Iran’s military said four Iranian soldiers have been killed in Israeli strikes in response to Iranian missile attacks earlier this month.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted missile factories and other sites near Tehran and western Iran early Saturday.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it has a responsibility to defend itself, but also said Iran “recognizes its responsibilities towards regional peace and security,” a statement considered relatively benign.
Israeli retaliation for the Iranian bombardment of approximately 200 ballistic missiles fired toward Israel on October 1 had been widely expected for several weeks.
Tehran had said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil in July. Many missiles were shot down by Israel and its allies but a small number struck central and southern Israel.
Iranian officials said sites in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces were attacked. The army claimed that the attacks were successfully countered, although there was “limited damage” at some places.
Following the Israeli attacks, Iranian state media showed footage showing traffic moving normally in several cities, while schools and sports activities were reportedly being held as scheduled.
The Israeli military announced Saturday’s operation immediately after receiving reports of the explosions in Iran. IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the military had demonstrated its preparedness “to defend the State of Israel.”
He also warned that Israel would be “forced to respond” if Iran began a new round of escalating tensions.
The US and Britain have both urged Iran not to retaliate following the latest attacks, with President Joe Biden’s administration calling for an end to the cycle of violence.
Senior US administration officials said that the US was informed in advance about the Israeli attacks and that Washington had no involvement.
One official said the strikes did not involve Iranian oil infrastructure or nuclear facilities – targets the Biden administration has urged Israel not to attack.
The official said the US had for weeks encouraged Israel to respond in a way that was “targeted and proportionate with low risk of civilian harm” and suggested “that’s exactly what happened” on Saturday evening.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that Israel chose its targets “in accordance with its national interests, and not in accordance with US instructions”.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Israel has the right to defend itself against “Iranian aggression” and called on Iran to refrain from retaliating, saying Britain was working to “de-escalate the situation across the region”. Will work for.
But Russia and other countries in the region, including US allies Jordan and Saudi Arabia, accused Israel of escalating the conflict.
Qatar “expressed deep concern about the serious consequences that could result from this escalation”, while Jordan described the attack as a “dangerous escalation”.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, “It is necessary to stop provoking Iran to retaliate and break out of the cycle of uncontrolled tension.”
The extent of the Israeli attacks and their exact targets were still unclear as of Saturday morning.
Iran’s aviation authority briefly suspended flights but announced they would resume at 09:00 local time (06:30 BST).
Hooman, a 42-year-old factory worker, was working in Tehran when he heard the explosions, he told AFP news agency.
“It was an echoing sound… terrifying and horrifying,” the agency quoted him as saying. “Now that there is war going on in the Middle East, we fear that we will be dragged into it.”
Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes also targeted sites in central and southern Syria.
Following the Israeli attacks, Hezbollah fired 80 projectiles from across the border into Israel on Saturday afternoon, according to the IDF.
Later, the AFP news agency reported that the Iran-backed group fired a series of rockets at five residential areas in northern Israel, including the outskirts of Karyot, near Haifa.
