Daylight has broken in Iran after several hours of Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli military said the strikes, which have now concluded, were in retaliation for Iran’s ballistic missile barrages on Israel earlier this month and in April.
Israel’s military has warned Iran against further escalation, saying it “reserves the right to defend its citizens,” as fears rise the long-running confrontation between the two powerful militaries could escalate into a wider regional war – potentially drawing in the United States.
The Israeli military said it struck manufacturing sites used to produce missiles that Iran has fired at Israel over the past year. It is unclear if those manufacturing facilities also produced missiles launched by Iranian proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthi rebels in Yemen as tensions in the region have boiled since Israel’s invasion of Gaza more than a year ago.
Israel also said it hit Iranian air defense sites early Saturday to allow its aircraft to attack the other targets.
Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said portions of military sites in three provinces – Tehran, Ilam and Khuzestan – were hit, but it said its air defenses were successful and damage was “limited.”
“Dimensions of this incident are under investigation,” IRNA said. Earlier, videos posted to social media by Tehran residents showed explosions in the sky, and tracer fire rising from the city as dawn neared.
Images broadcast by Iranian state media showed calm on the streets of Tehran, with traffic moving and people going about their daily business.
Israel’s decision to strike early Saturday morning came after weeks of deliberations within its security cabinet about the nature and scope of such an attack, Israeli officials said.
The United States pushed Israel not to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure, for fear of igniting a broader conflict, a request Israel seems to have heeded, according to preliminary reports.
“This should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran,” a senior US administration official said after the strikes.