Israel-Hamas War day 191: What's going on in Gaza, Lebanon?

During a CNN interview on Sunday, Senator Marco Rubio discussed Iran's extensive efforts to destabilize Israel through a network of proxies from neighboring countries. Rubio highlighted the strategy aimed at surrounding Israel and making it "an unlivable place so that the Jewish state will collapse from within economically and socially." He described this approach as a direct attempt by Iran to attack Israel not just militarily but also on socio-economic fronts, endangering the very sustainability of the state.

Rubio related to the Iranian attack on Israel early Sunday morning (Israel time), where 300 missiles and UAVs were shot down by Israel, the US and the UK.

Rubio emphasized the severity of the threats by detailing the visible terror tactics employed, such as the use of illuminated drones intended to be seen as they approach their targets. "That is why many of those drones had lights on, so you could see them coming in and the terror aspect of that," he explained. This tactic is part of a broader psychological warfare strategy intended to instill fear and uncertainty among the Israeli populace.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for maximum restraint on Sunday after Iran's attack on Israel, as he reminded members of the world body that acts of reprisal involving the use of force are barred under international law.

"The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and de-escalate," Guterres told a meeting of the UN Security Council.

Iran launched the attack over a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed top Revolutionary Guards commanders and followed months of clashes between Israel and Iran's regional allies, triggered by the war in Gaza.

Progressive lawmakers who have been critical of President Biden's ongoing support for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens are urging regional de-escalation and diplomacy following Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel. 

One of Israel's most vocal critics, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), condemned fellow members of Congress and others who are calling to initiate war with Iran, saying doing so without Congressional authorization is "blatantly unconstitutional."

In a statement, Bush urged Biden to take "immediate steps" at the UN Security Council and G7 to "de-escalate and facilitate an immediate, lasting ceasefire in the region." 

In a historic, first-ever direct attack between Iran and Israel, the Islamic Republic launched around 350 drones and missiles across the region on Saturday night, prompting sirens all across the country, disrupting and possibly altering the power balance in the Middle East.

The drones and missiles were shot down at a 99% rate. Drones and missiles were also launched from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. They included 170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles, and 30 missiles, containing over 60 tons of explosives.

Three Jordanians were killed, a seven-year-old girl from a Bedouin village near Arad was seriously wounded, while a few dozen others were treated for anxiety. Minor damage was sustained to infrastructure at the IDF Nevatim base in southern Israel during the attack as well, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

There were two rounds of rockets, around 40 in total, fired on Israel from Lebanon, with Israel responding with counterattacks in close to real-time.

None of the drones or cruise missiles entered Israeli airspace, while Hagari noted that only a small number of ballistic missiles managed to penetrate.

Damage from the Iranian barrage near the Israel Air Force Nevetim air base, April 14, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Almost all interceptions have been by dozens of aircraft, the long-range Arrow missile systems, or the medium-range David’s Sling system. The Iron Dome, which defends well against Hamas and Hezbollah’s short-range rockets, is less relevant for drones and fancier long-range missiles.

The attack came after Iran accused Israel of killing top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi on April 1. Zahedi has directed proxy attacks on Israel in Lebanon and Syria and was a top coordinator with Hezbollah.

Leading Israeli politicians argued on Sunday over what the next step should be after Iran's overnight missile and drone attack against Israel.

Minister-without-portfolio and member of Israel's war cabinet, MK Benny Gantz, insinuated in a video statement that Israel would not respond immediately with an attack against Iran.

"Facing Iran, we will build a regional coalition and may Iran pay the price, in a manner and time that is correct for us," Gantz said. Gantz called the results a "strategic achievement" which Israel must "leverage" for its national security.

"This event is not over – the strategic alliance and alignment of regional cooperation must be strengthened, specifically now," Gantz added.

BENNY GANTZ has captured the hearts of many by taking the critical decision to join the prime minister and defense minister to form a war cabinet. He would, however, be mistaken if he thinks this is going to be enough, says the writer. (credit: NOAM REVKIN FENTON/FLASH90)

"The event is not over"

Far-right National Security Minister MK Itamar Ben-Gvir called Gantz's comments "hollow western slogans by those who remain deep in the conception. In order to create deterrence in the Middle East, the boss must go nuts," Ben-Gvir wrote on X. In a video statement earlier on Sunday, Ben-Gvir said that "Israel's cannot give a fumbling response," adding that "policies of containment and proportionality passed from the world on October 7."

The United Nations Security Council was set to meet late Sunday afternoon in New York on Iran’s overnight missile and drone attack on Israel.

“The gravity and the volume of the attacks are unprecedented and are a flagrant violation of Israel’s sovereignty, of international law, and of Security Council resolutions,” Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said in a letter he wrote to the UNSC president asking the 15-member body to convene on the matter.

“The time has come for the Security Council to take action against the Iranian threat,” he said.
Iran’s mission to the UN in New York stated in a post on X early Sunday morning that its attack was an act of self-defense permissible under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

“Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus,” it wrote, as it referred to the April 1 strike that killed seven of its military officials.

Iran defends its actions against Israel

“The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” Iran stated.

UNITED NATIONS Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York City. (credit: Mike Segar/Reuters)

It added that it took action against Israel after the UNSC failed to condemn the Damascus attack, stating that when it came to the Islamic Republic there was a “reversal of roles, equating the victim with the criminal.”

For nearly 45 years, Israel and Iran fought a war under the radar, meticulously avoiding direct conflict, too scary for either side to ponder.

That ended on Saturday night with the Islamic Republic’s juggernaut-style attack.

The end of that era raises the question of what new paradigm will replace the old one.

Officially, the shadow war dates back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the ayatollahs declared Israel “the Little Satan,” partially because of their Islamist ideology, but also because they saw Jerusalem as so closely aligned with the toppled shah of Iran.

In reality, though, the shadow war rose to several levels of intensity already in the early 2000s, when prime minister Ariel Sharon assigned Mossad chief Meir Dagan to thwart Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

A missile is launched during an annual drill in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman and near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran (credit: REUTERS)

By the time Dagan left office in 2011, a host of Iranian nuclear facilities had been sabotaged, and a range of nuclear scientists had mysteriously been blown up or otherwise died.

The conflict hit yet another high gear during Yossi Cohen’s helm in 2016-2021.

By 2017, Iran was trying to create a “ring of fire” around Israel, with militias and operatives in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, the West Bank, and Gaza.

The IDF tried to combat this ring of fire with the MABAM – the war between wars – constant airstrikes on Iranian proxies who tried to build new fronts against Israel, especially in Syria. Jerusalem rarely took credit.

Cohen ordered and managed the 2018 heist of Iran’s nuclear archives, something that eventually flipped the entire West – including the IAEA – against the Islamic Republic, breaking a period where the ayatollahs had, to a large extent, won over the West to neutrality by signing the 2015 nuclear deal.

In January 2020, the US assassinated the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani, the second most powerful man in Iran at the time after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – but only with significant assistance from Israel.

From July 2020 to June 2021, at least three (probably more) Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed, the Mossad was accused, and Iran’s nuclear weapons program founder, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated.

There were additional aggressive actions against Iran that were attributed to the Mossad, including the destruction of drones in 2022 and January 2023.

By February of that year, IDF intelligence concluded that Iran saw Israel not only as “the Little Satan,” but as its core competitor for power and influence in the region.

Iran greenlit acts of aggression against Israel without any international blame

As with the October 7 Massacre that began the Israel-Hamas War, the Iranian drone and missile attacks on Saturday night served as a 'mask off' moment for anti-Israel activists, emphasizing that the protests and advocacy for a ceasefire are not about stopping violence but aiding Hamas.

On October 7, Anti-Israel activists pulled off the thin-veneer of peace advocacy to reveal their antisemitism and violent designs, gleefully celebrating the massacre, rape, torture, execution, and kidnapping in Israeli towns.

Somali-American writer Najma Sharif infamously wrote on X "What did y'all think decolonization meant? Vibes? Papers? Essays? Losers."

One X user called Missfalasteenia said that her mother was making knafa to celebrate the pogrom.

With Israel's response and operation to eliminate Hamas, activists soon swiveled from celebration of what journalist Richard Medhust cheered as a "military operation" to claims it was not a war but a campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Palestinians.

The call for a "permanent ceasefire" became  ubiquitous among activists, Pro-Palestinian politicians, radical celebrities, and anti-Israel organizations. "Permanent ceasefire" resolutions were advanced everywhere from dozens of US city councils to the parliaments of Canada and the United Kingdom.

'Long live the Intifada': Palestinians and pro-Palestinian supporters protest against Israeli attacks on Gaza amid days of conflict between the two sides, in Brooklyn, New York, US, May 15, 2021. (credit: RASHID UMAR ABBASI / REUTERS)

Calls for ceasefire simultaneously promotes violence 

Yet even as pro-Palestinian activists pleaded for an immediate ceasefire, they simultaneously promoted violence.

It is a simple question – Is Israel returning to its October 6 mindset, or has it embraced a post-October 7 mentality?

This pressing question looms over the government as it grapples with the aftermath of the audacious Iranian assault early Sunday morning when the skies lit up with hundreds of suicide drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles hurtling towards Israel.  

The Israel of October 6 would have contained such an attack. Why retaliate after almost all the missiles and drones were intercepted, and except for one girl who was tragically wounded by shrapnel, there were no injuries, deaths or damage to infrastructure?

This policy of containment would have been in line with general Israeli policy at the time. Yes, the IDF occasionally launched an operation over the years to weaken Hamas in Gaza, but it never really went after the root of the problem.

That was all true up until 6:29 am on October 7, when Hamas launched its attack, forcing Israel into a war that shattered the illusion that containment can shield a nation from terror.

Palestinians break into the Israeli side of Israel-Gaza border fence after Hamas terrorists infiltrated areas of southern Israel, October 7, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa)

People can pretend that fences and missile defense systems provide protection, but in reality the threat only grows until, one day, terrorists infiltrate homes to murder, rape and abduct people.

Jordan's Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh said on Sunday any escalation in the region would lead to "dangerous paths" and said that there was a need to reduce escalation by all parties.

In remarks to the cabinet, Khasawneh said the country's armed forces would confront any attempt by any party that sought to endanger the kingdom's security.

The staunch US ally's air defenses intercepted and downed dozens of Iranian drones and missiles that flew over the country's airspace in the direction of Israeli targets, security sources said.