An Israeli fighter jet (Credit: AFP file photo)
Israel announced it carried out ''precision strikes'' on military targets in Iran in response to recent attacks. Initial explosions were reported around 2:15 a.m. local time, mainly west of Tehran, according to Iran’s official news agency, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Iran claimed its air defense system successfully tracked and countered the Israeli ''aggression,'' though some sites sustained limited damage. According to Iranian air defense, Israel targeted multiple military sites in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces. In the morning, the Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that two Iranian soldiers were killed in the strikes.
Several waves
Iranian state TV initially reported at least ''six explosions'' heard near Tehran, attributing some to ''air defense system activity,'' citing security sources. Later, four additional explosions were heard in eastern Tehran, with reports that ''air defenses remain active'' in the capital.
''U.S. and Israeli officials stated that three waves of strikes occurred,'' wrote Barak Ravid, an Axios journalist, on X. ''The first wave targeted Iran’s air defense system, while the second and third waves struck missile and drone production facilities.''
Around 6 a.m., Israeli public radio announced that the operation against Iran had concluded.
In an article published Saturday, the New York Times reported that to "prevent interceptions by Iranian allies, Israeli planes first attacked air defense batteries and radars in Syria and Iraq."
Twenty Sites
The New York Times reported that the Israeli army targeted ''about 20 sites overnight.''
An unnamed Israeli official told NBC News that Israel’s strikes ''are not targeting nuclear or oil infrastructure in Iran, but rather concentrating on military targets,'' the official said. “We are targeting elements that posed a threat to us in the past or could do so in the future,” he added.
After the operation, the Israeli army confirmed that it had struck ''military targets across various regions of Iran'' and that all its “objectives were achieved.''
''Air force jets and drones targeted missile production sites from which Iran launched missiles toward Israel last year,'' the military added. ''Iranian surface-to-air missile systems and other air capabilities meant to limit Israel’s air freedom in Iran were also struck.''
Citing the Iranian news agency Sabreen, which is linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, Haaretz reported Saturday evening that four people were killed in Israeli retaliatory strikes at dawn in Tehran, including two soldiers.
Iran ready to respond
Iran is prepared to respond to any ''Israeli aggression,'' reported the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim, citing sources. ''Israel will undoubtedly face a proportional response to any actions it takes,'' sources added.
Tehran is “entitled and obligated to defend itself against external aggressive acts,” the Foreign Ministry declared on Saturday. Calling the Israeli attack a violation of international law, the ministry added that Tehran “recognizes its responsibilities toward regional peace and security.”
Later in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had no limits in defending its territorial integrity, a news agency linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) quoted by Reuters.
Israeli Minister of Homeland Security and far-right figure Itamar Ben Gvir said on X that Israel has a "historical obligation" to stop the Iranian threat to destroy its country.
Multiple condemnations
On Saturday morning, Saudi Arabia condemned the Israeli strikes on military targets in Iran, warning against any further conflict escalation, AFP reports. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns” the Israeli strikes in Iran and reaffirms its “firm stance against escalating the conflict in the region,” which “threatens the security and stability of countries and peoples” in the Middle East, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on X, as cited by AFP.
Later, the UAE also condemned the "military targeting of Iran," urging “restraint” and advocating for “diplomatic solutions to prevent escalation,” according to an official statement cited by Reuters.
Iraq similarly warned of “dangerous consequences resulting from the silence of the international community toward Israel’s brutal behavior,” criticizing Israeli actions against Palestinians and its attacks on Lebanon, Syria and now Iran. Government spokesperson Basim Alawadi accused Israel of “expanding the conflict in the region” through “attacks committed with impunity.”
Expressing “solidarity” with Iran, Syria supported Iran’s “legitimate right to defend itself” against what it condemned as “Israeli aggression,” according to a statement from the Syrian Foreign Ministry. Jordan also condemned the strikes and voiced its “absolute rejection of dangerous escalation in the region and violations of international law.”
Egypt expressed “deep concern” over Middle Eastern escalation and condemned all actions that “threaten regional security and stability,” according to a statement from its Foreign Ministry, as cited by Reuters.
Russia voiced alarm over an “explosive escalation” between Israel and Iran, warning of “serious threats to regional stability and security,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. While historically close to Israel, Russia has strengthened ties with Iran, and Zakharova called on all parties “to show restraint.”
On Saturday afternoon, Lebanon joined the chorus, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemning the attacks as a “violation of Iran’s sovereignty and a serious threat to regional and international peace and security,” according to the National News Agency. The ministry urged international institutions, particularly the UN Security Council, to “assume their responsibilities to end Israeli military escalation throughout the region, including ongoing aggression against Lebanon.”
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli strikes, calling for an end to “Israel’s terror in the region.” In a statement, the ministry strongly condemned the strikes, accusing Israel of “bringing the region to the brink of a larger war” by committing “genocide in Gaza, preparing to annex the West Bank, and killing civilians daily in Lebanon.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the Israeli airstrikes in Iran as a “dangerous escalation” threatening regional stability. Qatar also denounced the strikes, urging “restraint and dialogue to prevent regional instability.” Hamas, meanwhile, condemned the Israeli strikes “in the strongest terms,” calling them a “blatant violation of Iranian sovereignty and an escalation threatening regional security.” In Afghanistan, the Taliban denounced the strikes as “an attempt to exacerbate violence in the region.”
In Europe, France called on all parties to “refrain from any escalation or actions that could worsen the already tense situation” in the Middle East, according to its Foreign Ministry. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also warned Tehran against any “escalation.'' “This must stop now. Only then will there be a chance for peaceful development in the Middle East,” he stated in a message posted on X.
Lebanon and Hezbollah
On Saturday afternoon, Lebanon joined the condemnations.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry denounced attacks that “constitute a violation of Iran’s sovereignty and a serious threat to regional and international peace and security,” the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported, citing the Foreign Ministry.
The ministry called on the relevant international institutions, particularly the U.N. Security Council, to “assume their responsibilities to end the Israeli military escalation throughout the region, including the persistent aggression against Lebanon.”
In a statement released early in the evening, Hezbollah ended by "strongly condemning the perfidious Zionist aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran," calling it a "dangerous regional escalation."
"We believe that this blatant aggression against Iran's national sovereignty, which will never affect its firm and clear position and its full support, at different levels, for the Palestinian and Lebanese people," added the statement, in which Hezbollah also praised the "success of the Iranian armed forces ... who managed to counter this attack."
The Amal Movement, an ally of Hezbollah, also issued a statement condemning the Israeli aggression against Iran, calling it "an attack on the national sovereignty" of the Islamic Republic by a "Zionist terrorist state that violates all international laws and norms." The movement said in its statement that this new Israeli escalation constitutes "a desperate attempt to inflame the region."
"Iran should not respond"
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that “Iran must not respond” to the Israeli strikes during a press conference at the Commonwealth summit in Apia, Samoa. “It is clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression, and equally clear that we must avoid further regional escalation. I urge all parties to exercise restraint,” he said.
The United States informed
The strikes are considered an act of ''self-defense,'' stated the White House. The United States was informed in advance by its ally Israel but was not involved in the operation, a U.S. defense official clarified. Following the start of the attack, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a brief phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Background
On Oct. 1, Iran launched approximately 200 missiles at Israel, including hypersonic missiles for the first time. Tehran portrayed the strikes as retaliation for Israeli operations in Lebanon in late September, which killed an Iranian general and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Iranian officials also cited the operation as a response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, then head of Hamas, on Iranian soil — a move attributed to Israel.
Israel vowed to hold Iran accountable for the Oct. 1 attack.
The strikes come amid heightened regional tensions, exacerbated over the past year by the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, spilling over into neighboring Lebanon, where Israel has confronted Hezbollah. Both groups are opposed to Israel and receive financial and military backing from Iran, which has supported the Palestinian cause as a central pillar of its foreign policy since the Islamic Republic’s founding in 1979.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
