Israel said it struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on Israel earlier this month, the latest step in the escalating conflict between the heavily armed rivals.
Iranian media reported at least two waves of multiple explosions over more than two hours in the capital and at nearby military bases, playing down the attacks in initial reports and highlighting Iran’s air defenses.
The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel’s retaliation for a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on Oct. 1, in which around 200 missiles were fired at Israel, Iran’s second direct attack on Israel in six months.
Those strikes, which Iran said targeted Israeli military facilities, came after Israel killed the top leadership of Iranian ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hezbollah militants joined the fight against Israel in support of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group based in Gaza, also aligned with Tehran, after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” Israel’s military said in a statement.
Israel has the right and duty to respond to attacks from Tehran and its proxies, which have included missile strikes launched from Iranian soil, the military said.
Targets did not include energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities, a U.S. official said.
ABC said the attack was ongoing and expected to be a one-night affair.
U.S. President Joe Biden had warned that Washington, Israel’s main backer and supplier of arms, would not support a strike on Tehran’s nuclear sites and has said Israel should consider alternatives to attacking Iran’s oil fields.
IRAN PLAYS DOWN STRIKES
Iranian state TV quoted a military spokesman as saying the explosions heard in Tehran were linked “to air defense systems reacting to efforts by the Zionist regime (Israel) to attack three locations outside the city of Tehran.”
Anti-aircraft fire was being heard in central Teharan, state news agency IRNA reported.
The semi-official Iranian Fars news agency said several military bases in the west and southwest of Tehran had been targeted by Israel.
Iranian state media reported strong explosions that began around 2am local time (2230 GMT Friday), but played down the attack in initial reports, saying life continued as normal.
