Iran's drone attack foiled, Israel gives name to successful operation: ‘Iron Shield’
Hindustan TimesIsrael's successful interception of drones and missiles launched by Iran, has been officially named operation “Iron Shield”, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday. “'Iron Shield' – the official name of the interception and thwarting operation of the Iranian attack on Saturday,” the IDF posted on X. In an unprecedented move, Iran, in its first direct military assault on Israel, launched drones and missiles in retaliation for the April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria's capital, Damascus; Tehran holds Tel Aviv responsible for the attack. Meanwhile, The Times of Israel reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led War Cabinet wrapped up discussions on the Jewish state's retaliation, and added that there were “reports” that a retaliatory move could come “as soon as Monday.” The War Cabinet, it said quoting Channel 12, decided to hit back “clearly and forcefully” to send a “message” to Iran that Israel “will not allow an attack of that magnitude to pass without a reaction.” Separately, the Axios note site reported that Yoav Gallant, Israel's Minister of Defense, told Lloyd Austin, his US counterpart, that due to the use of ballistic missiles, Israel had “no choice but to respond.” According to The Wall Street Journal, the retaliatory options on the table include cyber attacks, targeted strikes on state-owned sites such as Iranian oil infrastructure, strikes on personnel and infrastructure related to Tehran's nuclear programme, and targeting one of its “proxies” in the region.