Israeli army launches attacks on military targets in Iran, officials say

By JON GAMBRELL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel attacked Iran with a series of airstrikes early Saturday, saying it was targeting military sites in retaliation for the ballistic missile bombardment The Islamic Republic fired on Israel earlier this month. Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, although the Islamic Republic insisted they caused only “limited damage.”

The attack risks bringing the archenemies closer to an all-out war at a time of Rising violence in the Middle Eastwhere Iranian-backed militant groups (including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon) are already at war with Israel. It also marked the first time that Israel’s military openly attacked Iran, which has not faced sustained bombardment from a foreign enemy since its war with Iraq in the 1980s.

Israel’s hours-long attack ended just before dawn in Tehran, and the Israeli military said it targeted “missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the State of Israel over the past year.” . It also said it affected surface-to-air missile sites and “additional Iranian air capabilities.”

Israel did not offer any initial assessment of the damage.

Initially, all nuclear and oil facilities had been seen as possible targets of Israel’s response to Iran’s Oct. 1 attack, but by mid-October the Biden administration believed it had won. Israel’s guarantees that it would not achieve those objectives, which would be a more serious escalation.

“The Iranian regime and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7… including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a pre-recorded video statement on Saturday. in the morning. “Like any other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond.”

The United States warned against further retaliation, saying the nighttime strikes should end the direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran.

Iran’s military said the attacks targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces and caused “limited damage,” without giving further details.

Explosions heard throughout Tehran

Iranian state media acknowledged that explosions could be heard in Tehran and said some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.

But beyond a brief reference, Iranian state television for hours offered no further details and even began showing what it described as live footage of men loading trucks at a vegetable market in Tehran in an apparent attempt to downplay the assault. .

A Tehran resident told The Associated Press that at least seven explosions could be heard in the first wave of attacks, which shook the surrounding area. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

As the explosions rang out, people in Tehran could see what appeared to be tracer fire lighting up the sky. Other images showed the launch of what appeared to be surface-to-air missiles.

Iran closed the country’s airspace early Saturday and flight tracking data analyzed by the AP showed that commercial airlines had largely abandoned the skies over Iran and in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed and would continue to receive updates.

In Syria, the state news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military official, reported missile fire at military sites in the central and southern region of the country. He said Syria’s air defenses had shot down some of the missiles. There was no immediate information on the victims.

But Iran’s decision to quickly downplay the attack may offer a path for it not to respond, which could risk further escalation.

“The Israel Defense Forces have accomplished their mission,” Hagari said in a later video. “If the Iranian regime made the mistake of starting a new round of escalation, we will be obliged to respond.”

Iran missile attacks led to Israeli attack

Iran fired a wave of missiles and drones at Israel last April after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria targeting 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 that it did not openly claim.

Iran launched at least 180 missiles at Israel on the night of October 1, sending Israelis taking refuge in bomb shelters, but causing only minimal damage and some injuries. Iran said the bombing was retaliation for attacks in recent months that killed leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Iranian military. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately said that Iran had “made a big mistake.”

Before the Iranian attack in October, Israel had landed a series of devastating blows against Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel almost daily for more than a year, since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

Dozens of people were killed and thousands injured in September when pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded in two days of attacks blamed on Israel. A massive Israeli airstrike the following week on the outskirts of Beirut killed former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of his top commanders.

Israel then increased pressure on Hezbollah by launching a ground invasion into southern Lebanon. More than a million Lebanese have been displaced and the death toll has risen sharply as airstrikes continue to hit Beirut and its surrounding areas.

Israel has said it will continue attacking Hezbollah until it is safe for the return of Israeli citizens displaced from their homes near the Lebanese border. Hezbollah has vowed to continue firing rockets at Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The United States warns against retaliation

The White House indicated that Israel’s strikes against Iran should end the direct exchange of fire between the two enemy countries, while warning Tehran of the “consequences” if it responded.

A senior White House official said the administration believed the Israeli operation should “shut down” direct military exchange between Israel and Iran, and said other allies agreed.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, was briefed throughout the day on Friday about how the operation was developing and by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, about how the operation was carried out by the Israelis, said the official.

The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said the Israeli operation “was extensive, targeted and precise.” The official stressed that the United States did not participate in the attack.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel’s strikes against military targets in Iran, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Friday night. Austin reiterated that the United States was committed to the security of its ally and that Israel has the right to defend itself, the Pentagon press secretary said in a statement. Austin also noted that the United States was determined to prevent the spread of conflict in the region, Ryder said.

Israeli attack is the latest in the Middle East wars

When Hamas and other militants attacked Israel on October 7, they killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages in Gaza. In response, Israel launched a devastating air and ground offensive against Hamas, and Netanyahu has vowed to maintain it until all the hostages are freed. About 100 remain and about a third are believed to be dead.

More than 42,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza, according to local health officials who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but say more than half of the dead are women and children.

Israel’s attacks on Iran on Saturday occurred just as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to the United States after a tour of the Middle East, where he and other US officials had warned Israel to respond in a way that would not escalate the conflict in the region even more.

Two U.S. officials said Israel notified the United States before the attacks. They said there was no American involvement in the operation. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation.

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

Israel and Iran have been locked in a shadow war that has been going on for years. An alleged Israeli assassination campaign has killed prominent Iranian nuclear scientists. Iranian nuclear facilities have been hacked or sabotaged, all in mysterious attacks attributed to Israel.

Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which later escalated into attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping through the Red Sea corridor.

Since the Hamas attack on October 7, the shadow war has increasingly come to light.

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Associated Press journalists Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran; Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel; Abby Sewell in Beirut; and Lolita C. Baldor, Farnoush Amiri and Zeke Miller in Washington; and Aamer Madhani in Wilmington, Delaware, contributed to this report.

Originally Posted: October 24, 2024 at 10:31 p.m.