DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel launched airstrikes early Saturday on what it described as military targets in Iran in response to an Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack, officials said. There was no immediate information about the damage in the Islamic Republic.
The Israeli army described the attack as “precision strikes on military targets in Iran,” without immediately going into details.
An Israeli military statement said, “The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been attacking Israel relentlessly since October 7 – on seven fronts – including direct attacks from Iranian territory.” “Like any other sovereign state in the world, the State of Israel has the right and duty to respond.”
In the Iranian capital, Tehran, the sound of explosions could be heard, as state media there initially acknowledged the presence of the explosions and said that some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.
A Tehran resident told the Associated Press that at least seven explosions could be heard that rocked the surrounding area. The citizen spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
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Iran has launched two ballistic missile attacks on Israel in recent months amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which began with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel also launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.
The raid occurred as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was arriving in the United States after a tour of the Middle East, where he and other US officials warned Israel against providing a response that does not escalate the conflict in the region and excludes nuclear weapons. Locations in Iran.
“We understand that Israel is carrying out targeted strikes against military targets in Iran,” Sean Savitt, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said in a statement, referring reporters to the Israeli government for more details about its operation.
Israel vowed to strike Iran hard following a massive Iranian missile barrage on October 1. Iran said its barrage was in response to deadly Israeli attacks against its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and promised to respond to any retaliatory strikes.
Israel and Iran have been arch enemies since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Israel considers Iran its greatest threat, citing its leaders’ calls to destroy Israel, and their support for anti-Israel armed groups and the country’s nuclear program.
Israel and Iran have been engaged in a shadow war that has lasted for years. A suspected Israeli assassination campaign has led to the killing of top 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 developed into attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping through the Red Sea corridor.
But since the Hamas attack on October 7, the battle has moved increasingly into the open. Israel has recently turned its attention to Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets at Israel since the start of the war in Gaza. Throughout the year, a number of senior Iranian military figures were killed in Israeli raids in Syria and Lebanon.
Iran launched a wave of missiles and drones at Israel last April after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli air strike in Syria on an Iranian diplomatic outpost. The missiles and drones caused minimal damage, and Israel – under pressure from Western countries to show restraint – responded with a limited strike.
But after Iran’s missile attack in early October, Israel promised a tougher response.
Associated Press writer Amir Vahdah in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
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