TEL AVIV – Israel attacked military targets in Iran with weapons A series of pre-dawn air strikes in retaliation on Saturday ballistic missile bombardment The Islamic Republic opened fire on Israel earlier in the month.

The Israeli military said its planes targeted surface-to-air missile sites as well as facilities used by Iran to build the missiles fired at Israel. There was no direct indication that oil or missile sites had been hit – such attacks would indicate a much more serious escalation – and Israel did not provide an immediate damage assessment.

Explosions were heard in Iran’s capital Tehran, but the Islamic Republic insisted they caused only “limited damage” and Iranian state media downplayed the attacks. Iran’s Al-Alam television reported that two soldiers of the Iranian army were killed in the attack.

Still, the attacks are pushing the arch-enemies closer to an all-out war. Spiral of violence in the Middle Eastincluding militant groups supported by Iran Hamas in Gaza And Hezbollah in Lebanon – already at war with Israel.

Following the airstrikes, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying it had the right to self-defense and “considers itself entitled and obliged to defend against acts of foreign aggression.”

Israel’s first open attack on Iran

“Iran has twice attacked Israel, including at places that endangered civilians, and has paid the price,” Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.

“We focused on our war goals” Gaza Strip and Lebanon. “It is Iran that continues to press for broader escalation in the region.”

Photos and videos released by Israel show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a black casual jacket, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meeting with military advisers and others in a conference room at the military command and control center at Kirya military base in Tel Aviv.

In Iran, attacks filled the air for hours until sunrise. These attacks mark the first time the Israeli military has openly attacked Iran, which has not been subjected to sustained fire from a foreign enemy since its war with Iraq in the 1980s.

It is widely thought that Israel was also behind this attack. Limited air strike in April Near a major air base in Iran, the radar system of a Russian-made air defense battery was hit.

Hagari said Saturday’s attack came as part of Israel’s “duty to respond” to attacks from “Iran and its proxies in the region.”

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

Yoel Guzansky, a researcher at the Tel Aviv Institute for National Security Studies who previously worked in Israel, said Israel’s attack effectively sends a message to Iran that it will not remain silent, but does not remove highly visible or symbolic facilities that could prompt a significant Iranian response. he said. On behalf of the Israeli National Security Council.

He also stated that this situation gives Israel the opportunity to further escalate tensions if necessary, and that targeting air defense systems weakens Iran’s defense capacity against future attacks, adding that if Iran retaliates, he expects it to be limited.

“Iran has a better chance of restraining themselves because of its interests, external pressures and the nature of the Israeli attack. This allows them to save face,” he said.

Mixed reactions at home and abroad

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the decision to avoid “strategic and economic targets” in the attack.

“We could and should have demanded a much heavier price from Iran,” Lapid wrote to X.

The US said the night strikes should put an end to direct exchanges of fire between Israel and Iran and warned against further retaliation, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “Iran should not respond”.

“We need to avoid further tensions in the region and call on all parties to show restraint,” he said while attending a summit in Samoa.

Saudi Arabia was one of several countries in the region to condemn the attack, calling it a “violation of Iran’s sovereignty and international laws and norms.”

The kingdom’s foreign ministry said it rejected escalation in the region and “the expansion of the conflict that threatens the security and stability of the countries and peoples of the region.”

Iran-backed Hamas described the attack as “an escalation targeting the security of the region and the security of its people.”

Before the victory of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, nuclear facilities and oil facilities were seen as possible targets in Israel’s response to Iran’s October 1 attack. Assurance from Israel He said he would not be able to hit such targets in mid-October, which would lead to a more severe escalation.

The Iranian army stated that the attacks targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, but did not provide details.

Iran closed its airspace during the attack, but Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said flights would resume at 9 a.m., state news agency IRNA reported.

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 Iranian state television offered no further details for hours beyond a brief reference.

Iran may be trying to end increasing tit-for-tat attacks

Iran’s move to quickly downplay the attack could provide a way for it not to respond, preventing it from escalating further.

Iranian fired a wave of missiles and drones In Israel in April, after two Iranian generals were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic post in Syria. Missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles caused minimal damageIsrael, which was under pressure from Western countries to show restraint, responded with a limited attack that it did not openly claim.

Dozens of people died and thousands were injured in Lebanon in September. pagers and walkie-talkies The explosive used by Hezbollah exploded within two days of the attacks attributed to Israel. A major Israeli airstrike outside Beirut the following week Killed Hezbollah’s long-time leader Hassan Nasrallahand several of his top commanders.

In retaliation, Iran fired at least 180 missiles at Israel on October 1, sending Israelis running toward bomb shelters but causing little damage and few injuries.

Netanyahu quickly said Iran had “made a big mistake.”

Israel then increased pressure on Hezbollah. Ground attack on Southern Lebanon. more than a million Lebanese people displacedThe death toll in the air strikes in Beirut and its surroundings increased rapidly.

Antipathy between the two countries goes back decades

Israel and Iran have been bitter enemies since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel views its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups, and Iran as the biggest threat. country’s nuclear program.

During years of shadow wars, a suspected Israeli assassination campaign killed leading Iranian nuclear scientists and had Iran’s nuclear facilities hacked or sabotaged; All of this happened because of mysterious attacks for which Israel was blamed.

Meanwhile, Iran is held responsible for a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which were later Attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen Regarding shipping via the Red Sea corridor.

The shadow war between Hamas and others has increasingly come to light since October 7, 2023. Militants attacked Israel. They killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took approximately 250 hostages into Gaza. In response, Israel launched an operation. devastating air and ground attack Against Hamas, Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting until all hostages are released. About 100 people remain, and about a third of them are believed to be dead.

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

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Gambrell reported from Dubai and Schreck reported from Jerusalem. United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran; Abby Sewell in Beirut; Lolita C. Baldor, Farnoush Amiri and Zeke Miller in Washington; David Rising in Bangkok; and Aamer Madhani in Wilmington, Delaware, contributed to this report.