U.S. Intervenes to Shoot Down Iranian Drones Bound for Israel
Last Updated on April 14, 2024
The United States has once again intervened in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, this time to shoot down “dozens” of Iranian drones bound for Israel, as Iran launched a retaliatory strike on the “Zionist entity” after an Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Syria left 16 dead, including a top Iranian military commander.
Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones toward Israel as part of “Operation True Promise,” which included the use of ballistic missiles. Israel reports no deaths or significant damage and says that “99%” of Iranian projectiles were intercepted, though Iranian state media say that the attack hit a major Israeli air base.
“The most important Israeli air base in the Negev was the successful target of the Kheibar missile,” Iranian state media reported. “…images and data indicate that the base sustained heavy blows.”
While Israel’s American-funded Iron Dome air defense system activated in response to the attack, so did American forces, taking to the skies to combat Iranian drones in what has marked just the latest U.S. intervention in Israel’s ongoing war – and it likely won’t be the last.
“At the direction of President Biden, U.S. forces in the Middle East on April 13 intercepted dozens of missiles and UAVs en route to Israel, launched from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen,” Biden Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a public statement. “Our forces remain postured to protect U.S. troops and partners in the region, provide further support for Israel’s defense, and enhance regional stability,” he added.
American forces were reportedly aided in the skies by the British, and the Israelis are vowing to respond.
Background: Israel Expands War into Syria, Kills Iranian General at Consulate
The Iranian strike marked a historic escalation in Israeli-Iranian tensions and a defection from the proxy wars of days past, as it was the first time that an Iranian attack on Israel originated from within Iranian territory. Israel is vowing to respond.
The strike also triggered just the latest instance of American intervention in the region’s latest war, which hit Israel and Gaza after the 10/7 attack and has repeatedly spilled over international borders.
Just days after the 10/7 attack, the Biden White House ordered U.S. troops and ships to the region and American forces began shooting down Iranian proxy drones and cruise missiles, which were launched by Houthi militants operating out of Yemen.
Around the same time frame, Biden ordered U.S. special forces troops to Israel to assist in hostage recovery efforts.
Intervention: U.S. Warship Intercepts Missiles Bound for Israel
Earlier this year, Biden ordered American strikes against at least 85 “Iran-backed” positions in Iraq and Syria, including those held by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, in response to a drone attack on an American installation in a border region of Jordan and Syria, that killed three U.S. troops.
More Intervention: Biden Launches Strikes on ‘Iran-Backed’ Targets in Iraq, Syria
The continued American involvement and escalation of tensions in the Middle East, especially as it pertains to Iran, has seemingly been in the works since the very beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Among other uni-partiers, in the wake of the 10/7 attack, then-presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley took to the corporate media to call for a wide-reaching war.
“This is not just an attack on Israel, this is an attack on America because they hate us just as much,” Haley told Fox News in describing the attack.
“And I’ll say this to Prime Minister Netanyahu: Finish them. Finish them,” Haley added. “Hamas did this, you know Iran’s behind it. Finish them. They should have hell to pay for what they’ve just done.”
Video: Nikki Haley Calls for War With Iran Over Israeli Conflict
And more recently, GOP Senators John Cornyn and Lindsey Graham have chimed in to call for an all-out war with Iran, with Graham calling on the United States to “Hit Iran,” and Cornyn calling to “Target Tehran.”