In retaliation for the bombing of the embassy in Damascus, Iran retaliated against Israel on the night of April 13, firing a total of 185 drones, 36 hypersonic missiles and 110 surface-to-surface missiles. Most of these missiles and drones were launched from Iranian soil, but some were launched from Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.
Because Iran had warned Israel before the attack and had reported to the United States that the attack was a "limited strike," the United States, Israel, and Jordan had long been prepared to intercept and destroy most of their missiles and drones, but still a small number of them hit their targets. On the Israeli side, there were no casualties, except for a schoolgirl who was injured by missile wreckage.
Andrei Chuprikin, a senior lecturer at the Higher School of Economics in Russia, said: "It seems to me that this is more of a political event than a military one. If someone wants to attack someone and wants to cause serious harm to that person, then he will not give him prior warning. Iran announced their attack very cautiously and persistently, even warning a minute before the attack. He said that Iran's attack on Israel was forced so that Tehran could maintain its authority after Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate.
Chuprykin believes that the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East will largely depend on what kind of response Israel chooses. Despite the fact that the United States "has repeatedly stated that it will not participate," the risk of an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities remains.
The United States and Israel were slapped in the face
On the mornings of April 13 and 14, U.S. Central Command forces, supported by U.S. European Command destroyers, successfully destroyed more than 80 one-way attack drones (OWA UAVs) and at least six ballistic missiles striking Israel from Iran and Yemen, including one ballistic missile on its launch vehicle, and seven drones in Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen before launch, according to a statement.
Israel also said that it had intercepted 99 percent of Iran's drones and missiles, and that only one military target had been slightly damaged.
But the United States and Israel were quickly slapped in the face. A dramatic video footage shows that after the four hypersonic missiles launched from Iran entered the airspace over Israel, neither the Israeli "Iron Dome" system nor the US "Patriot" system could intercept them.
This shows that the interception systems developed by the United States and Israel cannot intercept hypersonic missiles, let alone Russian and Chinese hypersonic missiles.
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Hypocritical "moral example" and "Our Lady's example"
On April 14, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan held a seven-nation video conference to discuss how to respond to Iran's retaliation against Israel, and the result was naturally "a chorus of condemnation of Iran and preparations for measures against Tehran." ”
On April 15, the UN Security Council also held an emergency meeting to discuss the Iran-Israel conflict.
The representative of Iran stated that the Iranian army had launched attacks on Israeli military targets within the framework of the "right of self-defence". At the same time, Israel was warned that "if Israel retaliates for an overnight drone and missile attack in Tehran, it will launch a larger attack on its territory." Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi also said in a statement on Sunday that "if the Zionist regime (Israel) or its supporters show reckless behavior, they will receive a decisive and stronger response." ”
For his part, Israel's representative demanded that the UN Security Council impose "all possible sanctions" against Iran.
NATO, the European Union, South American countries, and even UN Secretary-General António Guterres all condemned Iran together, saying that "the attack has led to the escalation of the situation in the Middle East and posed a threat to regional peace." They are really a group of "moral examples" and "examples of Our Lady", and Israel bombed Iran's embassy for no reason, why don't you condemn Israel? Why don't you say that Israel poses a threat to peace in the Middle East?
"What we are seeing today in the Security Council is a manifestation of hypocrisy and double standards, which is almost shameful," Russia said. "What happened yesterday did not come out of nowhere, but was the result of the Council's inaction on the Israeli attack. ”
Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said that "the earlier attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria was 'extremely vicious in nature'" and called on all parties to maintain "maximum calm and restraint" and that "there is an immediate ceasefire in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, where the humanitarian catastrophe is unacceptable." ”
Strike while the iron is hot and be poured cold water
Immediately after the Iranian attack, Netanyahu convened a cabinet meeting to discuss whether to retaliate against Iran's actions. In the end, the cabinet agreed that it would immediately launch a response to the Iranian attack.
Immediately after the meeting, Netanyahu spoke with US President Joe Biden on the phone and reported to Biden that Israel was preparing to launch a counterattack against Iran in the early morning of April 15, but Biden poured cold water on him, Biden said: "It was the joint defense efforts of the United States and other countries that made Iran's attack unsuccessful, and you won! Enjoy the victory! The United States does not participate in or support Israel's counterattack against Iran, because that would trigger a catastrophic regional war." When Netanyahu put down the phone, he aborted the counterattack plan.
So, now that Israel has lifted restrictions on gatherings in the Tel Aviv area, people can come out and move freely. Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and other countries have also reopened their airspace.
However, many analysts believe that the character of Netanyahu and his right-wing forces will not easily give up retaliation against Iran. Israeli War Minister Benny Gantz told the media: "The incident is not over. We will build a regional coalition and we will make Iran pay when and how we choose. ”
Netanyahu wants to pull the United States into the water
Netanyahu's desire to retaliate against Iran is not a single revenge drive, but also a domestic factor.
1. Netanyahu's approval rating has been declining
In the months leading up to October 2023, discontent with Netanyahu grew as Netanyahu's far-right government tried to impose changes that could hinder Israel's independent judiciary.
There has been no ceasefire in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, and because Hamas has taken many Israeli hostages, the Israeli people have demanded an immediate ceasefire from Netanyahu and the release of hostages from each other. But Netanyahu didn't listen. So it annoyed the Israeli people even more.
In the wake of Iran's attack on Israel, thousands of Israelis surrounded the presidential palace and demanded Netanyahu's immediate resignation.
In this case, the only way for Netanyahu to stay in office is to start a war, and the new president may not be able to cope with the war situation, so that he can continue to hold office.
2. Retaliation for a tooth
As the number one power in the Middle East, Israel has the backing of the United States behind it, and it has been bullying other countries for so many years, when has it ever suffered such a loss? Moreover, none of the members of his far-right government is a fuel-efficient lamp, and even if he does not want to fight, he will not be able to calm the anger of those militants.
Therefore, Israel's retaliation is certain only to depend on the time they choose.
Biden is telling the truth, and there are deep reasons why the United States does not want to get involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran. The only purpose of the United States in fanning the flames around the world is to continue to reign over the world and act as the world's policeman. A small country like Iran does not deserve to fight him, and his ultimate opponents are China and Russia. Now that Russia has been dragged into the water, China is still intact, and if it gets involved in the Middle East war early, or if it is injured by a nuclear bomb dropped by Iran, it will be more than worth the loss.