By JON GAMBRELL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel launched a series of airstrikes early Saturday, saying it was targeting military facilities in retaliation against Iran. ballistic missile bombardment The Islamic Republic opened fire on Israel earlier this month. Although explosions were heard in Iran’s capital Tehran, the Islamic Republic insisted they caused only “limited damage”.

Attack pushes arch-enemies closer to all-out war Spiral of violence in the Middle EastWhere Iran-backed militant groups, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, are already at war with Israel. It also marked the first time the Israeli military had openly attacked Iran, which had not faced a sustained barrage of fire from a foreign enemy since its war with Iraq in the 1980s.

The hours-long Israeli offensive ended just before sunrise in Tehran, and the Israeli military said it targeted “missile production facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the state of Israel last year.” It also stated that it had hit surface-to-air missile stations and “additional Iranian air capabilities.”

Israel did not provide any initial damage assessment.

Nuclear facilities and oil facilities were initially seen as possible targets in Israel’s response to Iran’s October 1 attack, but by mid-October the Biden administration believed Israel had won. Assurance from Israel He said that he would not be able to hit such targets and that this would lead to a more violent escalation.

“The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7, including direct attacks from Iranian territory,” Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a pre-recorded video statement early Saturday. he said. “The state of Israel, like every other sovereign country in the world, has the right and duty to respond.”

The US has warned against further retaliation, saying the night strikes should put an end to direct exchanges of fire between Israel and Iran.

The Iranian military said the attacks targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces and caused “limited damage”, without elaborating.

Explosions heard in Tehran

Iran’s state media acknowledged explosions that could be heard in Tehran, saying some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.

But beyond a brief reference, Iranian state television offered no further details for hours and even began broadcasting live footage of men loading trucks onto trucks at a Tehran vegetable market in an attempt to downplay the attack.

A Tehran resident who spoke to the Associated Press said that at least seven explosions were heard in the first wave of attacks, shaking the environment. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

As the explosions were heard, people in Tehran could see what looked like streaked firelight in the sky. Other images showed surface-to-air missiles being launched.

Iran closed the country’s airspace early Saturday, and flight tracking data analyzed by the AP showed commercial airlines widely abandoned airlines across Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

The White House said President Joe Biden has been briefed and will continue to receive updates.

In Syria, state news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military official, reported that the missiles targeted military facilities in the central and southern regions of the country. It was stated that Syrian air defense shot down some missiles. No information has been given yet about the injured.

But Iran’s move to quickly downplay the attack could give it a way to avoid responding, risking further escalation.

“The Israel Defense Forces fulfilled their mission,” Hagari said in a later video. “If the regime in Iran makes the mistake of starting a new round of tensions, we will have to respond,” he said.

Iran’s missile attacks led to Israel’s attack

Iran fired a wave of missiles and drones at Israel last April after two Iranian generals were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic post in Syria. The missiles and drones caused minimal damage, and Israel, under pressure from Western countries to show restraint, responded with a limited strike that it did not openly claim.

Iran fired at least 180 missiles at Israel on the evening of October 1, sending Israelis running toward bomb shelters but causing little damage and few injuries. Iran said the dam was in retaliation for attacks in recent months in which leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Iranian army were killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly said Iran had “made a big mistake.”

Before Iran’s October attack, Israel had landed a number of missiles. devastating blows It is against Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets at 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 were injured when pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded during two days of attacks attributed to Israel in September. The following week, a major Israeli airstrike outside Beirut killed Hezbollah’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of his top commanders.

Israel then increased the pressure on Hezbollah by launching a ground operation in Southern Lebanon. More than a million Lebanese have been displaced and the death toll has risen sharply as air strikes continue to hit Beirut and the surrounding area.

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

US warns against retaliation

The White House stated that Israel’s attacks on Iran should end the direct exchange of fire between the two enemy countries, and warned Tehran of “consequences” if it responds.

A senior White House official said the administration believes the Israeli operation should “close down” direct military exchanges between Israel and Iran, and other allies agree.

The official said that US President Joe Biden was briefed throughout the day on Friday on the development of the operation and the execution of the operation by the Israelis by national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

The official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity in accordance with the ground rules set by the White House, said the Israeli operation was “comprehensive, targeted and precise.” The official underlined that the United States had no involvement in the attack.

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

Israeli attack is the last of the Middle East wars

When Hamas and other militants attacked Israel last October 7, they killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 people hostage in Gaza. In response, Israel launched a devastating air and ground offensive against Hamas, and Netanyahu vowed to continue it until all hostages were released. About 100 people remained, and roughly a third are believed to be dead.

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

Israel’s attack on Iran on Saturday came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to the US after a trip to the Middle East, where he and other US officials warned Israel to respond in a way that does not further escalate the conflict in the region. area.

Two US officials said the US was informed by Israel before the attacks. They said that there was no US 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 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel sees Iran as the biggest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their 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. Senior Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in a suspected Israeli assassination campaign. Iran’s nuclear facilities were hacked or sabotaged; These were all mysterious attacks for which Israel was blamed.

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

Since Hamas’ October 7 attack, its shadow war has increasingly come to light.

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Associated Press writers 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.

First Publication Date: 24 October 2024, 22:31