On Saturday night, the combined efforts of Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Jordan successfully intercepted roughly 99% of the drones and missiles launched by Iran into Israeli territory.
The involvement of Jordan in defending Israel came as a shock to many, as it marks one of the very rare instances of an Arab country assisting in defending the Jewish state.
According to Reuters, “Jordan’s air force intercepted and shot down dozens of Iranian drones that violated its airspace and were heading to Israel, two regional security sources said.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Air Defense Systems in Jordan intercepted a variety of Iranian Missiles aimed for Israel last night – very few made it through the air space following this interception. pic.twitter.com/izYjMKx5Ry
— Anthony Hughes (@CallMeAntwan) April 14, 2024
The outlet went on to note that Jordan’s army was placed “in a state of high alert,” while the country’s “radar systems were monitoring any drone activity coming from the direction of Iraq and Syria.”
Citing information obtained from Israeli officials, the New York Times has reported that Iran had launched at least 185 drones and 36 cruise missiles, along with 110 surface-to-surface missiles. The outlet added that most of the launches originated in Iran, while “a small portion came from Iraq and Yemen.”
The United States and the United Kingdom also joined in on intercepting the attack, though Israel’s air defenses intercepted most of the airstrikes.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari reported that 99% of Iran’s drones and missiles had been successfully intercepted, calling it a “significant strategic achievement.”
In a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Hagari explained that Israel’s “Air Force, together with the strategic partner countries, successfully intercepted dozens of aerial threats launched from Iran towards Israel,” according to a translation from Hebrew.
“Dozens of the Air Force planes were deployed in the sky on a mission to protect the country’s skies, and successfully intercepted unmanned aircraft and cruise missiles. Out of hundreds of launches, only a few rockets penetrated the territory of the State of Israel and caused only minor damage to the infrastructure at the Nabatim base, near the transportation route and the axis in the Hermon area,” he added, sharing images and footage of the incident.
אמש, חיל האוויר יחד עם המדינות השותפות האסטרטגיות, יירטו בהצלחה עשרות איומים אווירים אשר שוגרו מאיראן לעבר שטח ישראל. עשרות ממטוסי חיל האוויר היו פרוסים בשמיים במשימת הגנה על שמי המדינה, ויירטו בהצלחה כלי טיס בלתי מאוישים וטילי שיוט.
מתוך מאות שיגורים, מספר טילים בודדים בלבד… pic.twitter.com/uaNzCy8uuT
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי – Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) April 14, 2024
