Video Aftermath: Iran Launches Dozens of Missiles into Israel After American Airstrikes

Photo of search and rescue mission in Tel Aviv, Israel, after Iran’s response to American airstrikes.

In a shocking move and under the orders of Donald Trump, the U.S. military conducted airstrikes against Iran in the early hours of June 21st, allegedly targeting its nuclear sites. The attack was labeled “Operation Midnight Hammer.” After the airstrikes, Trump took to social media to say this is a time for peace. In response to what many have called an illegal attack, Iran has turned up its missile strikes against Israel, and the results are catastrophic.

How It Started

In what Israel described as an act of “preemptive war” and others have called unnecessary provocation, Israel attacked Iran on June 13th, targeting nuclear and military sites. Since then, Israel military attacks have killed over 450 Iranians. Iran’s retaliatory resolutions have killed roughly 24 Israelis, with those numbers likely to grow on both sides. Over 3,500 Iranians have been wounded, and hundreds of Israelis have been injured.

Iran Fights Back

According to the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS.org), after America’s airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran launched two volleys of ballistic missiles into central and northern Israel early Sunday morning, June 22nd. At the time, emergency services reported that 16 people were hospitalized, while 15 others suffered minor injuries.

Later, the Israeli Health Ministry updated the number of those injured. The organization reported 86 people had been evacuated to hospitals. 77 had light injuries. At least 4 had anxiety, with 3 under medical evaluation. 25 were being treated at impact sites. Sites are still being searched for potential victims.

The city of Haifa was confirmed as hit as well by the IDF. However, none of the city’s alarms sounded. The IDF denies there is any problem with the alert system but noted “… authorities are examining the possibility of an issue with the interceptor system.” Some are concerned about the vulnerability of Israel’s defense system after it seemingly failed in Haifa. According to JNS, authorities said that “… a prior warning had been issued for the area. The incident remains under review.”

America Last

JNS writes, “The Iranian missile barrage came hours after U.S. airstrikes that, according to President Donald Trump, ‘totally obliterated’ Iran’s primary nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Trump declared the operation ‘extremely successful.”

According to The Guardian, two Israeli officials contradicted Donald Trump’s claims about the Iran nuclear strikes and “described serious damage at Fordow but said the site had not been completely destroyed.” Iran claims it began evacuating the targeted nuclear sites days ago.

The deputy political head of Iran’s state broadcaster, Hassan Abedini, said Iran had evacuated the 3 targeted sites of Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow a while ago. The Guardian says, “Three days before the US attacks, 16 cargo trucks were seen near the Fordow entrance tunnel.” Unusual traffic near the sites as seen from satellite images suggests nuclear materials were transported before the attack. Iran claims to have at least one other unknown nuclear facility.

While Trump has argued attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities will prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons, experts disagree. As pointed out by The Guardian, “Analysts have long argued that while it is possible to disrupt the physical function of a nuclear facility and limit the scope of a programme through, for example, the Israeli assassination of scientists, the breadth of technical knowledge acquired during the decades-long programme is impossible to destroy.”

Trump can destroy materials, facilities and people in Iran, but he can’t destroy the knowledge of nuclear weapons-making. Therefore, this war is pointless on its face. America and Israel want Iran to capitulate and agree to not ever arm themselves with nuclear weapons. Iran has sovereign rights and is a member nation of the UN.

The Takeaway

In a “preemptive” strike on June 13th, Israel attacked Iran over its nuclear program. Donald Trump followed behind on June 21st, using the U.S. military to conduct what might be illegal airstrikes in Iran called Operation Midnight Hammer. There were no casualties in Iran, but the country did strike back, launching missiles into central and northern Israel on Sunday. America’s airstrikes don’t seem to be as successful as Donald Trump is attempting to have the public believe. Experts contend bombing nuclear sites can’t stop the development of nuclear weapons by Iran. Iran is a sovereign nation. It should not be attacked for exercising its sovereignty, and America has no place in a war attempting to suppress that sovereignty.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block. Join the email list to get notifications on new blog posts and books. This article is 100% human-written. And remember, if you see an error, that’s what makes us human.

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