Middle tension rises as Israel hits Iran in retaliatory strikes
The Israeli military said its strikes hit Iran’s missile manufacturing facilities, missile arrays and other systems in several regions.
Iran confirmed an Israeli attack had targeted military sites in the capital Tehran and other parts of the country, but said it had caused “limited damage”.
Israel had vowed to hit back at Iran for its October 1 missile strike, the second-ever direct attack by the Islamic republic on its arch-foe.
The rapid escalation of violence has heightened fears across the region and beyond of a wider war, pitting Israel against Iran and the allies it dubs the “axis of resistance” on multiple fronts.
“Based on intelligence, IAF (air force) aircraft struck missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the State of Israel over the last year,” Israel’s military said in a statement.
“Simultaneously, the IDF (military) struck surface-to-air missile arrays and additional Iranian aerial capabilities,” the army said, adding that the “retaliatory strike has been completed and the mission was fulfilled”.
Since the deadliest attack in its history on October 7, 2023, Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza, and since late last month, it has been at war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are allies of Iran, as are armed groups in Yemen and Iraq and the government in Syria.
In a statement announcing the operation, the Israeli military said it was conducting “precise strikes on military targets in Iran”, in response to what it said were “months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran”.
“The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th — on seven fronts — including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” the military said.
Iran on Saturday suspended all flights until further notice, the aviation authority announced.
Iran in April launched its first-ever direct assault on Israeli territory in retaliation for a deadly strike on Iran’s consular annex in Damascus.
Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza killed 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 42,847 people, the majority civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.
AFP
