Highlights:
· On April 1st, an Israeli F-35 fighter jet conducted an air strike on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria. This strike killed a total of seven leaders and officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This included:
o Mohammed Reza Zahedi, IRGC Force Commander
o Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Deputy Commander
· On April 13th presumably in response to this strike, Iran and their proxy forces in the region launched a large aerial attack at Israel. This attack included:
o 170 Drones
o 120 Ballistic Missiles
o 30 Cruise Missiles
· According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) approximately 99% of these drones and missiles were shot down before they reached Israel.
· This counterstrike included U.S. forces which destroyed 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles. Some of these targets were destroyed on the ground in Yemen prior to their launch.
Sources:
· UN Secretary-General Twitter Page
· Israel Defense Forces Twitter Page
· IntelBrief: Israeli Escalation Against Iran Puts the Region on Alert
· U.S. Central Command Twitter Page
Resources
G7 Leaders’ Statement on Iran’s Attack Against Israel
Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East