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Israel has launched airstrikes against Iran, including targets in Tehran, in the latest salvo amid escalating tensions between regional foes that have raised fears of all-out war in the Middle East.
The Israeli military said it hit military facilities, including a missile manufacturing plant and air defenses, during a nighttime attack that lasted several hours. This attack was retaliation for a missile attack launched by Iran against Israel three weeks ago.
Iran’s air defense headquarters said in a statement that Israel had targeted military bases in Tehran and the southwestern Khuzestan province and western Ilam province. Iranian air defense systems “successfully responded to the attack,” it said, adding that there was “limited damage” at some sites.
Explosions were heard in Tehran, and Iranians took to social media to describe several explosions that shook the capital.
The United States has pressured Israel not to attack Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government prepares a response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on the Jewish state three weeks ago.
The White House was notified of the strike in advance but did not participate in it, a senior administration official said. A White House official said President Joe Biden was briefed on the attack. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is in Texas for a campaign rally less than two weeks before the presidential election, also received a briefing, a White House official said.
After Israel declared an end to its attacks, the Biden administration said Israel’s response should mark the end of a cycle of attacks between the recent adversaries. The United States delivered this message directly and indirectly to Tehran.
“This is an end to direct gunfire between Israel and Iran,” a senior administration official said.
If Iran responds, the United States will defend and support Israel and “there will be consequences,” the official said.
Iran said it fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1 in response to Israel’s assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, in a Beirut airstrike.
The attack was considered much more serious than Iran’s attack on Israel with hundreds of missiles and drones in April, but it was clearly telegraphed. It was the first direct attack against Israel from Iranian soil and came after an Israeli attack on the Republic’s embassy in Syria left several senior Iranian commanders dead. However, the damage was limited and most projectiles were blocked.
Israel responded with a missile attack on a military base near Isfahan, Iran, and the tit-for-tat exchanges were suppressed.
But Iranian artillery strikes this month came without warning and targeted several targets, including an intelligence base just north of Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub.
Israel’s retaliatory strike in the early hours of Saturday was, as expected, much larger than its April response. Now the region will brace for Iran’s next move. Tehran has said it does not want all-out war, but has vowed to retaliate if attacked.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Israel this week that the Islamist regime would “respond in kind” to any attack.
The Israeli military said all fighter jets returned safely and were ready for defensive and offensive operations. However, no new restrictions were imposed on Israeli citizens. This suggests that Iran’s retaliation was not expected to be imminent.
The escalation comes as Israeli forces are still fighting on multiple fronts, fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and expanding their offensive against Hezbollah, Iran’s most important proxy in Lebanon.
Regional hostility between Israel and Iran and Iran-backed armed groups exploded after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Earlier this month, the United States dispatched a battery of THAAD, an advanced missile defense system, to strengthen Israel’s air defenses. On Thursday, U.S. Central Command said several F-16 fighter jets had arrived in the region as part of U.S. efforts to support Israel if Iran decides to respond.
