Iranian state television reported that air defenses were activated. Iran‘s air defense command said the attacks targeted military bases in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces. The air defenses successfully repelled the attacks and the damage was “limited”. There was no more detailed information at first.
Israel later declared an end to its attacks. The Israeli military announced early Saturday morning that the mission had been accomplished. “Our planes have returned home safely.” The retaliatory strike targeted missile production facilities and missile launch facilities in Iran. “We carried out targeted and precise attacks on military targets in Iran, posing immediate threats to the State of Israel,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a video. “If the Iranian regime makes the mistake of initiating a new round of escalation, we will have to respond,” he said.
Israel: “Right and Duty” to Protect
The Israeli military said during the attacks that it was Israel’s right and duty to respond “like any other sovereign country in the world.” The Iranian regime and its proxies in the region have been attacking Israel relentlessly since October 7 last year – on seven fronts – including direct attacks from Iranian soil. “We will do everything necessary to protect the State of Israel and the people of Israel,” the Israeli military said.
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The Middle East: How to prevent further escalation?
The counter-strike followed the recent Iranian missile attack. On October 1, the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s elite military force, fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. The attack followed a series of targeted killings on Iranian soil by Israel targeting key players in Iran’s network of non-state allies. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have repeatedly emphasized in the past few days that they want to respond decisively to an Israeli attack.
According to the news agency Tasnim, the mouthpiece of the Revolutionary Guards, Iran now reserves the right to respond to the Israeli attack. Iran is prepared for this, the agency reported, citing insiders. “I have no doubt that Israel will face an appropriate response for its actions,” an insider was quoted as saying.
The Cabinet decided to attack on Friday
According to media reports, the Israeli cabinet authorized the retaliatory strike on Iran shortly before the attack. A corresponding telephone conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant took place on Friday evening, Haaretz newspaper reported. The ministers were briefed on the scope of the apparent attack plan in the past few days, he said. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was directing the attack on Iran from the Israeli Air Force’s underground command center at the Tel Aviv military headquarters, along with Air Force Commander Tomer Bar, the Israeli army said.
The attack on Iran began during the Jewish day of rest, the Sabbath. The Jewish high holiday had ended the previous Thursday evening.
USA “aware but not involved”
According to a White House spokesman, the United States was aware of Israel’s actions but was not involved in the operation. Washington described Israeli attacks on Iranian targets as “self-defense maneuvers.” The “targeted attacks on military targets” are also a response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel on October 1, National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said on Friday (local time) in Washington. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Wednesday that Israel’s retaliatory measures should not lead to further escalation in the Middle East.
The US continued to pledge its support to Israel. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated Israel’s right to self-defense and the US’s “iron-clad commitment” to Israel’s security in a phone call with his counterpart Israel Gallant, the Pentagon said. The US is determined to “prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or widening the conflict in the region.”
Israel also attacks Syria
According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, Israel banned military facilities in central and southern Syria on Saturday night. The rockets came from the direction of the Golan Heights and Lebanon occupied by the Israelis and some of them may have been intercepted, the agency reported. According to SANA, there have been previous explosions near the capital Damascus. The Syrian regime is allied with Israel’s old enemy, Iran.