Israel hits Iran with missiles and bases in retaliatory strikes

The Israeli military said its strikes hit Iran’s missile production facilities, missile arrays and other systems in several regions.

Iran confirmed an Israeli strike targeted military sites in the capital Tehran and other parts of the country, but said it caused “limited damage”.

Israel has vowed to attack Iran over the October 1 missile attack, the Islamic republic’s second direct attack on its enemy.

The rapid escalation of violence has heightened fears in the region and beyond of a wider war, pitting Israel against Iran and allies it calls the “axis of resistance” on multiple fronts.

“Based on information, IAF (air force) aircraft struck missile production facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran has fired at the State of Israel over the past year,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

“Simultaneously, the IDF (military) struck additional Iranian surface-to-air missile networks and aerial capabilities,” the military said, adding that “the retaliatory strike has been completed and the mission accomplished.”

Since the deadliest attack in its history on October 7, 2023, Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza and since late last month has been at war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas are allies of Iran, as are armed groups in Yemen and Iraq and the Syrian government.

In a statement announcing the operation, the Israeli military said it was carrying out “precision strikes on military targets in Iran” in response to what it said were “months of continuous attacks by the regime in Iran”.

“The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have relentlessly attacked Israel since October 7 – on seven fronts – including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” the military said.

Iran suspended all flights on Saturday until further notice, the aviation authority said.

Iran launched its first direct attack on Israeli territory in April in retaliation for a deadly strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus.

– “Completely mobilized” –

The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war killed 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel’s revenge campaign in Gaza has killed 42,847 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-ruled territory’s Ministry of Health, which the United Nations considers reliable.

Since then, Israel has widened the scope of its operations in Lebanon, vowing to secure its northern border after nearly a year of attacks by Iran-backed Hezbollah in support of Hamas.

At least 1,580 people have been killed in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry figures.

Iran’s October 1 strike came after an Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guards General Abbas Nilforoushan in Lebanon on September 27.

Nasrallah’s killing, which dealt a seismic blow to Hezbollah, followed the July 31 killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in an attack widely blamed on Israel.

Iran’s air defense force confirmed that an Israeli attack targeted several military bases in Tehran and other areas.

“This fake regime (Israel) attacked parts of military centers in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces,” it said in a statement, adding that the attack “caused limited damage” while it was intercepted.

Earlier, Iranian state television reported explosions around the capital, saying they were due to the “activation of the air defense system” against an Israeli attack.

An AFP reporter in Tehran also heard explosions.

– informed USA –

Iran has warned in recent weeks that any attack on its infrastructure would provoke an “even stronger response”, while Revolutionary Guards General Rassul Sanairad said an attack on nuclear or energy sites would cross a red line.

US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the “targeted attacks on military targets” were “an exercise in self-defense and in response to Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack against Israel.”

The United States was “briefed in advance and there is no US involvement,” a US defense official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The official did not say how far in advance the United States was informed or what was shared by Israel.

Syrian state news agency SANA said Israel carried out an airstrike on Saturday from the occupied Golan Heights and Lebanon, targeting military positions in Syria.

Citing an unnamed military source, the agency said the attack around 2:00 a.m. (2300 GMT) targeted positions in central and southern Syria.

The attack prompted Syria to activate its air defenses, SANA said, while Israel announced it would launch “precision strikes” on neighboring Iran.

Iran and Syria are allies in the so-called “axis of resistance” that also includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Gaza’s Hamas.

“Our air defenses are facing hostile targets in the skies around Damascus,” state news agency SANA reported on Telegram.

SANA had previously reported “sounds of explosions” in the vicinity of the Syrian capital.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose network of pro-Iran factions, claimed early Saturday a drone strike against a “military target” in northern Israel after the announcement of Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iraq suspended all air traffic at its airports on Saturday until further notice after Israel’s attack.