Meanwhile in Israel…

April 1st Strike

On the 1st of April, Israel carried out a strike against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing 7 IRGC officers. This violation of the Vienna Convention drew little to no criticism from the international community. Tehran, however, vowed to strike back.

This being the Middle East, pride and honor dictated that Iran indeed had to retaliate.

Iranian Retaliation

Last night, over 300 Iranian drones and missiles launched from Iraq, Yemen, and Syria flew toward Israel.

Israel, Lebanon, and Iraq closed their airspaces, whilst Syria, Egypt, and Jordan put their air defenses on alert.

US and British warplanes did their best to intercept some of the projectiles, with the Israeli Iron Dome doing the rest. Tel-Aviv claims 99% of the Iranian drones and missiles were intercepted. But some did go through.

International Responses

An Israeli official called this Iranian retaliation “a serious escalation”. President Biden said he would “convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack”. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned Iran’s “reckless” attack, vowing that the UK would “continue to stand up for Israel’s security and that of all our regional partners”.

Following the April 1st Israeli strike, Tehran said they’d retaliate. Tel-Aviv said they’d hit Iran proper should Iran strike Israel. The risk for escalation is real.

Ongoing Conflict

Tehran and Israel have been engaged in a shadowy war for years. This conflict burst into the mainstream last night with a large-scale conventional strike. The UN Security Council will convene later for an emergency meeting.

-RBM.

PS: No fanboying for either side in the comment section, please. You may discuss opinions but you must remain courteous.