Photo: Manuel Augusto Moreno / Moment / Getty Images
Israel and its allies intercepted 99% of the drones and cruise missiles launched by Iran yesterday.
The missiles that did get through the Israeli air defense hit an air base and did minimal damage. However, a 7-year old Israeli girl was severely injured by shrapnel.
This comes days after Iran’s Supreme Leader warned it would hit back in response to an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria that left several generals dead.
The Israelis targeted those generals because of Iran’s role in supply Hamas and Hezbollah with funding and weapons.
Israel has been at war with Hamas since the October 7th attack. More than 100 Israelis, including Americans are still being held hostage. Despite that, the United States has been pressuring the Jewish state for a ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had for weeks "been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran."
"I established a clear principle -- whoever hurts us, we hurt him. We will protect ourselves from any threat and we will do so with coolness and determination," he said.
President Joe Biden cut short a weekend trip to his Delaware beach house and returned to the White House to monitor the unfolding crisis.
Prior to the attack, the U.S. State Department announced it was restricting travel for government employees and their family members outside of major cities in Israel as concerns remained high that Iran could strike.