Ground anti-air systems were very active, including the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow system - the latter intended to thwart long-range missiles. The night skies over Israel were lit up for several hours, with explosions ringing out above various cities, especially Jerusalem.

US systems were also heavily engaged on behalf of Washington's closest Middle East ally. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also subsequently said its air force fighter jets downed some 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles. A statement further said "All the drones and cruise missiles were downed outside of the country's airspace by the IAF and its allies, including the United States, United Kingdom, Jordan, France, and others." 

However, a few videos are widely circulating which appear to offer proof that at least some of Iran's ballistic missiles found their way to a ground target, contradicting Israel's optimistic narrative of almost "all" drones and missiles intercepted.

The videos purport to show several missiles scoring direct hits on two key Israeli military bases in the south of the country: Nevatim Airbase and Ramon Airbase (locations on map above).

First, the Nevatim Air Base, which is one of Israel's largest. The below footage appears to show clusters of munitions raining down above the base - possibly decoy bomblets, before several ballistic missiles make impact on the ground.