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

A report analyzing attack data said that most of the missiles and drones launched by Iran towards Israel on April 13 were intercepted and shot down by the United States, not Israel. U.S. military officials told U.S. news outlet The Intercept that more than half of them were destroyed by U.S. aircraft and missiles before reaching Israel.

On Saturday, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel, launching more than 300 missiles and drones. Immediately after the attack, Israel said its forces, with help from allies including the United States, Jordan, France and Britain, had intercepted “more than 99 percent” of the weapons.

U.S. military sources initially estimate that half of Iran’s weapons have some kind of technical malfunction. More than 80 of the remaining missiles were destroyed by the United States.

U.S. Central Command said its forces “successfully shot down and destroyed more than 80 one-way attack drones (OWA UAVs) and at least six ballistic missiles aimed at striking Israel from Iran and Yemen,” the report said.

But the United States has not revealed where it is Aircraft intercepted the weapons. The United States has active military bases in Saudi Arabia.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that some 25 cruise missiles “were intercepted by Israeli Air Force fighter jets outside the country.”

British Prime Minister Sunak also said that the Royal Air Force had intercepted “some” Iranian missiles, while the Jordanian government also hinted that it would shoot down some Iranian weapons, but did not specify the exact number.

According to Israel, Iran launched more than 330 drones, low-flying cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. The arsenal includes 30 “Pavi” cruise missiles, about 180 “Shahed” unmanned aerial vehicles and 120 “Emad” medium-range ballistic missiles.

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

Iran said the attack was in retaliation for a deadly airstrike on Tehran’s consulate building in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1, which was widely blamed on Israel.