On 13 April 2024, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, in collaboration with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and the Ansar Allah (Houthis), launched attacks against Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights with loitering munitions, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. The attack was codenamed by Iran as Operation True Promise (Persian: وعده صادق, romanized: va'de-ye sādeq). Iran said it was retaliation for the Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus on 1 April, which killed two Iranian generals. The strike was seen as a spillover of the Gaza war and marked Iran's first direct attack on Israel since the start of their proxy conflict.
Several countries in the Middle East closed their airspace a few hours before Iran launched a standoff attack against Israel around midnight on 13 April. Iran's attack sent around 170 drones, over 30 cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles toward Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces used Arrow 3 and David's Sling systems to shoot down many of the incoming weapons. American, British, French, and Jordanian air forces also shot some down. France, which intervened at Jordan's request, deployed warships to provide radar coverage. Jordan said it had intercepted objects flying into its airspace to protect its citizens.
Israel said that the coalition, whose defensive efforts were codenamed Iron Shield, destroyed 99 percent of the incoming weapons, most before they reached Israeli airspace. A U.S. official said that at least nine Iranian missiles had struck two Israeli airbases, causing minor damage. Some of the ballistic missiles were shot down in space by the Arrow system. The missiles caused minor damage to the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, which remained operational. In Israel, a 7-year-old Israeli Bedouin girl was struck and injured by part of a missile, and 31 other people either suffered minor injuries while rushing to shelters or were treated for anxiety. Jordan reported some shrapnel falling on its territory, causing little damage or injuries. The next day, Iran's envoy to the United Nations stated that the attacks "can be deemed concluded".
The wave of drones was intended to overwhelm anti-aircraft defenses. It was the first time since Iraq's 1991 missile strikes that Israel was directly attacked by the military of another state. Iran's attacks drew criticism from the United Nations, several world leaders, and political analysts, who warned that they risk escalating into a full-blown regional war. Israel retaliated by executing limited strikes on Iran on 18 April 2024.
Background
On 1 April 2024, Israel bombed the Iranian consulate annex building next to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, killing 16 people, including a woman and her son, and Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior Quds Force commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and seven other IRGC officers, in addition to six other militants belonging to Hezbollah and other Iran-linked militias. Soon after the attack, Iran vowed to retaliate, with reports suggesting this as a potential motive for the airstrike. The building was inside the Iranian diplomatic compound, next to the main embassy building. Numerous countries and international organizations condemned the attack; the United States denied involvement and prior knowledge, though Russia's representative in the United Nations (UN) has questioned this claim, calling it "surprising", noting that the U.S. "always possesses information on any topic firsthand thanks to its intelligence capabilities".
In the weeks following the attack on the consulate, the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom all warned Iran not to attack Israel and escalate the situation. Iran was warned by Israel that such an attack could lead to a direct Israeli military response on Iranian soil. In early April 2024, Iran sent a message via the Swiss embassy (United States Interests Section in Iran) to the United States, threatening to attack the United States' military bases in the region in case of their support of Israel in a possible Iranian attack on Israel. According to Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran gave the regional countries hosting US military bases 72 hours' notice of the imminent attack, but the parties involved varied in their description of the timing and detail of the warning from Iran. Iran held off on attacking for 12 days and messaged via diplomatic channels that it was not interested in waging a full-scale war.
Attack
Launching of missiles and drones
On the evening of 13 April 2024, Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel, targeting—among other unconfirmed trajectories—sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Arad region and two airbases in the Negev desert. The attack was named Operation True Promise (Persian: وعده صادق, romanized: va'de-ye sādeq), with the code name Ya Rasul Allah (یارسولالله(ص)). It comprised more than 200 missiles and drones according to The Washington Post and included ballistic missiles according to Iranian news agency IRNA. Both CNN and Reuters later reported that more than 300 standoff weapons had been launched toward Israel. An Israeli military spokesman specified that Iran had launched 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles. According to IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari, approximately 350 rockets were launched at Israel from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, also noting that the attack consisted of 60 tons of explosive materials.
According to the Iranian Chief of General Staff Mohammad Bagheri, the primary targets included the Nevatim Airbase from which Israel launched the attack on the Iranian consulate, as well as the intelligence center in the Israeli-occupied part of Mount Hermon that supplied the intelligence. The operation was limited to a retaliatory attack for the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate. Other targets included the Ramon Airbase in the south of Israel, Tel Aviv, and Dimona, which is home to the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center. According to IRGC's Tasnim News Agency, the tactic used consisted of saturating the Iron Dome and David's Sling with a first wave of hundreds of HESA Shahed 136 loitering munitions to clear the way for dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles in the second wave. A total of 185 of the newer and faster-flying, jet-propelled Shahed 238 loitering munitions were also used.
Hezbollah said it launched dozens of BM-21 Grad rockets at an Israeli air defense site in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The group said the attack took place shortly after midnight local time. Houthis launched drones.
To prepare for the attack, Israel, alongside Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Kuwait, closed their airspace on 13 April; Iran only closed its airspace to VFR flights, and Egypt and Syria put its air defense on high alert.
According to Or Fialkov, an Israeli military researcher, some of the missile types used by Iran were the Emad with a warhead of 750 kg, Ghadr-110 with a warhead of between 650 kg and 1000 kg, Kheibar Shekan with a 500 kg warhead, and probably Shahab-3B with a warhead of 700 kg.
Israel's defensive operation
Israel used the high-altitude Arrow 3 and the medium-range David's Sling systems to shoot down the incoming weapons, and jammed electronic guidance systems to disrupt missile navigation. IDF conducted the defense under the codename Iron Shield. Many drones were downed while flying over Syria, while Syrian Air Defense Force shot down some Israeli interceptors that attempted to enter Syrian airspace. Israel said that 99% of the weapons were successfully intercepted, and that its air force intercepted 25 cruise missiles outside the country, likely over Jordan.
At approximately 2:00 a.m. local time on 14 April, explosions were heard in Jerusalem, while air raid sirens sounded across Israel, the West Bank, and the Dead Sea. It is not known whether the explosions were interceptions by the short-range Iron Dome system or were missile strikes. Iranian missiles above the Al-Aqsa Mosque were intercepted.
IDF jets struck military targets in southern Lebanon belonging to Hezbollah's Redwan Force.
Defense provided by other countries
The United States coordinated the multinational defense of Israel, from northern Iraq to the southern Persian Gulf, from the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The U.S., the United Kingdom, France and Jordan used their own forces to intercept Iranian projectiles, and France also deployed its Navy to provide radar coverage. An anonymous source from the Saudi Royal Family said that Saudi Arabia had automatically intercepted "any suspicious entity" violating its airspace. According to The Wall Street Journal, Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates shared intelligence, which included radar tracking information, with the U.S. and Israel prior to Iran's drone attack.
American aircraft reportedly destroyed more than 80 Iranian weapons—more than half of those threatening Israel—before they reached their targets. The U.S. did not announce where its aircraft launched from; whether any were based in Saudi Arabia is unclear. General Michael Kurilla, the head of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) went to Israel on 11 April, to coordinate air defenses. CENTCOM reported late the following day that US forces destroyed more than 80 one-way attack drones and at least 6 ballistic missiles. The U.S. Navy warships involved were reported to be USS Carney (DDG-64) and USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) (both based in the Mediterranean), according to CENTCOM, which also reported that US aircraft from land and sea bases participated. The ships' use of the SM-3 missile was the weapon's first time in combat. A U.S. Army Patriot missile battery in Erbil, Iraq, shot down at least one ballistic missile.
The British component of the defence effort was overseen by Admiral Tony Radakin, the Chief of the Defence Staff. Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft shot down an unspecified number of Iranian drones, as confirmed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The aircraft were deployed from RAF Akrotiri in the island of Cyprus as well as Romania and were supported by tanker aircraft. The United Kingdom also provided intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support.
The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous French officials, reported that France deployed naval assets to assist Israel. President Emmanuel Macron later stated that France had joined in intercepting Iranian drones at Jordan's request.
Jordan lies between Iran and Israel and had readied its air defenses to intercept drones and missiles that violated its airspace.
Iran had warned Jordan against any possible action in support of Israel, but Jordan opened its airspace for U.S. and Israeli warplanes nonetheless. Residents in the capital Amman reported seeing flashes in the sky above the city. In the city's Marj al Hamam area, residents gathered around the remnants of a large drone that had been intercepted. Haaretz reported that the Royal Jordanian Air Force had downed 20% of the drones launched from Iran. Jordan stated that its military action was an act of self-defense in an effort to safeguard the nation's airspace, territory, and citizens. There was also criticism towards Jordan's intervention that characterized it as having protected Israel.
Casualties and damage
Iran claimed that the saturation tactic using drones managed to defeat the Israeli air defense and damage the bases used in the attack on the Iranian consulate. Iran claimed that significant damage; however, several images published by Iranian state media showing damage in Israel were later found to be footage of wildfires in Chile instead.
A senior U.S. official stated that five Iranian ballistic missiles struck the Nevatim Airbase, causing damage to a C-130 transport aircraft, an unused runway, and empty storage facilities. Additionally, four other ballistic missiles impacted the Ramon Airbase. The overall damage caused in the attack was minimal.
There were no deaths, but a number of injuries from the strikes were reported. A 7-year-old Bedouin girl, Amina Hassouna, was seriously injured by shrapnel from an interception in the Arad area. At least 31 others were treated, either for minor injuries sustained from shrapnel while going to protected areas, or for anxiety.
Aftermath
Hours after the beginning of the attacks, Iran's envoy to the United Nations stated that the retaliatory attack "can be deemed concluded" and that Iran would respond with "stronger and more resolute" actions if Israel were to "make another mistake". It also urged the U.S. to stay away from the Iran–Israel conflict. President Ebrahim Raisi said that Iran had taught a "lesson" to Israel through the attack as the Supreme Leader promised. IRGC commander Major General Hossein Salami called the attack "more successful than expected" and threatened retaliation for any Israeli counterattack. The IRGC also threatened to prosecute those expressing support for Israel online. The Iranian government opened criminal investigations into several news outlets for their coverage of the strikes.
Iraq, Jordan, and Israel reopened their airspace soon after the attacks were over. At least two flights from Wizz Air and Royal Jordanian were diverted to Cyprus with over 700 passengers on board. The Cyprus Air Command alongside the two main airports on Cyprus were also placed on high alert as a result of the attack.
The effective interception has led to an increase in the stock prices of Israeli defense firms, such as Elbit Systems, Aerodrome Group, NextVision, and Aryt Industries.
Following the attacks, the Iranian economy experienced immediate adverse effects, with the national currency, the Rial, plummeting to a new low against the dollar.
There were concerns about rising oil prices in the event of Israeli retaliation against Iran. Andy Lipow, President of Lipow Oil Associates, said that "Any attack on oil production or export facilities in Iran would drive the price of Brent crude oil to $100, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would lead to prices in the $120 to $130 range."
On 25 April, the United Kingdom unveiled new sanctions targeting the Iranian drone industry.