After the actions of October 7th, the Israeli Defense Force, or the IDF, launched a land invasion of the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas. However, in their war against Hamas, the IDF and Israel have been targeted by various groups stationed in nearby Lebanon and Syria via missiles and drones. In retaliation, IDF forces launched airstrikes against the attacking groups, which, on April 1st, 2024, Israeli F-35s hit the Iranian embassy in Syria in an attempt to eliminate top-level Iranian and Palestinian militants, who were believed to have a meeting regarding military actions in the Gaza Strip. The airstrike resulted in the embassy being destroyed, and 16 people, including 2 civilians, were killed as a result.
In response, Iran launched an attack on Israel with about 300 combined drones and ballistic missiles, targeting airbases and military bases, resulting in injuries to about 33 civilians. U.S., British, and Jordanian forces shot down missiles and drones, combined with Israel’s Arrow 3 and David’s Sling missile defense system, resulting in over 99% of missiles being shot down before making it to Iranian targets. The strike was the largest attempted drone strike in history and the first time since 1991 that Israel had been attacked directly by another state. This attack also marked one of the first times that Israel’s Arrow 3 system shot down a ballistic missile in space. The next day, the Iranian envoy to the United Nations told the UN that the Iranian response was deemed complete.
In response to the Iranian attack, Israeli officials began planning a retaliatory strike almost right away. However, U.S. officials implored Israel not to strike back and instead greenlit an invasion of Rafah if there was no retaliation against Iran. However, Israel conducted airstrikes and missile attacks on Iranian targets, a military base, and a radar base. Iran claimed all missiles had been shot down; however, it was later discovered that there was damage to a radar installation and anti-air defenses. After the attack, both sides planned non-retaliatory strikes, hoping the situation would escalate. As of right now, neither side has conducted state-to-state strikes, and hopefully, the armistice will continue indefinitely.