Israel launched multiple air strikes on Iran in the early hours of Saturday, in response to what the Israeli military called "months of continuous attacks" from Tehran and its proxies.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it is carrying out "precise strikes on military targets" in Iran, which it accuses of "relentlessly attacking Israel" since 7 October 2023.
The IDF's confirmation of strikes on Iran followed earlier reports by Iranian state media of several explosions in and around the capital, Tehran.
Iran has said the damage inflicted from the attacks was minimal. Iran’s air defense command announced it had successfully intercepted Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites in Tehran, the western province of Ilam, and the southwestern province of Khuzestan.
The air defense system responded to these attacks, part of what the command described as Israel’s "escalating measures," which caused only limited damage. Despite prior warnings from Iran against what it called Israel’s "adventurous actions," the assaults went ahead, according to the official statement released on Saturday.
In the statement, authorities urged citizens to remain calm, stand in solidarity, and rely on information solely from state media, dismissing unverified reports from external sources. Earlier, IRNA reported that Iran’s air defense system had been activated to counter the attacks, intercepting and neutralising them.
At approximately 02:15 local time (10:45 GMT on Friday), residents heard sounds resembling explosions across parts of Iran, particularly west of Tehran. Two and a half hours later, anti-missile systems were reactivated in eastern and central Iran in response to additional strikes. An investigation into the full scope and details of the attack is ongoing, according to defense officials.
It comes after Tehran launched almost 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel on 1 October, in what the country said was a retaliation for the killing of Hamas's political leader on Iranian soil back in July.
The 1 October attacks were largely thwarted by Israel's military, but a small number struck central and southern Israel.
In a statement announcing that the operation in Iran was under way, the Israeli military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said Israel had the "right and duty" to respond and its "defensive and offensive capabilities" were "fully mobilised".
The US, one of Israel's closest allies, said Saturday's strike against Israel was an "exercise of self-defence".
"We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defence and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1," a National Security Council spokesman told the BBC's US news partner CBS.
A White House official told CBS News President Joe Biden "has been briefed and is closely following the developments".
However, a US defence official stressed that there had been no US involvement in the Israeli strikes on Saturday.
Iranian state media confirmed that explosions were heard in the west of Tehran. A news agency close to the Revolutionary Guards said some military bases in the west and south-west of the Iranian capital had been targeted.
The extent of the attacks and the precise targets are not yet clear.
The Syrian state news agency reported that Israeli air strikes have also targeted some military sites in central and southern areas of Syria.
Source: BBC. IRNA