Iran warns it will defend itself after Israeli attacks – Middle East and Africa

Israel warned that Iran would “pay a high price” if it responded to the attacks, and the United States, Germany and Britain demanded that Tehran not further escalate the conflict.

US President Joe Biden said he hoped “this is the end” after the Israeli pre-dawn attacks, noting that “it doesn’t seem like they hit anything other than military targets.”

Biden had urged Israel to spare nuclear and oil facilities during its retaliatory strikes, and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed no nuclear sites were hit.

The European Union called on all parties to exercise utmost restraint to avoid an “uncontrollable escalation”.

Other countries, including many of Iran’s neighbors, condemned Israel’s attacks and some, such as Russia, urged both sides to show restraint and avoid what Moscow called a “catastrophic scenario.”

Iran insisted it has “the right and duty” to defend itself, while its Lebanese ally Hezbollah said it had already launched rocket salvos at five residential areas in northern Israel.

The Israeli military said 80 projectiles were fired across the border on Saturday.

Hezbollah later issued evacuation warnings for more than a dozen named locations in Israel, in a new move that mirrors warnings the Israeli military has long issued for areas in Gaza and Lebanon where it plans to operate.

‘Limited damage’

The Israeli military confirmed its own strikes after explosions and anti-aircraft fire echoed around Tehran and said it had hit Iranian missile factories and military facilities in several provinces.

The “retaliatory strike is complete and the mission accomplished” and the Israeli aircraft have “returned safely,” a military spokesman said.

Iran confirmed that Israel had attacked military sites around the capital and in other provinces, saying the raids caused “limited damage” but killed four soldiers.

The General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces said only radar systems were damaged in the attacks and there would be no threat of immediate retaliation.

“While Iran reserves its legal and legitimate right to respond at the appropriate time, it is prioritizing the establishment of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon,” the report said.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held telephone conversations with his Egyptian, Qatari and Syrian counterparts.

Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, a key mediator of the ceasefire in Gaza, expressed “deep concern about the serious consequences that could result from this escalation,” his ministry said.

Direct attack

Israel had vowed to retaliate after Oct. 1, when Iran fired about 200 missiles in only its second-ever direct attack on its arch-enemy. Most of those missiles were intercepted, but one person was killed.

The Israeli retaliation drew condemnation from Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Saudi Arabia, which warned of further escalation. Jordan said Israeli aircraft had not used its airspace.

Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics, calling for an end to “terror created by Israel.”

Israel is already fighting on two fronts.

Since last month, the country has been waging a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, including attacks that have killed the group’s leadership and ground incursions seeking to destroy missile sites.

And for more than a year since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a war in Gaza that has caused massive civilian casualties in the densely populated Palestinian territory.

The United Nations has warned that the “darkest moment” of that conflict was unfolding, with Palestinians facing a severe humanitarian crisis and daily Israeli bombardments.

‘True ally’

A defense official said there was “no American involvement” in the attacks on Iran, but afterwards Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid tribute to “our great friend the US for being a true ally, and for the open and covert cooperation.” He didn’t work it out.

US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said Israel’s response was “an exercise in self-defense”.

He urged Iran to “cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.”

The Israeli military has blamed “Iran and its allies” in the region for “relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7” when Hamas attacked Israel, sparking the Gaza war.

That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Dozens of hostages seized that day are still held by militants in Gaza.

Israel’s retaliatory bombings and ground war in Gaza have killed 42,924 people, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.

In late September, Israel turned its attention to Lebanon, attacking Hezbollah targets and leaders and then sending ground troops.

Israel says the goal is to make the north of its country safe for the return of tens of thousands of displaced civilians.

At least 1,615 people have been killed in Lebanon since September 23, according to figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

In April, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles in its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory.

Tehran said the barrage was in retaliation for an attack on the Iranian consular annex in Damascus that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders.

Explosions later in April rocked Iran’s Isfahan province, in what U.S. officials said was Israeli retaliation.

Iran said its Oct. 1 rocket attack on Israel was in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the killing in Tehran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

On Friday, Gaza’s health ministry accused Israeli forces of storming the last functioning hospital in the territory’s north, killing what it said were two children.

The Israeli military says it is trying to destroy the operational capabilities that Hamas is trying to rebuild in the north.