Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi spoke with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla on Sunday morning following Iran’s overnight mass missile and drone attack on the Jewish state, the military announced.
Halevi expressed “great appreciation for the joint defense effort to thwart and intercept the Iranian attack on Israel,” the IDF said in a statement.
The military leader also conveyed to Kurilla that the “close cooperation between the armies throughout the war resulted in the creation of a strong defense coalition that proved itself last night.”
Iran fired more than 300 missiles and UAVs from its territory toward Israel on Saturday night, in what Tehran claimed was retaliation for the April 1 killing of several IRGC officers in Syria by Israel.
The United States and other countries helped Israel shoot down the projectiles, which amounted to a 99% success rate, according to the IDF. American military forces intercepted over 100 airborne threats.
The Iranian attack creates an opportunity to establish a coalition against the Islamic Republic, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said earlier on Sunday, touring an Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile battery together with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew.
“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,” said Gallant, according to a readout provided by the Defense Ministry.
Kurilla arrived in Israel on Thursday to coordinate with the IDF ahead of the long-awaited attack by Iran and its proxies, Axios reported last week, citing two Israeli officials. The CENTCOM chief reportedly met with Gallant and other senior security and military officials.
