|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/04/14/iran-attack-israel-us-military/
U.S. Details Pentagon's Role in Defending Israel from Iranian Attack
(Washington Post) Dan Lamothe - A senior U.S. military official said the USS Carney and USS Arleigh Burke, destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, shot down between four and six ballistic missiles in the Iranian attack. U.S. troops manning the Patriot missile defense system in Irbil, Iraq, took down another missile. "There's virtually no infrastructure damage to Israel at all," he said, despite Iran's intent to cause "significant damage and deaths in Israel." Retired Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, who oversaw U.S. forces in the Middle East before retiring in 2022, said on Sunday that Iran expended a lot of resources in the attack that will affect its ability to carry out anything similar soon. McKenzie said that Iran has more than 3,000 missiles scattered across the country, with a little more than 100 in western Iran, where they can target Israel. "Based on what the Israelis are saying, I believe they fired most of those weapons at Israel....Iran could not replicate last night's attack tonight, if they had to." McKenzie called the attack a "maximum effort," and said there was "nothing moderate" about it. Iran used its "most important capability," ballistic missiles, in the assault, and it still failed, he assessed. "So I think Israel this morning is now much stronger than they were yesterday, and Iran is relatively weaker than it was yesterday."