In an operation highly anticipated following Tehran’s previous strikes on Israel, the Israeli military has executed a sequence of comprehensive yet accurate retaliatory strikes on targeted sites inside Iran. According to a high-ranking US official, this action was taken as a countermeasure to the ongoing strikes Iran has launched on Israel over several months.
The state of Iran acknowledged that three of their sites were affected by the attack, leading to minor destruction. The Israeli state broadcaster, Kan, reported that a large number of fighter jets had participated in the offensive.
The Israeli military confirmed that on Saturday morning, their air offensive focused on missile production facilities and aerial defences across several regions within Iran. They added further that the series of strikes had successfully concluded, with all their planes making a safe return. The public broadcaster relayed that three sequences of strikes had been undertaken. The Israeli military prepared the regime in Iran of further consequential action if they engage in escalating hostilities.
Concurrent with the Israeli operation, at 2.30am local time on Saturday, several explosions were reported throughout Tehran, as well as in the neighbouring vicinity of Karaj, and the eastern city of Mashhad.
Iran claimed to have successfully defended the strikes on military facilities across the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam, with only minor damage incurred in certain areas. A partial Iranian news body promised a balanced response to Israel’s strikes.
A key figure in the Biden administration affirmed these strikes to be ‘extensive’, ‘accurate,’ and aimed solely at Iran’s military targets. The US underlined their perception of this operation, signifying a cessation to the recurring hostilities between Israel and Iran. They also pointed out that the US bore no association with the Israeli operation.
As per a report by US news platform Axios on Saturday, US and Israeli authorities predict Iran’s retaliation will be restricted to military means.
The Israeli strikes led to a temporary halt in Iranian and Iraqi flights. Iran reinitiated its flights later on Saturday, with its media primarily downplaying the occurrence of the air strikes and confirming the continuing normal operations of Tehran’s airport.
State TV informed about multiple powerful detonations in and around the capital, whilst the state news agency, IRNA, confirmed zero casualty figures. While the sources of the explosions remained undisclosed, they are currently under investigation, with the nation’s air defence systems being activated in response across the country.
In an unusually candid acknowledgement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed their recent strikes on Iranian military targets. This explicit confirmation signals a drastic shift in the long-standing covert conflict between the two adversaries, a feud that has now manifestly surfaced.
The IDF publicised on social media platform X that the precision strikes on Iranian military assets were conducted as retaliation to the sustained aggression received from the Iranian regime. This action by the IDF is reportedly in response to an extraordinary direct conflict between the two nations on October 1st, which featured Iran launching almost 180 ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv and various Israeli military establishments.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia expressed its disapproval of the IDF’s military action against Iran over the weekend, branding it an infringement on Iran’s sovereignty and a breach of international law. The desert kingdom has urged all involved parties to exert utmost restraint and has called upon the global community to lead efforts towards de-escalation with the aim of ending regional discord. This story has additional contributions from Reuters.