IDF intercepts cruise missiles, drones fired from Iraq at north and south
No impacts reported as most threats do not enter Israeli airspace; coalition of pro-Iran armed groups claims responsibility, says acting in support of Gaza
Air defenses intercepted two cruise missiles and two drones fired from Iraq, none of which hit Israeli territory, the military reported Sunday.
A group of Iran-backed Iraqi militias claimed responsibility for the attacks.
They came as conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah escalated over the weekend, with the Iran-backed terror group firing barrages of rockets deeper into the country than at any time during the current conflict, while the IDF carried out strikes to destroy hundreds of launchers. The spiraling violence has raised fears of looming regional conflict.
Mid-morning, a suspected drone that entered Israeli airspace from the east was shot down by air defenses over the southern Golan Heights, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Sirens had sounded in several towns due to fears of falling shrapnel, but there were no injuries or damage in the incident.
Earlier, a drone from Iraq was intercepted as it headed toward southern Israel, setting off sirens in Be’er Ora, close to Eilat. It was shot down before it could enter Israeli airspace, according to the military.
Before dawn, two apparent cruise missiles launched from Iraq were shot down by the military as they headed toward the southern Golan Heights. Both targets were also intercepted outside of Israeli airspace, the IDF said.
“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq targeted on Sunday morning a strategic location in the occupied territories using drones,” said the Iraqi coalition in a statement on Telegram, referring to Israel, and adding it was carried out “in support of our people in Gaza.”
The same Iraqi group has claimed to have launched numerous drones at Israel amid the war in the Gaza Strip, most of which failed to cross Israel’s border or were downed by air defenses.
It claimed responsibility for a drone attack earlier this month, saying it fired the weapon at the port city of Haifa. That too was shot down before it entered Israeli airspace, the IDF said at the time.
Last week an Israeli fighter jet intercepted a drone near the Sea of Galilee that had been launched from Iraq, the IDF said. The drone set off sirens in Tiberias and several other communities.
Eilat has also come under attack by other Iran-backed groups amid the war in the Gaza Strip, including Yemen’s Houthis and a group in Syria linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
In April, a drone apparently launched from Iran struck a building in a naval base in Israel’s southernmost city. Slight damage was caused to a building in Eilat Bay, and there were no injuries the IDF said.
In November, a school in Eilat was hit by a drone launched from Syria, and in March, a cruise missile fired from Yemen struck an open area north of the city.
War in Gaza erupted when Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel responded with a military campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza and rescue 251 hostages that terrorists had abducted and taken captive in Gaza.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
The conflict escalated sharply after Israel on Friday assassinated top Hezbollah commanders Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Wahbi, along with other top members of the group, in an airstrike on a residential building in Beirut, where the terror group leaders had gathered for a meeting in an underground room.
The devastating strike was a further blow to the Iranian proxy, already smarting from widespread explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon last week, which killed more than 30 members of the terror group and wounded thousands. The attack was attributed to Israel, which has not commented on it.
