Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that arch foe Iran would pay for its missile attack against Israel on Tuesday.
Speaking hours after the assault, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it. The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it estimated that Iran fired 180 “projectiles” at the country. It said it intercepted many of the missiles, although some landed on the ground in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said later on Tuesday that the attack by Iran was “effectively defeated.”
While the attack was over relatively quickly, it is clear that it has further raised the stakes in what is already an extremely tense moment. World leaders have long warned the conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon could spiral into a wider regional war. All eyes will now be on how Israel responds.
US President Joe Biden said the United States was “fully supportive” of Israel. But he said his administration was still discussing with Israel what kind of response would be appropriate.
“We’re going to get all the data straight, we’re in constant contact with the Israeli government and our counterparts and that remains to be seen,” he said.
CNN
