Israel says most of Iranian missiles intercepted

Israel said most of the Iranian missiles launched on Saturday were intercepted outside of the country by Israeli and allied defense systems.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported in a Telegram post that the “vast majority” of the dozens of Iranian surface-to-surface missiles were identified approaching Israeli territory and were “successfully intercepted” by the country’s air defenses, along with the assistance of allies, including U.S. forces.

“A small number of hits were identified, including at an IDF base in southern Israel, where minor damage was caused to infrastructure,” the Israeli military said.

Iranian state-run media outlets reported that Ramon air base in southern Israel was struck by seven missiles, while they also reported successful attacks on Nevatim air base, one of the largest in Israel.

The U.S. has been working with Israel to intercept the Iranian missiles and drones, along with Jordan’s air force.

Iran launched a wave of drone and missile attacks on Israel late Saturday night local time and the assault is continuing.

Israel is on high alert and has deployed air force and naval assets, along with putting on full alert its Iron Dome air defense system.

The Iranian attack was anticipated after Tehran made highly public threats against Israel for more than a week following an alleged Israeli strike earlier this month that killed two senior officers with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran said hitting the consulate near the embassy was the same as striking Iranian soil and vowed to retaliate. The loss of the officers was also a major blow to Iran.

The White House previously assessed earlier Saturday that Iran’s attack would continue for hours.