Israel Iran Latest: Iran says it has the right to defend itself after an Israeli strike kills soldiers

Has Israel Heeded US Warnings About Attacks on Iran?published at 03:37 British Summer Time

03:37 BST

Sebastian Usher
Regional Editor Middle East

Iranian state media have acknowledged that explosions took place in and around the capital Tehran. But there is no clarity yet about what exactly the targets were and whether they were successfully hit by Israel.

News sites close to the Revolutionary Guards have said some military bases were targeted. But for now, the Iranian media is downplaying the impact.

The true nature of what happened will probably only trickle down to the Iranian authorities little by little. Israel could move more quickly to reveal the details of its attack, but that could depend on whether or not it plans to carry out another wave.

The Pentagon has said that the US was informed in advance of Israel’s plans and that there was no American involvement in the operation. That is key to Washington’s efforts to prevent the conflict between Israel and Iran from escalating into a confrontation that could inch closer to all-out war. The US will also wait until the dust settles to see whether Israel’s targets were limited to military targets or went further and included facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear program – which could provoke another major response from Tehran.

For now – based on the scant evidence available – Israel may have heeded Washington’s warnings and put some of its more ambitious plans in place to inflict maximum pain on Iranian authorities.