WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, but according to initial reports, Israeli defenses and its allies, including the US, “effectively defeated this attack.”
PUBLICIDAD
"This is completely unacceptable, and everyone should condemn it," Blinken said in a meeting with the Foreign Minister of India at the State Department.
PUBLICIDAD
The United States helped in the defense of Israel
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House that American destroyers fired missile interceptors against some of the projectiles launched by Iran.
Sullivan described the attack as "a significant escalation by Iran," and reiterated that there would be "serious consequences" for that country due to the attack.
Iran describes the offensive as a "success"
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary group from that country, said that 90% of the missiles it launched against Israel successfully hit their targets.
In the statement, broadcasted on Tuesday afternoon by the official television, it is indicated that the attack targeted air and radar bases, as well as the security apparatus that planned the assassination of high-ranking figures from the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
It is also indicated that Iran has the right to defend itself, in accordance with international rules. The broadcaster showed scenes of missiles being launched in the darkness from unidentified sites in Iran.
According to the Iranian version, they launched "dozens of ballistic missiles" towards Israel.
Iran mentioned the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guard General Abbas Nilforushan, who died in an Israeli airstrike last week in Beirut. The statement also mentions Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, who was killed in Tehran in an attack allegedly carried out by Israel in July.
He warned that his attack represented only a "first wave," without giving details.
Israel claims to have killed a Hezbollah leader
The Israeli army claims to have killed another high-ranking leader of Hezbollah in an airstrike on an apartment building on the outskirts of Beirut this Tuesday.
According to Israel, Mohammed Jaafar Qassir was in charge of Hezbollah's Unit 4400, which sends weapons from Iran to Lebanon, and he supervised the development of precision-guided missiles. They also claimed that Qassir had sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah in recent years.