JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday his country would achieve victory after the military said it shot down almost all the more than 300 drones and missiles launched by Iran in a sharp escalation of the Middle East conflict.
Tehran’s attack late on Saturday, launched after a suspected Israeli air strike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 that killed officers of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, raised the threat of a wider regional conflict.
Iran had relied on its proxies across the region to attack Israeli and US targets in a show of support for the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza war with Israel, which shows no sign of easing despite numerous mediations efforts.
"We intercepted, we repelled, together we shall win," Netanyahu posted on X.
The Israeli military said the armed forces had shot down more than 99% of the Iranian drones and missiles and were discussing follow-up options.
Israel's Channel 12 TV cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying there would be a "significant response" to the attack.
The war in Gaza, which Israel invaded after an attack by Iran-backed Hamas on Oct. 7, has ratcheted up tensions in the region, spreading to fronts with Lebanon and Syria and drawing long-range fire at Israeli targets from as far away as Yemen and Iraq.
'PUSH TOWARD ESCALATION'
Iran's most powerful ally in the region, the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah – which has been exchanging fire with Israel since the Gaza war began – said early on Sunday it had fired rockets at an Israeli base.
Drones were also reportedly launched against Israel by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has attacked shipping lanes in and around the Red Sea to show solidarity with Hamas, British maritime security company Ambrey said in a statement.
Those clashes now threaten to morph into a direct open conflict pitting Iran and its regional allies against Israel and its main supporter, the United States. Regional power Egypt urged "utmost restraint".
Israel's chief military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, called Iran's actions "very grave", telling a televised briefing they "push the region toward escalation".
Iran launched dozens of ground-to-ground missiles at Israel, including more than 10 cruise missiles, and most were intercepted outside Israeli borders, Hagari said.
The Iranian salvo caused light damage to one Israeli military facility, he said.
The Israeli military said it was not advising residents to prepare to take shelter, revising an earlier alert in an apparent signal of the end of the threat.
Also read: Iran launches retaliatory attack on Israel with hundreds of drones, missiles
Iran launched a swarm of explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday in its first ever direct attack on Israeli territory, risking a major escalation as the United States pledged "ironclad" backing for Israel.