Israel has launched three waves of airstrikes on military targets across Iran in a step closer to pushing the Middle East to an all-out war.
The Israeli military confirmed it conducted the ‘precise strikes’ on about 20 sites in the early hours of Saturday in response to Iran’s barrage of ballistic missiles on October 1.
Starting at around 2am, multiple explosions sounded, then followed by plumes of smoke rising from some parts of Tehran and the southcentral city of Shiraz.
Two Iranian soldiers were killed ‘while countering Israel’s projectiles’., the Tasnim news agency is reporting, citing an army statement.
Before dawn, Israel’s public broadcaster said that three waves of strikes had finally been completed and that the attack was over.
Iran said its air defence system had successfully countered Israel’s hits on military targets in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam with ‘limited damage’ to some locations.
Air defence sirens blasted across the capital in the middle of the night and Iranian media later said that a number of drones had been intercepted and downed.
What were Israel’s targets in Iran?
It was later reported that Israel had targeted missile-manufacturing facilities and surface-to-air missile sites.
A number of fires continued to rage this morning in Tehran. Satellite imagery from NASA reportedly shows damage at S-300 air defence battery south of the capital.
Targets did not include any energy infrastructure or Iran’s nuclear facilities, a US official said.
Joe Biden’s administration had already warned its ally Israel if and when it decides to retaliate, it should avoid going after nuclear and oil facilities.
What is next for Iran and Israel?
This is a historic night for the Islamic Republic.
For one, it is the first time that Israel has openly attacked Iranian territory, which has not faced a sustained barrage of fire from a foreign enemy since its 1980s war with Iraq.
RUSI’s military sciences director Matthew Savill said that ‘regardless of how well Iran can hide any damage, this is the largest direct conventional attack on Iranian territory since the Iran-Iraq War’.
‘Iranian media is already downplaying the impact, but the regime is probably still evaluating the attacks, and regardless of how well it can hide any damage, this is the largest direct conventional attack on Iranian territory since the Iran-Iraq War,’ he said.
Sky News Arabia reported earlier that Iran had informed Israel through a foreign mediator that it will not respond to the strike.
Iran’s foreign ministry says the attacks on ‘several military centres’ in the country are a ‘clear violation’ of international law.
In a new statement, the ministry said it considers itself entitled and obligated to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression’.
‘The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasises the use of all the material and spiritual capabilities of the Iranian nation to defend its security and vital interests, as well as standing by its duties towards regional peace and security, the individual and collective responsibility of all countries in the region to protect peace,’ the statement read.
The foreign ministry said Israel’s operations in Gaza and Lebanon are ‘the main cause of tension and insecurity’ in the Middle East.
If a response is being planned, it could either involve further missiles being aimed at Israeli territory or it could come through Iranian proxies in the region.
Savill said the initial judgement might be that this looks like ‘putting a cap on this bout between Israel and Iran’, but he added that the underlying points of friction remain – the progress of Iran’s nuclear programme, the scale of threat to Israel, and proxy activity.
‘The progress of the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon remains another potential trigger,’ the expert said.
‘Iran is reportedly still trying to help Hezbollah rebuild, and there is still the possibility that the Israelis will choose to launch attacks that kill (for example) IRGC Qods Force personnel in Lebanon or Syria; there has been no confirmation of the condition of the head of the Qods Force for several weeks.
‘Iran is still caught in a dilemma about how to respond to the stripping away of its deterrent in the form of its regional partners.
‘And harassing attacks by Hezbollah or the Houthis could still create a response if they hit a sensitive target or cause high-profile civilian casualties.
‘We still don’t know the extent to which more aggressive elements in the Iranian system might be advising the Supreme Leader, and media reporting and government briefings in Europe and the Middle East continue to highlight Iranian covert influence and assassination planning or operations.’
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