Israel launched an attack on Iran’s military bases on Saturday, says the Israeli military. Iran’s state media reported that multiple explosions were heard in Tehran and nearby bases after the attack, according to a Reuters’ report.
Israel’s ongoing attack is in response to Iran’s ballistic-missile barrage attack on October 1. In that attack almost 200 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel from Iran. The second direct attack from Iranian soil against Israel in six months.
After Israel killed the senior leaders of Hezbollah, an Iranian ally in Lebanon, Iran responded by targeting what it claimed were Israeli military sites. Hezbollah militants, allied with Iran, entered the conflict alongside Hamas, the Gaza-based group also backed by Iran, which launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
“In response to Iran’s continuous attacks on Israel, the Israel Defense Forces are conducting targeted strikes on Iranian military installations,” Israel’s military stated. The strikes are a response to attacks from Iran and its proxies, including missile launches from Iranian soil.
Although the full extent of the strikes was initially unclear, an Israeli public broadcaster reported that dozens of jets were targeting military facilities. Reports from NBC and ABC News, citing Israeli officials, confirmed that energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities were not included in the strikes.
U.S. President Joe Biden has warned that while the U.S. supports Israel, it does not endorse attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and advised Israel against targeting Iran’s oil fields.
Iranian Response
Iranian media, including the Fars news agency, reported that Israeli strikes targeted several military bases near Tehran, but Iranian sources minimised the impact, stating that life in Tehran continued uninterrupted. The Tasnim News Agency claimed that the bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps suffered no damage. State TV broadcasts footage of passengers arriving at Tehran’s main airport.
Israel also conducted airstrikes on military sites in central and southern Syria, according to the Syrian news agency SANA. Syrian air defences intercepted some missiles launched from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Lebanon. Israel has not confirmed these attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant closely monitored the operation from Israel’s military command center. Israel informed the United States in advance, though the U.S. did not participate in the strikes. White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett stated that the strikes were acts of self-defense in response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack on October 1.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned Israel against further escalation, while Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that any attacks on Israel would incur significant consequences.
(With inputs from Reuters)