Israel launches attacks on military targets in Iran, officials say

By means of Jon Gambrell, Associated Press

Updated: 15 minutes ago Published: 29 minutes ago

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel launched airstrikes early Saturday on what it described as military targets in Iran in retaliation for an Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack, officials said. There was no immediate information about damage in the Islamic Republic.

The Israeli military described the attack as “precise attacks on military targets in Iran,” without immediately commenting.

“The regime in Iran and its allies in the region have been ruthlessly attacking Israel since October 7 – on seven fronts – including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” an Israeli military statement said. “Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and obligation to respond.”

The sound of explosions could be heard in Tehran, the Iranian capital, with state media initially acknowledging the explosions and saying some sounds came from air defense systems around the city.

A Tehran resident told The Associated Press that at least seven explosions were heard, shaking the area. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Meanwhile, state media in Syria described air defenses there as also targeting “hostile targets.”

Iran has launched two ballistic missile attacks on Israel in recent months, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which began with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel has also launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.

The attack came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to the US after a tour of the Middle East, where he and other US officials had warned Israel to formulate a response that would end the conflict in the region would not escalate further and would rule out nuclear weapons. locations in Iran.

White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement that “we understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran” and referred reporters to the Israeli government for more details about their operation.

Israel had vowed to hit Iran hard after a massive Iranian missile attack on October 1. Iran said its barrage was in response to deadly Israeli attacks on its ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and has vowed to respond to any retaliatory strikes.

Israel and Iran have been bitter enemies since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel views Iran as its biggest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups and the country’s nuclear program.

Israel and Iran are engaged in a years-long shadow war. A suspected Israeli assassination campaign has killed Iranian nuclear scientists. Iranian nuclear facilities have been hacked or sabotaged, all in mysterious attacks blamed on Israel. Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which later evolved into Yemen’s Houthi rebels’ attacks on shipping through the Red Sea corridor.

But since the Hamas attack on October 7, the battle has become increasingly public. Israel has recently turned its attention to Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel since the start of the war in Gaza. Throughout the year, a number of top Iranian military personnel have been killed in Israeli attacks in Syria and Lebanon.

Iran fired a wave of missiles and drones into Israel last April after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria on an Iranian diplomatic post. The missiles and drones caused minimal damage, and Israel – under pressure from Western countries to show restraint – responded with a limited attack.

But after the Iranian missile attack in early October, Israel promised a tougher response.

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Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.