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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Israel began airstrikes against alleged Iranian military targets early Saturday in retaliation for an Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack, officials announced. There was no immediate information on casualties in the Islamic Republic.
The Israeli military described the attack as a “precision strike against Iranian military targets” but did not immediately provide details.
“The Iranian regime and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel on seven fronts since October 7, including direct attacks from mainland Iran,” the Israeli military said in a statement. “Like any other sovereign state in the world, the State of Israel has corresponding rights and obligations.”
Explosions could be heard in Iran’s capital Tehran, with local state media initially confirming the explosion and saying some of the sounds came from the city’s air defense systems.
A resident of Tehran told The Associated Press that he heard at least seven explosions and his surroundings were rattled. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media said the country’s air defenses were also targeting “hostile targets”.
Iran has launched two ballistic missile attacks against Israel in recent months as the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip continues, which began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel also launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.
The airstrike came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was returning to the United States after a tour of the Middle East, where he and other U.S. officials urged Israel not to escalate the regional conflict further and to continue its nuclear program. He warned them to take measures to eliminate them. Iranian site.
White House National Security Council Press Secretary Sean Savet said in a statement: “We understand that Israel is conducting targeted attacks against Iranian military targets,” and asked reporters for details of the operation. He instructed them to contact the government.
Israel had vowed to violently attack Iran on October 1, following a massive Iranian missile barrage. Iran said its barrage was a response to Israel’s deadly attack on its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, and vowed to respond to any retaliatory strikes.
Israel and Iran have been enemies since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel considers Iran its biggest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, support for anti-Israel militias and the country’s nuclear program.
Israel and Iran have been locked in a shadow war for years. Iran’s top nuclear scientist has been killed in an alleged assassination by Israel. Iran’s nuclear facilities have been hacked and sabotaged, all due to mysterious attacks blamed on Israel. Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on ships in the Middle East in recent years, which escalated into attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships transiting the Red Sea corridor.
But since the October 7 Hamas attack, fighting has increasingly moved into the open. Israel has recently turned its attention to Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets at Israel since the war in Gaza began. Throughout the year, numerous Iranian military officers were killed in Israeli military attacks in Syria and Lebanon.
Last April, Iran launched a slew of missiles and drones at Israel after two Iranian generals were killed in an airstrike believed to be carried out by Israel on an Iranian diplomatic post in Syria. The missiles and drones caused minimal damage, and Israel, under pressure from the West for restraint, responded with limited strikes.
But after the Iranian missile attack in early October, Israel promised a tougher response.
