(NewsNation) — Iranian-born attorney and TikTok activist Erica Le Bon criticized protesters and supporters of Iran’s Islamic regime amid recent bombings of Israeli targets, saying they’re “supporting a terrorist regime the Iranian people have been trying to free themselves from.”
“This is not where the story began. And this is not where the story ends,” Le Bon said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “CUOMO.” “This is not a new feud. It’s a decade’s long feud.”
Iran launched a direct military assault on Israel, firing more than 200 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles Saturday in response to an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic facility.
The U.S. and Israel’s air defenses intercepted the majority of the incoming attacks, though one child was wounded and the situation has sparked global condemnation and concerns about potential further escalation.
Iran launches drones and missiles targeting Israel
In a Saturday attack, Iran launched more than 200 “killer drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles” toward Israel, according to an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Iran fired 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles. Of those, several ballistic missiles reached Israeli territory, causing minor damage to an air base.
The attack marks the first time Iran has directly launched a military assault on Israel despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Iranian attack was in response to an earlier Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, Syria, that killed 12 people, including two senior Iranian generals in the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force.
The Biden administration praised Israel on Sunday for their “extraordinary defeat” of an “unprecedented” Iranian attack.
“Israel demonstrated military superiority … It was a spectacular success,” a senior U.S. official said on the condition of anonymity, adding that Iran intended to “destroy and cause casualties.”
President Joe Biden and his team are now urging Israel to proceed with caution in any counterattacks, with hopes to thwart the hostilities from spiraling into a wider war in the Middle East. However, one thing is clear: If Israel chooses reprisals against Iran, the United States will not take part.
“While we believe Israel has the right to defend itself, we will not participate,” the senior U.S. official said. “Our aim is to de-escalate. … Israel has to think through carefully what it does next.”
NewsNation’s Damita Menezes and Rich Johnson contributed to this report.
