Israel has struck military targets inside Iran in retaliatory attack that a senior US official described as “extensive but precise”. Iran said three sites were hit, and that “limited damage” was caused. Here is everything we know so far:
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Israel struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday, saying it was in response to “months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the state of Israel”. The move was widely expected after Tehran’s strikes on Israel earlier this month. Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster, said dozens of fighter jets were involved.
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The Israeli military said on Saturday morning it hit missile manufacturing sites and aerial defences in several areas inside Iran and had completed its “targeted” air attacks, and that its planes had safely returned home. Israel’s public broadcaster said three waves of strikes had been completed. The Israeli military said after its airstrikes: “If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond.”
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At least seven explosions were reported in the skies over the capital, Tehran, and nearby Karaj as well as the eastern city of Mashhad just after 2.30am local time on Saturday, as Israeli jets struck military targets in the country.
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Iran said its air defence system successfully countered Israel’s attacks on military targets in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam, with “limited damage” to some locations. A semi-official Iranian news agency vowed a “proportional reaction” to Israeli moves against Tehran.
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A senior Biden official said the strikes were “extensive”, “precise” and against military targets across Iran in order to deter future aggression. The official stressed that the US considered the operation to be an “end to the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran” and that the US had no involvement in the Israeli military operation.
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US news outlet Axios reported on Saturday that US and Israeli officials assess that Iran will respond militarily but in a limited fashion.
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Iran and Iraq briefly suspended all flights after the Israeli strikes. Iran’s civil aviation authority later resumed flights from 9am (0530 GMT) on Saturday.
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Iranian media initially appeared to downplay the airstrikes, noting that Tehran’s airport was operating normally. State TV reported several strong explosions heard around the capital, while the state news agency, IRNA, said there had been no casualties. There was no immediate official comment about the source of explosions, which Iranian news outlets reported were under investigation. Air defence systems were activated around the country.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took the rare step of acknowledging the attack on Iran, in a confirmation in a statement that a decades-old shadow war between the enemy states has now firmly moved into the open. The IDF posted on X: “In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the state of Israel – right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran.”
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The attacks were widely expected as a retaliation to a missile barrage launched by Iran on 1 October that saw an estimated 180 ballistic missiles fired towards Tel Aviv and military bases, in an unprecedented direct altercation between the two regional enemy states.