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Arrow 3
Iranian forces fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on the night of Oct. 1, but caused minimal damage and two civilian injuries in the Tel Aviv area, according to initial reports.
The head of the Israeli Defense Forces vowed after the strikes to retaliate against the Iranian regime in time with precision and surprise.
The lack of major obvious damage again showed that Israeli and U.S. missile defenses intercepted the most dangerous incoming missiles from Iran.
A similar partnership shot down all but a handful of more than 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles that Iran fired at Israel on April 14. Nearly six months later, Iran refrained from launching drones and cruise missiles along with the ballistic missiles on Oct. 1.
“We have proven our ability to prevent the enemy from achieving [their goals] by a combination of exemplary civilian behavior and a very strong air defense system,” Israeli Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi said.
Following the April 14 attack, Israeli Air Force fighters attacked an air defense radar site near Isfahan, Iran, a heavily defended stronghold linked to Iran’s nuclear program.
In addition to the Israeli missile defense array, two U.S. Navy destroyers fired 12 interceptors at the ballistic missiles fired by Iran, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Oct. 1. U.S. forces did not fire any ground-based interceptors from missile defense batteries in the region, he added.
Prior to the attack, the U.S. Defense Department dispatched squadrons of Boeing F-15s, Lockheed Martin F-16s and Fairchild Republic A-10s to the Middle East.
“What those capabilities provide is versatility in terms of responding to a variety of contingencies,” Ryder said.
In a warning to Iran to refrain from targeting U.S. forces in the region directly, Ryder reiterated that the U.S. government will “take every necessary measure” to defend American troops from attacks by Iran or its allies in the region. A Houthi missile attack on Sept. 27 targeted American ships in the Red Sea but caused no injuries or damage.
As Israel remained in nighttime hours after the attack, the extent of the damage caused by the debris of falling interceptors and their targets remained unclear.
The attacks came four days after the assassination in a Beirut air strike by Israel of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, a key Iranian ally.
Iran also attacked Israel on the same day that the IDF announced sending ground forces into southern Lebanon with a limited set of objectives.
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