On October 7th, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than a thousand Israelis and taking some 300 civilians hostage. Hamas did this due to the fact that for many years they have wanted revenge for what they think is “past Israeli attacks and the constant Israeli occupation of the West Bank, arrest of Hamas leaders, isolation, and bombing of Gaza,” as stated on CSIS. Their goal was to kill and take Israelis hostage and create an Islamic state instead of Israel.
Up until now, Hamas was the only group attacking Israel, except for an October 8 attack by Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, who fired rockets and artillery on Shebaa Farms. However, on Saturday, April 13, 2024, Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones into Israel, according to The Times of Israel. Israel blocked 99% of them, letting only three missiles reach it. The defense weapons used to combat the drones and missiles were the Iron Dome and Arrow 3. The few that hit Israel landed on Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel. The base suffered slight damage and is fully functional now.
It might seem as though this attack was unexpected, but it “had been anticipated for days,” as revealed in The New York Times. These attacks are in response to the deaths of two Iranian commanders from its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who were killed on April 1 by a rumored air strike by Israel, as stated by Aljazeera. Israel is denying all accusations that it is responsible for killing seven people, including two Iranians; however, Iran in disbelief promised to respond to this attack, hence the missiles. The commanders killed were “a senior commander in the elite Quds Force of the IRGC, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and his deputy General Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi.”
Moreover, “the regional rivals have, for decades, targeted each other’s interests,” the NYT reports. Israel and Iran have engaged in a covert conflict throughout the Middle East, exchanging strikes through various means such as land, sea, air, and cyberspace. Iran primarily employs overseas proxies to target Israeli interests, whereas Israel has focused on killing Iranian military figures and nuclear scientists as a central aspect of its strategy.
While Iran is allied with Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, Israel also has multiple countries aiding it. “‘Britain…said its planes had shot down drones. In addition, Jordan…said that its military shot down aircraft and missiles that entered its airspace. France’s foreign minister said…that the country had taken part in ‘interception missions,’’’ according to the NYT.
The attack contentedly caused no deaths, although it did result in twelve people being hospitalized at the Soroka Medical Center overnight. The incident, while unsettling, showcased the effectiveness of emergency response teams and medical professionals who swiftly attended to those in need.
In response to the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a social media post on Instagram, “We intercepted. We blocked. Together we will win.” Additionally, he refers to attacking Iran in another post stating, “We are ready to defend and attack.” However, U.S. President Joe Biden said that “the U.S. won’t support any Israeli counterattack against Iran,” an article on Axios reports. Biden advised Israel not to attack Iran because, he says, the interception of most of the missiles is a victory on its own.
Iran will likely not attack again unless Israel or the United States strikes back, as stated in an article in The Guardian. If Iran were to attack once more, then its ‘“response will be much larger than [last Saturday’s] military action’ the Iranian armed forces’ chief of staff, Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, told state TV,”’ The Guardian reported.
