Israel attacks military targets in Iran

There have been signs of an Israeli counterattack on Iran for weeks. Now the Israeli armed forces bombed several targets, primarily military facilities. No nuclear or oil facilities were hit.

Israel attacked military targets in Iran on Saturday night. “In response to the Iranian regime's months of continuous attacks on the State of Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces are currently carrying out targeted attacks on military targets in Iran,” the Israeli military said.

Israeli television said dozens of fighter pilots were involved in the attacks. According to the Israeli military, these “hit facilities for the production of missiles that Iran fired at Israel last year.” The rockets posed a direct and immediate threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.

Israel declares attacks have ended

The statement also said the military hit surface-to-air missile systems and Iranian facilities designed to limit Israel's ability to operate from the air. However, according to a US official, Iranian oil infrastructure or nuclear facilities were not targets of the Israeli military action.

Early in the morning, a military spokesman declared the attacks had ended. The fighter jets returned safely to Israel. All mission objectives were achieved.

Two soldiers killed

Iranian media spoke of “limited damage” to military bases after the air strikes. The government confirmed that there had been attacks in the area around Tehran and in two other provinces in the country. As the Tasnim news agency reported, anti-aircraft defenses were activated in the capital Tehran and the regions of Khuzestan and Ilam, among others.

During the night, Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in the area around Tehran. There were also detonations in the city of Karaj.

According to the military, two Iranian army personnel were killed. The two soldiers were hit by “bullets from the criminal Zionist regime,” the Iranian armed forces said this morning.

Iran reserves the right to react

In an initial reaction hours after the attacks, the government in Tehran condemned the Israeli attacks. Iran has “the right and duty to defend itself against foreign aggression,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. It referred to the right to self-defense enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

The state news agency Tasnim, which is considered the mouthpiece of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, had previously reported, citing insiders, that Tehran reserved the right to respond to Israel's attack. Iran is prepared for this. “There is no doubt that Israel will face an appropriate response to its actions,” an insider was quoted as saying.

Apparently also attacks on targets in Syria

According to the Syrian state news agency Sana, Israel also attacked military facilities in central and southern Syria. The rockets came from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Lebanon and some of them could have been intercepted. Israel has not yet confirmed an attack on Syria.

Retaliation expected since the beginning of October

A retaliatory strike by Israel was expected after Iran fired around 200 rockets at Israel in early October. The USA and other countries nevertheless tried to work towards pacifying the situation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Wednesday that Israel's retaliation should not lead to further escalation

The White House in Washington said the US had been informed of the attacks in advance. US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris followed the developments. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on the phone with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, the Pentagon said. Biden had warned Israel not to attack Iranian nuclear or oil facilities. The USA, Israel's most important donor and arms supplier, would not support that.