Saturday’s mass missile and drone attack by Iran creates an opportunity to establish a coalition against the Islamic Republic, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday, touring an Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile battery together with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew.
“Last night, Israel experienced one of the most dramatic nights we have ever experienced—hundreds of missiles of various types were fired at the State of Israel, including over 100 ballistic missiles fired from Iran, each with hundreds of kilograms of explosives,” said Gallant, according to a readout provided by the Defense Ministry.
“Together with the U.S. and other countries, we have established a strong and powerful alliance, with coordination and synchronization between the defense establishments of the State of Israel, the U.S. and our partners,” continued the defense minister.
The United States, United Kingdom and Jordan downed many of the over 300 projectiles launched towards Israel, while France also played a role in defending the Jewish state against the unprecedented attack.
Gallant noted that this international cooperation brought about “complete containment of the threats except for a very, very small margin.”
Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari revealed earlier on Sunday that Jerusalem and its allies intercepted some 99% of the threats, noting that none of the 170 drones that Iran launched penetrated Israeli airspace.
“We have an opportunity here to establish a strategic alliance against this serious threat from Iran, which threatens to put nuclear explosives on the heads of these missiles. This could be a very serious threat,” said Gallant.
“The U.S., Israel and its allies stand shoulder to shoulder to defend against this threat,” he concluded.
Gallant’s remarks echoed earlier comments by War Cabinet member Minister Benny Gantz, who vowed to “build a regional coalition, and ...exact a price from Iran in the way and at the time that is right for us.”
