What we know about Israel’s attack on Iran

Israel has launched what it described as “precise and targeted” airstrikes against Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s attack. barrage of missile attacks against Israel earlier this month.

It is the latest in a series of exchanges between Israel and Iran that for months have sparked fears of an all-out regional war.

But while Iran says attacks on military sites killed two soldiers, early indications suggest the strikes were more limited than feared.

This is what we know.

How did the attacks develop?

Shortly after 02:00 local time (23:30 BST), Iranian media reported explosions in and around the capital Tehran.

Video uploaded to social media and verified by the BBC showed projectiles in the sky above the city, while residents in some areas reported hearing loud explosions.

At around 02:30, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that they were carrying out “precise” strikes against “military targets” in Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant followed the operation from the IDF command and control center in Tel Aviv.

Shortly after 06:00, the IDF said the attacks had ended.

The White House described the attacks as an “exercise in self-defense.” A senior administration official said the United States had worked with Israel to encourage a “targeted and proportional” response.

What was the magnitude of the attacks?

The extent of the attacks and damage caused remains unclear at this time.

The IDF said targets such as missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missiles and other military sites had been hit.

The Iranian military confirmed that two soldiers had died “while fighting projectiles.”

Iranian authorities said the targets were sites in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam. The country’s air defense said it had “successfully intercepted” the attacks, but that “some areas suffered limited damage.”

A senior US administration official said the attacks did not include Iranian oil infrastructure or nuclear facilities, targets that President Joe Biden had targeted. urged Israel not to attack.

Syrian state media also reported attacks on military sites in central and southern Syria, although Israel has not confirmed the attacks on the country.

Why did Israel attack Iran?

Iran is the main sponsor of a number of groups across the Middle East – often described as proxy groups – that are hostile to Israel, including Hamas and Hezbollah, with whom Israel is currently at war.

In April, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel, using some 300 missiles and drones, in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike. Attack on Iranian embassy complex in Syria that killed several senior commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Israel responded with a “limited” strike against a missile defense system in the Iranian region of Isfahan.

Then in July, Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in an airstrike in Beirut. The next day, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Tehran. Iran blamed Israel, although Israel did not comment.

At the end of September, Israel Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader assassinated in Beirut and Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, a high-ranking Iranian official.

On October 1, Iran launched 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, in response to the deaths of Haniyeh and Nasrallah.

What happens next?

Early signs indicate that this attack was not as serious as some feared.

The American media Axios reported that before the attacks, Israel sent Iran a message revealing certain details about the attack and warning Tehran not to respond.

This could be a sign that Israel does not want to further aggravate the situation, at least for now.

“We are focused on our war objectives in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. “It is Iran that continues to push for broader regional escalation,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

A senior US official said that “this should be the end of this exchange of direct fire between Israel and Iran.”

The response in Iran, so far, has been limited.

A source quoted by Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency said: “Iran reserves the right to respond to any aggression and there is no doubt that Israel will receive a proportionate response to any action.”

How has the world responded?

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Israel had the right to defend itself but urged all sides to “show restraint” and called on Iran not to respond.

US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said Israel’s response “avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, unlike Iran’s attack on Israel that targeted Israel’s most populous city.” “.

But Washington’s goal, he added, is to “accelerate diplomacy and reduce tensions in the Middle East region.”

Saudi Arabia condemned the attack and warned against any action that “threatens the security and stability” of the region.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry echoed those concerns, saying it was “gravely concerned” about the attacks.

Hamas described them as “a flagrant violation of Iranian sovereignty and an escalation that aims at the security of the region and the security of its people.”

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