In a dangerous escalation of hostilities, Israel Strikes Iran After Drone Attack on a site in Iran early Friday morning. This came just days after Iran carried out a massive coordinated drone and missile attack against Israel, which Israel claims was retaliation for an alleged airstrike on an Iranian embassy in Syria.
The Back-and-Forth Attacks
The latest round of strikes began last Saturday when Iran launched over 300 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles at targets across Israel and territories controlled by its allies. The Iranian assault was reportedly in response to an alleged Israeli airstrike that killed several Revolutionary Guard officers, including two generals, at Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus, Syria earlier in the month.
Israel Strikes Iran After Drone Attack
While Israel strikes Iran after drone attack systems were able to intercept nearly all of the Iranian projectiles, the barrage amounted to an unprecedented attack drawing condemnation from the United States and others. Israel had promised a firm response.
That response came in the early hours of Friday as Israeli missiles struck a site in the Iranian city of Isfahan, with an explosion heard near the local airport according to Iranian media reports. Few details about the strike’s precise target or extent of damage have emerged so far.
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Potential for Wider Conflict
The tit-for-tat strikes between the two bitter regional rivals have stoked fears that the clash could escalate into a wider regional conflict drawing in allies on both sides. Already, commercial airline traffic was diverting over western Iran in the aftermath of the latest Israeli strike.
Both the U.S. and Israel have vowed unwavering support for each other in the face of Iranian aggression. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged earlier this week to ramp up diplomatic efforts to counter Iran.
For its part, Iran has called on the U.N. Security Council to intervene and compel Israel to cease its “military actions targeting Iranian interests.” Tehran insists its attack on Israel was a lawful act of self-defence under the U.N. charter in response to the alleged Israeli strike on its diplomatic mission in Syria.
