| It’s the same drones and almost the same missiles, but Israel’s outstanding air defences and the decisive help it got from a mighty coalition of allies, including the US, wildly surpass anything Ukraine can hope for. Iran launched its first-ever direct assault on Israeli territory late on Saturday, in retaliation for a deadly strike by Israel on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus on 1 April. The attack included 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles, none of which entered Israeli territory, and 110 ballistic missiles, of which a small number reached Israel, a military spokesman said. The ballistic missiles were fired almost an hour after the slower-moving drones so that they would strike Israel at roughly the same time, Iran said. The goal was to saturate Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ air defence system with a simultaneous strike. According to pundits, only four missiles reached Israeli territory, and all others were intercepted either outside Israeli airspace or over the country. Only one person was injured, a seven-year-old Israeli girl who was hit by shrapnel. Overall, this is quite a remarkable success for Israel and its allies. According to the US Central Command (Centcom), its forces destroyed more than 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed that UK RAF Typhoon jets also shot down a number of Iranian attack drones. Jordan also intercepted flying objects that entered its airspace to secure the safety of its citizens, a Jordanian cabinet statement said. France helped to patrol airspace but it was unclear if they had shot down any drones or missiles, the Israeli military said. | 