The U.S. military said it shot down dozens of drones and missiles that Iran fired at Israel on Saturday, as other allies affirmed their support for Israel or pledged to help defend it.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israel’s chief military spokesman, said Israel intercepted most of the 200 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles launched by Iran with “some help” from its allies .
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said saturday evening that US forces had intercepted dozens of missiles and attack drones launched at Israel from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The United States did not provide further details about its role in intercepting the attacks.
As President Biden increasingly criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the campaign against Hamas in Gaza, he regularly affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself. In the last six months of war between Israel and Hamas, the United States has fought back attacks of Iran’s proxies in the region, including those of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in the Red Sea.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement on Saturday that its planes were ready to intercept air attacks within range of its existing missions in the Middle East, adding that additional British planes and aerial refueling tankers had been deployed to strengthen its operations in the Middle East. Iraq and Syria.
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, also sentenced The attack on Iran and the stated support for Israel. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the attacks “unjustifiable and highly irresponsible.”
“Germany stands with Israel and we will discuss the situation with our allies,” he said. said in a statement on social media.
Eric Schmitt, Patrick Kingsley And Farnaz Fassihi reports contributed.
