‘Should Iran choose to respond, we’re fully prepared to defend Israel and support Israel, and there will be consequences,’ said a U.S. official
(Oct. 26, 2024 / JNS) — Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted precision strikes on military targets in Iran overnight Friday, nearly one month after Tehran launched a massive ballistic-missile attack on the Jewish state.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, dozens of aircraft, including refuellers and spy planes, conducted “waves” of attacks over the course of a few hours across several regions of Iran, located some 1,600 kilometers from Israel. The targets included missile and drone manufacturing facilities and launch sites, as well as air-defense batteries.
The state-run SANA news outlet reported simultaneous Israeli strikes against military targets across central and southern Syria, amid Tehran’s decades-long effort to entrench itself in that country.
The IDF named the operation “Days of Repentance.”
“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran—thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel,” said IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
“The Israel Defense Forces has fulfilled its mission. If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond. Our message is clear: All those who threaten the State of Israel and seek to drag the region into wider escalation will pay a heavy price,” Hagari continued.
“We demonstrated today that we have both the capability and the resolve to act decisively, and we are prepared—on offense and defense—to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel,” he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the overnight attack from the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, where he was later joined by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Mossad head David Barnea and Israel Security Agency leader Ronen Bar.
“The regime in Iran and its regional proxies have been relentlessly attacking Israel since [Hamas’s] Oct. 7th [massacre of 1,200 people]—on seven fronts—including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” the IDF said. “Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and duty to respond.”
The military was conducting an ongoing situation assessment, and there were no immediate changes to Home Front Command directives for civilians.
Iran claimed to have successfully repelled the Israeli offensive, while ceding that “limited damage” was caused to various sites. The Iranian military said that Israel had struck in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam.
The Islamic Republic was prepared to retaliate to the “aggression,” according to the country’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
“There is no doubt that Israel will face a proportional reaction for any action it takes,” the outlet quoted sources as saying.
The Biden administration was informed of the strikes in advance, but the United States did not directly participate in the action.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett described the development as “an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic-missile attack against Israel on Oct. 1.”
A senior administration official subsequently said that the attack “should be the end of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran.
“Should Iran choose to respond, we’re fully prepared to defend Israel and support Israel, and there will be consequences,” added the official.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin overnight Friday held a call with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, although no readout was provided.
U.S. President Joe Biden previously urged Jerusalem to forgo attacking Iranian nuclear sites and oil fields, instead pressing for a small-scale operation.
“No administration has helped Israel more than I have—none, none, none. I think Bibi should remember that,” said the president, using Netanyahu’s nickname.
By contrast, former president Donald Trump suggested that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was fair game.
“I think he’s got that one wrong,” the Republican presidential candidate said of Biden. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to hit? I mean, it’s the biggest risk we have, nuclear weapons. … The answer should have been: Hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later.”
Last week, Netanyahu emphasized that the Iranian targets chosen would be “based on Israel’s national security needs.”
Reports later suggested he had softened his stance in favour of a more limited strike due to Washington’s decision to deploy to Israel a THAAD advanced aerial defense system, and to avoid the perception of political interference in the upcoming U.S election.
On Oct. 1, Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, forcing the entire civilian population of the Jewish state into bomb shelters. The targets of the Iranian attack were believed to be three Israeli Air Force bases, as well as an IDF military intelligence headquarters just north of Tel Aviv.
In April, Iran conducted its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory, launching some 300 missiles and drones, the vast majority of which were shot down in a multinational effort.
The direct military confrontations come on the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing wars against Iranian terror proxies Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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