The Iranian government has taken legal action against a number of newspapers and influential journalists who failed to reiterate its rhetoric regarding the attack on Israel in their publications.
The punitive measures extend beyond journalists to include citizens. On Sunday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to take action against any online expression of support for Israel.
The Iranian government launched over 350 drones and missiles into Israel on Saturday night in retaliation for an airstrike on its consulate compound in Damascus on April 1, for which they blamed Israel. Several members of the IRGC, including two top commanders, were killed in the attack.
In spite of regime celebrations of the attack, Abdi remained outspoken, claiming, "Contrary to popular belief, I believe that Israel's attack was a reaction which does not require Iran's response and reaction."
Over 700 journalists have been arrested since the 2022 uprising with more crackdowns expected in the wake of the bombardment, Iran among the world's least safe places for journalists. At home and abroad, the regime has sought to silence voices of dissent, including attacks on Iran International journalists abroad.
Follow developments on Iran International's Live coverage of ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.
The unprecedented attack on Israel -- the territory of a key US ally -- though anticipated, was unparalleled.
Contrary to the Islamic Republic’s armed forces chief, who claimed the attack “achieved all its objectives,” the IDF spokesperson reports that 99% of the threats were intercepted by the air defense system, resulting in negligible impact.
On April 12, at approximately 9:33 pm London time, Tehran confirmed the initiation of its attack.
A wave of drones was dispatched from Iran, some 1200 kilometers away, towards Israel.
An Iranian Shahed 136 Drone, with the maximum speed of 185 k/h takes hours to cover a distance of 1200 kilometers -- suggesting that Israel had a heads-up several hours in advance. Missiles were launched almost an hour later, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
The Iron Dome is commonly recognised as Israel's primary defense against missiles and rockets. But, Israel's defense shield consists of five layers -- with the Iron Dome counting as one. In preparation for such an attack, Israel has been developing its air defense system for the past 15 years.
Its first tier, the Iron beam, destroys the projectile with a pillar of laser light. Like the Iron Dome, its detection radar becomes active, and the laser gun targets the objective. It is used for short-range missiles and artillery shells. It fills the blind spot of the Iron Dome. According to the IDF it is yet to be operational.
The second tier, the most renowned, is the Iron Dome. When a rocket is fired towards Israel, the rocket radar detects and tracks it. The control system estimates the impact point, and finally the nearest launcher engages and launches a missile towards the rocket. The success rate of the Iron Dome system is close to 96%, meaning out of 100 rockets, 4 of them may hit Israeli soil.
David's Sling: Israel’s military system named after the biblical story of David and Goliath. This third tier can target drones, aircraft, medium to long-range missiles, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles covering ranges from 40 to 300 kilometers. It has the capability to provide coverage for all of Israel from a single point. David's Sling was responsible for shooting down the Hamas Ayyash 250 rocket on October 13, 2023.
According to the IDF, the Israeli Air Force and its allies successfully intercepted and destroyed all 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles outside the country's borders.
Of the 120 ballistic missiles that crossed into Israeli airspace, the IDF reported that the long-range Arrow air defense system successfully intercepted the overwhelming majority.
Arrow 2 and Arrow 3, considered the top tiers of Israel’s multilayered air defenses, complement each other, and track and destroy missiles and rockets with ranges up to 2400 kilometers.
The second factor contributing to the limited impact came from Israel's allies: fighter jets stepped up to boost interception capabilities.
Reports indicate that jets from the US, UK, France, and Jordan formed a robust barrier against the onslaught of drones and missiles from the Islamic Republic.
US forces hit over 80 one-way attack drones, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday – meaning that the US downed 47% of Iran’s launched drones.
This was the first-ever attack from Iranian soil on Israel.
An attack that diverted attention from the Gaza war towards the Islamic Republic and united the international community in support of Israel and condemnation of the Iranian government.
Now, as the IRGC authorities declare the conclusion of their operation, Israel asserts that the battle is far from over, hinting at a forthcoming retaliation against the Islamic Republic.
But, for the time being Israel’s next move remains uncertain.
According to all evidence, 99 percent of Iranian projectiles failed to hit targets in Israel, mainly due to strong and multi-layered air defenses. The United States, Britain and Jordan also launched warplanes to shoot down incoming drones and cruise missiles.
However, as Netanyahu's war cabinet favors a retaliatory attack to re-establish deterrence against Israel’s sworn enemy, the US President tries to dissuade Israel from escalating the faceoff arguing that the failure of the Iranian attack is already a victory in itself.
President Biden has tiptoed around his support for Israel in recent weeks, after his strong stance immediately after the October 7 Hamas invasion. Critics say that the president should hold the Iranian regime responsible for all the mayhem in the region, should not offer any further sanctions waivers to Tehran and must re-establish deterrence against Iran.
The threat of open warfare erupting between the arch Middle East foes and dragging in the United States put the region on edge, triggering calls for restraint from global powers and Arab nations.
"The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a Security Council meeting called on Sunday in response to the strikes.
Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood called on the council to unequivocally condemn Iran's attack.
"Let me be clear: if Iran or its proxies take actions against the United States or further action against Israel, Iran will be held responsible," he said.
Still, Biden told Netanyahu the US would not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive against Iran over the attack, a White House official said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke to counterparts including in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, stressing the need to avoid escalation, the importance of a coordinated diplomatic response, and emphasizing the US will continue to support Israel's defense.
Israeli officials said Netanyahu's five-member war cabinet favored retaliation in a meeting on Sunday, although the panel was divided over the timing and scale of any such response.
Two senior Israeli ministers signaled retaliation was not imminent and that Israel would not act alone.
"We will build a regional coalition and exact the price from Iran in the fashion and timing that is right for us," centrist minister Benny Gantz said ahead of a war cabinet meeting.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said Israel had an opportunity to form a strategic alliance "against this grave threat by Iran."
Chief of staff of Iranian armed forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri said on television, "Our response will be much larger than tonight's military action if Israel retaliates against Iran," and told Washington that its bases could also be attacked if it helped Israel retaliate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran had informed the United States its attack on Israel would be limited and for self-defense and that regional neighbors had been informed of its planned strikes 72 hours in advance.
Turkish, Jordanian and Iraqi officials said on Sunday that Iran gave wide notice days before the attack, but US officials said Tehran did not warn Washington and was aiming to cause significant damage.
The leaders of the Group of 7 nations condemned Iran's attack and said they would work to stabilize the situation, warning in a statement that Tehran risked "an uncontrollable regional escalation."
With reporting by Reuters
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