US shot down most Iranian missiles and drones, not Israel: Report

US shot down most Iranian missiles and drones, not Israel: Report

A majority of the missiles and drones launched by Iran towards Israel on April 13 were intercepted and shot down by the United States, not by Israel, a report analysing the attack data stated. US military officials, who spoke to an American news outlet, The Intercept, stated more than half were destroyed by US aircraft and missiles before they reached Israel.

In a first, Iran launched a direct attack on Israel on Saturday, firing more than 300 missiles and drones. Immediately after the attack, Israel said more than “99 per cent” of the weapons were intercepted by their forces with the help of its allies, including the US, Jordan, France, and Britain.

Preliminary estimates by US military sources mentioned that half of Iran’s weapons experienced some sort of technical failure. Of the remaining missiles, more than 80 were destroyed by the US.

The US Central Command said its forces “successfully engaged and destroyed more than 80 one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and at least six ballistic missiles intended to strike Israel from Iran and Yemen”, the report said.Â

However, the US has not disclosed where its aircraft intercepted these weapons. The US has an active military base in Saudi Arabia.Â

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in a statement, said approximately 25 cruise missiles “were intercepted by IAF (Israeli Air Force) fighter jets outside the country’s borders”.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also said that Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) intercepted “a number” of Iranian missiles, while the Jordanian government too hinted at downing some Iranian weapons, without specifying any numbers.

According to Israel, Iran had launched over 330 drones, low-flying cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. This arsenal included 30 Paveh-type cruise missiles, approximately 180 Shahed drones, and 120 Emad intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

While all the drones and cruise missiles were launched from Iranian territory, some missiles were also launched from Yemen.

Iran stated that its attack was in retaliation for a deadly April 1 airstrike on Tehran’s consulate building in Syria’s capital, Damascus, an incident widely attributed to Israel.

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