Israel carries out retaliatory airstrikes on Iranian military targets

Updated October 26, 2024 at 8:57 AM ET

The Israeli military launched what it called “precision strikes” on Iran early Saturday in response to the October 1 missile attack that Iran launched on Israel.

In one statementIsraeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “In response to months of continued attacks by the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – the Israeli military is currently conducting precise strikes against military targets in Iran.”

Israel’s attack ended just before dawn in Tehran, with the Israeli military saying it had “fulfilled its mission” by carrying out what it called “targeted and precise strikes against military targets in Iran.”

It said the targets included “missile production facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran has fired against the State of Israel over the past year,” as well as surface-to-air missile sites and “additional Iranian air capabilities.”

An official briefed on the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly said Israel carried out three waves of attacks: the first was on Iranian air defenses, and the second and third targeted storage and production sites of ballistic missiles and drones .

The official said the response was intended to send a warning to Iran that Israel’s intelligence services and air force are far-reaching and could act in the future, but also as a quid pro quo following Iran’s rocket attacks on Israel on 1 October. 1 and in a way that Iran could keep the situation under control.

Israel did not estimate the damage, but Iranian state media reported several casualties in Iran, although the Iranian government said there was only “limited damage.”

According to state news agency IRNA, the Iranian military said it had thwarted attacks on military sites in three provinces; Khuzestan in the southwest, Ilam in the northwest and the region around the capital Tehran. It also said two soldiers had been killed.

It is the latest in a series of reprisals

On October 1 Iran launched about 180 ballistic missiles at Israelmost of which were shot down by Israeli air defenses with the help of US forces.

That attack was in response to a series of Israeli attacks on the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which supports Iran. killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike and then send troops across the border to South Lebanon.

Israel has done that too bombarded Lebanon with air strikes which they say are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah, but which have already cost the lives of thousands of people for several weeks.

Israel and Hezbollah had been engaged in a low-level war of cross-border fire since October 8, 2023, the day after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel. Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas.

And Iran had done that before launched a wave of missiles at Israel April marked the first time the Islamic regime attacked Israel directly, after decades of using proxies to organize attacks.

The hours-long barrage of airstrikes on targets in Iran on Saturday marked the first time Israel’s forces had openly attacked Iran. and was in fact the first large-scale and public attack on such a wide range of military infrastructure since the war with Iraq in the 1980s.

US official calls Israeli attacks ‘targeted and proportionate’

A senior U.S. government official told reporters on a late-night conference call that the United States had not participated in the military operation, saying it was “targeted and proportionate with a low risk of civilian harm.” President Biden and US officials had encouraged Israel to pursue a targeted response. “That appears to be exactly what happened tonight,” the official said.

But within Israel there is talk of a decision not to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities or energy infrastructure led to mixed reactions, with former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman post on social media that “instead of collecting a real prize, the Israeli government is once again content with showmanship and public relations. Lieberman, who now heads a political party opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called the limited strikes “buying silence instead of a clear decision. ”

Another opposition leader, Yair Lapid, said on social media that “the decision not to attack strategic and economic targets in Iran was wrong,” adding that Israel “could and should have charged Iran a much higher price.”

The U.S. official, speaking on a conference call late Friday, declined to comment on the targets hit, other than to say they were chosen to deter future attacks by Iran. “It was extensive. It was purposeful. It was accurate. It targeted military targets throughout Iran. It was, in more ways than one, very carefully prepared. And again, I think it was designed to be effective,” the official said.

If Iran responds, the United States is prepared to help Israel defend itself against an attack, the official said, noting that officials had been working to strengthen Israel’s air defense systems before Friday.

“The United States is ready to continue talks to end the wars in Lebanon and Gaza,” the official said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the region this week and “further engagements” and meetings will take place in the coming days, the official said.

The White House told reporters that Biden had been briefed by his team and had been closely monitoring developments throughout the evening. Vice President Harris, who was campaigning in Houston, was also informed, the White House said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at a meeting of Commonwealth heads of state in Samoa, called on Iran not to respond to these latest attacks and urged all warring parties in the region to de-escalate.

Several countries in the region condemned the Israeli attacks, including Qatar, where the Foreign Ministry is located expressed “deep concern” over what it called a “blatant violation of Iranian sovereignty and a clear violation of the principles of international law.”

Egypt, which along with Qatar has been deeply involved in efforts with the United States to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, said it condemned the attacks that constituted the kind of measures that “destroy the security and stability of threaten the region.”

The Saudi Foreign Ministry also said the attacks violated Iran’s sovereignty as well as “international laws and norms.”

The Iranian Foreign Ministry itself called the Israeli attacks a violation of international law and the UN Charter post on social media of the Tehran Times.