Middle East latest: Israeli airstrikes hit targets in Iran

Israel unleashed one series of air raids before dawn against Iran on Saturday, saying it targeted facilities used to fire the missiles at Israel and surface-to-air missile sites.

The attack threatens to bring the archenemies closer to all-out war at a time of… the increasing violence in the Middle Eastwhere militant groups backed by Iran – including Hamas in Gaza And Hezbollah in Lebanon – are already at war with Israel.

The Lebanese Health Ministry says the total toll over the past year amounts to more than 2,600 deaths and 12,200 injuries. The fighting in Lebanon has done just that 1.2 million people driven from their homesincluding more than 400,000 children, according to the United Nations children’s agency. Israeli strikes have killed many of Hezbollah’s top leaders since fighting flared in September.

More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between militants and civilians. The Israel-Hamas war started after that Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023, blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed into the country, killing about 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapping 250 others.

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Here’s the latest:

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Israeli attacks on military bases and said Iran will respond.

A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attacks a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter, particularly regarding the prohibition of threats or use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations.

The ministry emphasized Iran’s inherent right to self-defense, as reflected in Article 51 of the UN Charter, and said the country has a duty to respond to foreign aggression.

JERUSALEM – Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid praised the military’s work but said Israel should have struck harder.

“The decision not to attack strategic and economic targets in Iran was wrong. We could and should have demanded a much higher price from Iran,” Lapid wrote in a post on X.

He said the air force’s actions have demonstrated its operational capabilities, and Israel’s enemies know the army is strong and can attack anywhere.

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s military said two soldiers were killed in Israeli attacks.

The army statement was broadcast by state television’s Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam. The report did not elaborate.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s military said early Saturday that Israeli attacks on the country targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, causing “limited damage.”

The Iranian forces’ statement was read on state television, which did not show images of the damage described. The Iranian military claimed its air defenses limited damage from the strikes, without providing additional evidence.

Israel said it has launched attacks on missile factories and other locations in the country.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel said early Saturday it had completed its attacks on Iran. The Israeli military said in a statement that its planes “returned home safely.”

Its planes “hit missile factories used to produce the missiles that Iran has fired at the State of Israel over the past year,” the military said. “These missiles posed a direct and immediate threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”

It added that it also “hit surface-to-air missiles and additional Iranian air capabilities intended to restrict Israel’s freedom to operate in Iran.” No damage assessment was offered.

Iran acknowledged only “limited damage” to military facilities.

The early airstrikes on Iran on Saturday were a fact retaliation for a ballistic missile attack on October 1, Israeli officials said. The attack, threatened by Israel for weeks, comes as the Middle East stands on the brink of a regional war more than a year later. a first attack by the militant group Hamas on Israel. In the time since, Israel has launched a devastating ground offensive in the Gaza Strip and an invasion of neighboring Lebanon, targeting militants long armed and aided by Tehran.