April 14, 2024 - Iran's attack on Israel

Israel will “exact a price from Iran in a way and time that suits us,” war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Sunday, following the Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel.

Iran “met the strength of the Israeli security system,” Gantz said, a reference to the minimal damage caused by the assault involving hundreds of projectiles.

But, he added, “this event is not over,” citing the need to “build a regional coalition and extract a price from Iran, in a way and at a time that suits us.”

Gantz also said that Israel still needs to bring home its hostages and secure its southern and northern borders so that people who have evacuated their homes near these borders can return.

Nir Cohen contributed translations to this post.

Pope Francis has urged regional leaders to avoid further escalations in the Middle East, and called on all nations to “take the side of peace.”

Francis also called for a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. 

The sound of drones must serve as a "wake-up call to the free world," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday after Iran launched an unprecedented large-scale drone and missile attack at Israel on Saturday night.

"This sound must serve as a wake-up call to the free world, demonstrating that only our unity and resoluteness can save lives and prevent the spread of terror worldwide," he said.

Zelensky went on to say that Iran's actions "threaten the entire region and the world, just as Russia's actions threaten a larger conflict," and that "the obvious collaboration between the two regimes in spreading terror must face a resolute and united response from the world."

"Words do not stop drones and do not intercept missiles. Only tangible assistance does," Zelensky said. "It is critical that the United States Congress make the necessary decisions to strengthen America's allies at this critical time," he added.

Two of the Israeli government’s most hardline ministers on Sunday urged a firm response to the overnight Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urging a response that "resonates throughout the Middle East" and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Israel should "go crazy."

Smotrich, the head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, said that if Israel hesitated, "we will put ourselves and our children in existential danger."

In a video statement, Smotrich called this a “moment of truth,” saying, “If our response resonates throughout the Middle East for generations to come — we will win.”

Ben Gvir, the leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, said Israel’s response must not be “weak,” and that “the concepts of containment and proportionality are concepts that passed away on October 7,” the day of the Hamas attack on Israel.

Neither Smotrich nor Ben Gvir are members of Israel’s war cabinet.

Nir Cohen contributed translations to this post.

Israel’s war cabinet has begun its meeting, an official told CNN Sunday just before 4 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET).

The war cabinet consists of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz, the leader of the National Union party and a former Defense Minister. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and politicians Gadi Eisenkot and Aryeh Deri sit in the war cabinet as observers. 

The war cabinet meeting comes as Israel determines its response after Iran launched dozens of missiles from its territory toward Israel late Saturday. Israel's military said "99%” of the more than 300 projectiles fired by Iran were intercepted by Israel and its "partners."

US President Joe Biden made clear the US will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran, according to a senior administration official.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Iran informed neighboring countries 72 hours before its attack of a “certain” response against Israel.

Amir-Abdollahian told a news conference on Sunday in Tehran that Iran told the countries the operation would be “decisive” in the form of “legitimate defense."

He did not clarify which countries were informed. Neighboring states have not yet publicly confirmed they were informed.

A top White House official underscored the success of Israeli and US efforts to intercept Iranian missiles and drones as the Biden administration looks to contain the risk of a wider regional conflict. 

He added that Israel's defense against the "several hundred drones and missiles over the course of a few hours" shows that Iran "is not the military power that they claim to be." Kirby’s comments were an indication of how the United States is looking to tout the success of the operation while preventing further escalation. They echo sentiments President Joe Biden relayed late Saturday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In pointing to the unbridled success in stopping Iran’s weapons, Biden and his team are suggesting to Israel that it has shown its ability to defend itself alongside the United States and its allies — and that further retaliation may not be necessary.

The Italian Presidency of the G7 has called a meeting in remote format on Sunday "to discuss Iran’s attack against Israel," according to a brief statement on Italy’s G7 official presidency site.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also said Sunday that the Italian presidency of the G7 has organized "a conference at leaders level for this afternoon."

In decades of antagonism between Israel and Iran, there has never been an attack by Iran inside Israel. This crosses a threshold. What happens next rests on whether Israel will listen to the United States and not escalate the cycle of retaliation.

Iran’s massive drone and missile wave was 99% intercepted, and Israel said damage was limited. Triggered by Israel’s April 1 strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria, the barrage brings the region to a boil. We still don’t know exactly why Israel carried out the strike in Syria, but analysts say Iran was forced to respond for its own internal consumption and to demonstrate strength in the region. For its part, it says the matter is now concluded.

President Joe Biden said the US will not join any Israeli offensive against Iran. The very real question is whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will listen to the warnings of his biggest backer.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak told CNN Israel had won this round and Netanyahu must think before any further action, warning that Israel is still stuck in Gaza, hostages remain captive, and the Lebanon-Israel border is highly volatile.In the meantime, despite the current escalation between Israel and US intelligence say there is no evidence Iran planned or acted in Hamas’s October 7 attacks.