All-out assault in the Middle East. Iran launched the “most intense” attack so far: A US base was hit / Israel's immediate reaction
In recent hours, Iran launched a massive assault on Israeli and American targets in the Middle East, which was considered the “most intense and powerful” attack since the start of the conflict, according to Iranian state media quoted by AFP.
The Israeli military confirmed the rain of rockets coming from Iran on Wednesday morning. “Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat,” officials broadcast on platform X, urging the population to take cover, according to the BBC. Later, the authorities announced that citizens could safely leave the shelters.
The attack did not only target Israel. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they struck a communications center in Haifa, bases in the Kurdish Autonomous Region and the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, where alarm sirens sounded.
Strong explosions also rocked Doha, where Qatar's Ministry of Defense announced it had intercepted missiles aimed at the state, CNN reports.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reported the destruction of several Iranian drones and missiles that were heading for oil fields and strategic targets.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on its official website that the attacks would continue with determination: “In this war we are thinking of nothing but the complete surrender of the enemy.”
What is known about the attack on the US base in Iraq
A total of six drones were launched at the Diplomatic Support Center in Baghdad, located near the Iraqi capital's airport. According to the Washington Post, the defense systems were able to shoot down five of them, but only one drone penetrated the perimeter, with the impact occurring near a guard tower.
Although staff were immediately ordered to shelter in place, the State Department confirmed in an internal alert that no injuries were reported and that everyone in the complex was found safe.
US officials suspect that the assault was carried out by the “Islamic Resistance of Iraq”, an umbrella group of armed factions directly supported by Tehran.
Israel's response
In immediate reaction to the barrage of rockets, Israel launched a new series of airstrikes on the regime's infrastructure in Tehran. The Israeli military (IDF) confirmed that it struck government and military targets in the Iranian capital.
Israeli forces also bombed a residential building in central Beirut, targeting command centers of Iran's allies. The attack caused fires and major damage, reports Al Jazeera.
Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that Israel's attacks are “destroying the regime's capabilities” in Tehran. He urged the Iranian people to seize the moment to remove the dictatorship, stressing that the offensive will not stop until any threat is eliminated.
At the same time, the Israeli government approved an additional 16 billion dollars to the defense budget to support the continuation of this large-scale war.
Internal tensions in Iran
Domestically, the regime in Tehran instituted extreme security measures. Iran's police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, warned that anyone protesting “will not be treated as a protester, but as an enemy”. He stated that the law enforcement forces already have their “finger on the trigger”.
The threat comes after US officials suggested that the Iranian people could take advantage of this critical moment. Washington sees the current situation as an opportunity for citizens to rise up against the government.
