Israel’s Defense Forces remained on high alert Monday, one day after Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack put the country on lockdown and sent fighter jets – and advanced missile defense systems – roaring into action.

While some of the civilian restrictions put in place by the army’s Home Front Command on Saturday were eased early on Monday morning, including the resumption of childrens’ activities during the Passover vacation, the Israeli army reported additional UAV infiltration attempts from the east and the south overnight as the country’s leaders met to debate how to respond to Tehran.

In Israel, the defensive operation against the first attack by another regional country since Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s attempts during the first Gulf War in 1991 was seen as a huge success, not only for the effectiveness of Israeli-designed military defense systems but also because of seamless cooperation and support that came from Israel’s close allies – the U.S., Britain and France, as well as from neighboring countries, most notably Jordan.

The combined effort, which is believed to have included fighter jets and defensive systems deployed by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, came under the umbrella of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), whose mandate is to coordinate military operations and activities between its allies in the Middle East. CENTCOM also aims to bolster regional security and support U.S. interests, including pushing back against Iranian aggression.

“Last night, a defensive coalition of Israel and its international partners successfully thwarted a large-scale attack from Iran,” IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said during a briefing on Sunday. “The threat from Iran was met with the aerial, operational, technological, and intelligence superiority of a united defensive coalition of international allies led by the United States, together with Great Britain, France, and other partners.”

He added, “This was the first time that such a coalition worked together against the threat of Iran and its proxies in the Middle East” and that combined effort, which also included the deployment of the Iron Dome, the David’s Sling and the Arrow 2 and 3 defense systems, “intercepted 99% of the threats to Israel.”

A statement from G7 leaders, who convened yesterday, accused Iran of having “further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided. We will continue to work to stabilize the situation and avoid further escalation. In this spirit, we demand that Iran and its proxies cease their attacks, and we stand ready to take further measures now and in response to further destabilizing initiatives.”

Israel moved from the U.S.’ European military command, EUCOM, to CENTCOM in September 2021, one year after signing the Abraham Accords normalization agreements with the UAE and Bahrain. CENTCOM Commander Gen. Erik Kurilla traveled to Israel last Thursday, and extended his trip through Saturday afternoon, departing hours before the missiles were fired.

While there has been no public announcement stating exactly which nations participated in Sunday’s defensive operation against Iran, U.S. officials sent readouts of conversations with leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia condemning Iran’s attack, reiterating support for Israel and thanking them for being part of the alliance.  

A statement from Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, noted that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had spoken with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. Austin “underscored the importance of the enduring U.S. defense partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reiterated the United States’ commitment to working with the Kingdom and other partners to de-escalate tensions in the region,” the statement said. 

Hours after Sunday’s attack, the IDF’s chief of general staff, Herzi Halevi, spoke with Kurilla, to whom he expressed “great appreciation for the joint defensive effort in thwarting and intercepting the Iranian attack toward Israel.”

Halevi also told Kurilla “that the close cooperation between the two militaries throughout the war has led to the formation of a strong defensive coalition that proved itself last night.”

“Israel’s transfer to CENTCOM in 2021 basically paved the way for greater cooperation in what can be called interoperability between the Israeli military and other militaries in the region under the umbrella of the United States,” Yaakov Katz, senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute and the author of three books on Israeli military affairs, told Jewish Insider on Monday.

“We saw that play out early Sunday morning, with the regional cooperation between Israel, Jordan, American British and others in the region, who helped intercept and stop the Iranian assault of drones and missiles against Israel, all coordinated by the United States and by the commander of CENTCOM who had even visited Israel a couple of days before,” he said.

Katz said that going forward, “this lays the foundation and enables a growing and further cooperation that can be leveraged also towards potential diplomatic normalization and not just in the military realm as was seen Sunday morning.”

Late Sunday night, Israel’s intimate three-man war cabinet – consisting of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and former head of Israel’s military, Benny Gantz – met to weigh the country’s next steps. 

According to reports, the meeting ended without a clear decision. As of Monday morning, the IDF had yet to respond to the attack, in which an estimated 30 cruise missiles, 120 ballistic missiles, and 170 suicide drones were launched, as it faced pressure from allies including the U.S. and U.K. not to take steps that would further ignite an already tense region. 

There was also some indication that Israel might utilize the success of Sunday’s military coalition and focus instead on working to create a united front against Iran’s determined nuclear ambitions, a stance Netanyahu has long pushed.

A statement from Gallant’s office on Sunday night said that the minister had spoken with Austin, thanking him for the “unparalleled cooperation and coordination demonstrated by the defense establishments and militaries of both countries, together with international partners.” 

According to the release, the Israeli minister also highlighted “the opportunity to establish an international coalition and strategic alliance to counter the threat posed by Iran.”

Sima Shine, head of the Iran program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said that while Israel had the military and intelligence capabilities to respond to Iran, she did not believe a retaliation would be immediate or would happen without coordinating with the U.S.

“Israel cannot retaliate without consulting with the Americans,” she said, emphasizing that it was “vital” for Israel to work together with the U.S. and other partners and “not to retaliate tomorrow.”

Shine, former head of the research and evaluation division of the Mossad, said that “Israel has the military capabilities to attack in Iran but if it does retaliate it will be on military sites and not on civilian sites or economic sites.”

“It will be within the same parameters of this attack – on different military systems in Iran,” she said, adding, “and we do have a lot of intelligence and knowledge of what is happening in Iran.”