An Israeli military spokesman said about 350 rockets were fired by Iran

An Israeli military spokesman said about 350 rockets were fired by Iran

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said that Israel’s defense coalition successfully thwarted an attack from Iran overnight.

About 350 rockets were fired from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, carrying about 60 tons of explosives, he said.

Hagari said not only Israel was under threat but the entire Middle East, pointing out that Iranian forces had also seized a Portuguese-flagged ship.

“Iran wants to increase the region. Until now it worked through its proxies, but now it is revealing its true face,” Hagari said in a video statement Sunday.
Separately, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that Iran’s drones are killing people around the world through its proxies and the world must stand up to that country and say no.

Iran has provided its proxies with weapons through the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, for example, and also to Russia to fight in Ukraine.

Some background: The US military intercepted more than 70 one-way attack drones and at least 3 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel, according to two US officials familiar with the situation.

A ballistic missile was intercepted by a warship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, an official said. The US Navy currently has two destroyers in the area, both of which are guided missile destroyers capable of intercepting missile launches and drones.

US fighter jets were also part of the US response to Iran’s attack on Saturday and shot down a drone launched at Israel, another US official told CNN.

Fighting is intensifying across the Middle East

Since the October 7 Hamas attack and the subsequent Israeli attack on Gaza, Iran and its allies have increased violence across the region, while the US has increased its presence in the Middle East.

Lebanon:

Hezbollah is the most powerful militia in the region; it is armed, trained and financed by Iran.

Syria:

Iran has a direct presence in Syria and supports groups that have attacked US forces since the war began. The US has responded with counterattacks.

Iraq:

Iran has significant influence over several militias, which have launched dozens of attacks on US troops in Iraq since mid-October; The US has responded with counterattacks.

Iran:

In April, for the first time, Iran launched a direct attack on Israel in response to Israel’s attack on its consulate in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month.

Gaza:

Iran supports Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which has launched attacks on Israel.

Yemen:

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked ships in the Red Sea, disrupting global shipping. The US and UK have responded by attacking Houthi targets in the Red Sea and Yemen.