point out that this is not the first time that Iran has carried out a “sham” retaliation strike without any results other than informational ones.. Thus, five days after the Americans eliminated the legendary General Qasem Soleimani on January 3, 2020, Iran responded with a missile attack on the American Ain al-Assad airbase in Iraq. It later turned out that none of the US military personnel died because the Iranians warned them in advance.
Iran's position: “the issue is settled”
For two weeks, Tehran has threatened to take severe revenge for the “slap in the face” it received from Tel Aviv.. At least 13 people were killed in the Iranian consulate in Syria, which was hit by an Israeli air force missile attack on April 1, including the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani called the attack a “gross violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations” and promised to make a decision on how to punish the aggressor.
Today, Iran's UN mission announced that the retaliatory attack on Israel can be considered completed.. Tehran warned that if Israel responds, the next blow against it will be more severe.
“ We hit the Zionist regime in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter (attack in self-defense) after the attack in Damascus. The issue is settled, but the Israeli regime may make another mistake, and then Iran's reaction will be much harsher. This is a conflict between Iran and the rebellious Israeli regime, the US must remain aloof,” Iran’s UN mission said in a statement.
“The ball is on the American side of the field”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said: “Israel's response to Iran's attack will be firm and clear.”
However, the 11 million-strong Israel has been unable to cope with the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip for six months and is unlikely to be able to fight the 87-million-strong Iran and its satellites without the full-scale support of the United States. Meanwhile, the United States is clearly determined to shift the conflict from a military to a diplomatic one.
Commenting on the Iranian attack, US President Joe Biden praised American troops for their effectiveness: “We helped Israel shoot down almost all the incoming drones and missiles,” the American leader noted.
Joe Biden has vowed to meet with other G7 leaders to mount a “joint diplomatic response” to Iran's brazen attack.
U.S. aid, desperately needed by Israel for its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, has been stalled by Democrats' efforts to pass it through Congress along with funding for Ukraine, Taiwan and the Palestinians.. The corresponding bill, including $60 billion for Kyiv, $14 billion for Tel Aviv and $9 billion in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, was approved by the US Senate in February 2024 (the Democrats have a majority). However, the House of Representatives (the Republican majority) has so far delayed its adoption.
During this time, Republicans twice tried to provide military aid to Israel in a separate package, but both times Democrats did not allow them to “throw out” Ukraine and Taiwan from the bill.. Today, House Republican Leader Steve Scalise assured that in the coming days, Congress will “consider legislation to help our ally Israel and hold Iran and its terrorist supporters accountable.”
He and other lawmakers have not yet commented on whether the bill would include Ukraine.. This could mean that bargaining between Democrats and Republicans is still underway.