The Israeli army launches attacks on military targets in Iran, officials say

By JON GAMBRELL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel bombarded Iran with a series of airstrikes early Saturday, saying it targeted military sites in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired on Israel earlier this month. Explosions were heard in the Iranian capital Tehran, although there was no immediate information on damage or casualties.

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. It was also the first time the Israeli military has openly attacked Iran, which has not faced a sustained barrage from a foreign enemy since the war with Iraq in the 1980s.

Israel said on Saturday that it had launched “precise attacks on military targets” and that they did not target nuclear or oil facilities, according to two Israeli officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing operation with the media.

“The regime in Iran and its allies in the region have been ruthlessly attacking Israel since October 7 … including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a pre-recorded video statement early Saturday. “Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and obligation to respond.”

Initially, nuclear facilities and oil installations were all seen as possible targets for Israel’s response to the October 1 Iranian attack, but by mid-October the Biden administration believed it had won. guarantees from Israel that such targets would not be hit, which would mean a more serious escalation.

Explosions heard throughout Tehran

Iranian state media acknowledged the explosions heard in Tehran and said some sounds came from air defense systems around the city.

But other than a brief reference, Iranian state television provided no other details and even began showing what it described as live footage of men loading trucks at a vegetable market in Tehran in an apparent attempt to downplay the attack.

A Tehran resident told The Associated Press that at least seven explosions were heard during the first wave of attacks, shaking up the area. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

As explosions rang out, people in Tehran could see what appeared to be tracer fire lighting up the sky. Other images showed what appeared to be surface-to-air missiles being launched.

Iran closed the country’s airspace early Saturday, and flight data analyzed by AP showed commercial airlines had largely left airspace over Iran, and in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed and would continue to receive updates.

In Syria, state news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military official, reported rocket fire targeting military sites in the country’s central and southern regions. It said Syrian air defenses shot down a number of missiles. There was no immediate information about casualties.

Missile attacks by Iran led to an Israeli attack

Iran fired a wave of missiles and drones into Israel last April after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria on an Iranian diplomatic post. The missiles and drones caused minimal damage, and Israel – under pressure from Western countries to show restraint – responded with a limited attack that it had not openly claimed.

But after the Iranian missile attack in early October, Israel promised a tougher response. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately said Iran “has made a big mistake.”

A strong Israeli attack on Iran threatens to further ensnare the US, which maintains a large troop presence in the Persian Gulf and has helped Israel defend itself against attacks from Iran and its allies.

Iran launched at least 180 rockets at Israel on the evening of October 1, causing Israelis to rush into shelters but causing only minimal damage and some injuries. Iran said the barrage was in retaliation for attacks in recent months that killed leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Iranian military.

Before the Iranian attack in October, Israel had landed a number of them devastating blows against Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel almost daily for more than a year – since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

Dozens were killed and thousands were injured when pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded in September during two days of attacks blamed on Israel. A massive Israeli airstrike outside Beirut the following week killed Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders.

Israel then increased pressure on Hezbollah by launching a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. More than a million Lebanese have been displaced, and the death toll has risen sharply as airstrikes continue in and around Beirut.

Israel has said it will continue to attack Hezbollah until it is safe for Israeli citizens driven from their homes near the border with Lebanon to return. Hezbollah has pledged to continue firing rockets into Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli attack is the latest in the wars in the Middle East

When Hamas and other militants attacked Israel last October 7, they killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took some 250 hostages into Gaza. In response, Israel launched a devastating air and ground offensive against Hamas, and Netanyahu has vowed to continue it until all hostages are released. There are about a hundred left and a third are probably already dead.

More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local health officials. They make no distinction between civilians and fighters, but say more than half of the dead are women and children.

Israel’s attacks on Iran on Saturday came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to the US after a tour of the Middle East, where he and other US officials had warned Israel to respond in a way that would would not allow the conflict in the US to escalate further. region.

Two US officials said the US had been informed in advance by Israel of the attacks. They said there was no American involvement in the operation. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation.

Israel and Iran have been bitter enemies since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel views Iran as its biggest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups and the country’s nuclear program.

Israel and Iran are engaged in a years-long shadow war. A suspected Israeli assassination campaign has killed Iranian nuclear scientists. Iranian nuclear facilities have been hacked or sabotaged, all in mysterious attacks blamed on Israel.

Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which later evolved into Yemen’s Houthi rebels’ attacks on shipping through the Red Sea corridor.

Since the Hamas attack on October 7, the shadow war has increasingly come to light.

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Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran; Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel; Abby Sewell in Beirut; and Lolita C. Baldor, Farnoush Amiri and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

Originally published: October 24, 2024 at 10:31 PM