Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Israel have been substantial, though Israeli air defenses have intercepted the majority of incoming threats. Iran launched nine separate salvoes of missiles at Israel over the course of the conflict. Israeli authorities reported that falling debris and cluster munitions from intercepted and unintercepted Iranian missiles caused widespread damage across central and northern Israel. The deadliest single strike on Israeli territory came on March 1, when nine civilians were killed in a residential neighborhood in Beit Shemesh. Missile fragments fell in the Old City of Jerusalem, causing damage near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Later in the conflict, Iranian ballistic missiles broke through Israeli defenses to directly strike the cities of Dimona and Arad in the south, wounding more than 100 people in those two strikes alone.
Israel strikes intended to ‘cripple’ Iran’s nuclear program, destabilize regime: Experts
On the diplomatic front, Israel’s operation has attracted a complex mixture of support and condemnation. The United States has been Israel’s most significant partner throughout the campaign, providing military assets, intelligence, and political cover. The United Kingdom authorized the use of British bases to support the strikes. But the international reaction has been far from uniformly supportive. The United Nations Secretary-General condemned the initial strikes. Multiple countries questioned their legality under international law. Spain refused to allow American forces to use its territory. Several nations urged both sides to pursue a ceasefire, though those calls have not produced results.
Within Israel, the war has been presented by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government as a necessary and long-overdue response to an existential threat. Netanyahu has visited strike sites in southern Israel, met with wounded residents, and framed the conflict in terms of Israel’s survival and the elimination of the greatest danger it has faced in a generation. He has described the campaign as a historic opportunity and has warned that Iran’s regional allies — Hezbollah, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, the Houthi movement in Yemen — are also within range of Israeli power.
The conflict with Lebanon has intensified sharply alongside the Iran campaign. Israel launched heavy airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon beginning in early March, issued mass evacuation orders that displaced nearly one million people, and has expanded ground operations in the south. The Lebanese death toll from Israeli strikes has exceeded 1,000 people, including more than 100 children.
