Two soldiers killed in Israeli airstrikes, Iran says

Iran said an Israeli strike on Saturday targeted military sites in the Islamic Republic, killing two soldiers, nearly a month after Israel vowed to retaliate for a barrage of rockets that raised fears of a large-scale war in the Middle East.

The Israeli military said its retaliatory airstrikes hit Iran’s missile production facilities, missile installations and other systems in several regions. It warned Iran that it would “pay a high price” if it responded.

Iran confirmed that an Israeli strike targeted military sites in Tehran province around the capital and other parts of the country, saying it had caused “limited damage”. The armed forces said two soldiers were later killed in the attacks.

Israel had vowed to take revenge on Iran for its barrage of 200 missiles on October 1, the second-ever direct attack by Iran on its arch-enemy. Most of those missiles were intercepted, but one person was killed.

The Israeli retaliation drew condemnation from Hamas and Saudi Arabia, which warned of further escalation.

Israel is already engaged in a battle on two fronts: since last month, a full-scale war against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, and in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Palestinian Hamas militants for more than a year and the United Nations calls the “darkest moment” of that conflict was unfolding.