On the night of Saturday 13 April, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel in response to a strike against its consulate in Damascus on 1 April. This was an unprecedented act of aggression between the two states, and a fourth front in the space of a few months for Benjamin Netanyahu after Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The offensive caused no casualties, and 99% of the missiles were intercepted by Israel’s “Iron Dome”, aided by the intervention of the United States and France, as well as Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Tehran describes this salvo of missiles as a warning, in “response to the repeated crimes” of the Hebrew state, and suggests that unless there is an Israeli response, it will not be followed by other attacks. For its part, the Israeli army has promised a “response”, despite the concerns expressed by the international community, which is calling for restraint in the face of the risk of a regional conflagration. However, the United States and Europe have announced new sanctions against Iran, while Moscow and Beijing are lining up behind Teheran against Washington.
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