Iran launched a number of drones directly from its territory towards Israel on Saturday night, a departure from their usual use of proxies, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). While the IDF stated that it is prepared to shoot down the drones, they cautioned that their air defense system is not foolproof. The IDF’s shoot-down capabilities include various systems such as aircraft, Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and the Arrow missile system. Additionally, the military has the ability to disable certain types of attacking drones using GPS scrambling.
Given the distance between Iran and Israel, it is expected that the drones will take several hours or longer to reach Israel. This means they will have to traverse through countries like Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and potentially other areas. There are concerns that, in addition to the drone attacks, Tehran or its proxies may also launch long-range ballistic missiles and other rockets at Israel simultaneously. This overlapping wave of attacks is a cause for worry.
The launch of the drones follows Iran’s accusation that Israel was responsible for the killing of top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Muhammad Reza Zehidi on April 1. Zehidi had played a key role in coordinating proxy attacks on Israel in Lebanon and Syria, particularly with Hezbollah. The IDF has not publicly committed to launching a preemptive strike against Iran in response to the drone launch.
To ensure the safety of its airspace, the Israel Airports Authority has announced the closure of Israeli airspace starting from 12:30 a.m. local time. Following the Iranian strike, Iraqi authorities also declared the closure of Iraqi airspace.
