Israel launched pre-dawn airstrikes on military targets in Iran on Saturday, marking the first time its military has openly attacked the Islamic Republic in response to the ballistic missile barrage fired at Israel earlier this month.
As reported by Associated Press, the Israeli military reported that its aircraft targeted facilities used by Iran to produce the missiles aimed at Israel, as well as surface-to-air missile sites.
Importantly, there were no reports of strikes on Iran’s oil or nuclear sites. Iran claimed the airstrikes caused only “limited damage,” and state-run media downplayed the incident. Together, these actions suggest that both nations are currently seeking to avoid a significant escalation.
However, the airstrikes could still bring the two rivals closer to all-out war, especially amid rising violence in the West Asia, where Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon are already engaged in conflict with Israel, AP reported.
Following the airstrikes, Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it “considers itself entitled and obligated to defend against foreign acts of aggression.” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has “no limits” in defending its interests and called for the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israel for the attacks.
However, late Saturday, Iran’s military released a carefully crafted statement indicating that any potential cease-fire in Israel’s ground operations in Gaza and Lebanon would take precedence over any retaliatory action. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that four individuals were killed, all from the military air defense.
The Iranian military stated that the strikes targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran provinces. Notably, the influential paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, responsible for Iran’s extensive ballistic missile arsenal, did not comment, raising doubts about whether any of its bases were affected.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a statement posted to X, gave his condolences to the families of the dead and warned against future attacks.
“Enemies of Iran should know these brave people are standing fearlessly in defense of their land and will respond to any stupidity with tact and intelligence,” he wrote.
US President Joe Biden told reporters Israel gave him a heads-up before the strikes and said it looked like “they didn’t hit anything but military targets.” His administration won assurances from Israel in mid-October that it would not hit nuclear facilities and oil installations. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran’s nuclear facilities were not impacted.
“I hope this is the end,” Biden said.
Israel’s first open attack on Iran
Iran hadn’t experienced a sustained bombardment from a foreign adversary since its war with Iraq in the 1980s, with explosions audible in Tehran until sunrise.
Israel is also believed to have conducted a limited airstrike in April near a major Iranian air base, targeting the radar system of a Russian-made air defense battery. This came after Iran launched a series of missiles and drones at Israel, causing minimal damage, following the deaths of two Iranian generals in what appeared to be an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic post in Syria.
On October 1, Iran fired at least 180 missiles into Israel in retaliation for significant attacks Israel had carried out against Hezbollah, resulting in only minor damage and a few injuries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked that Iran “made a big mistake.”
“If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond,” Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said, AP reported.
Images released by Israel’s military depicted members preparing to launch strikes using American-made F-15 and F-16 warplanes.
The Iranian military described Israel’s warplanes as launching lightweight missiles from a distance of 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Iranian border. According to their statement, the missiles targeted air defense radar stations, many of which were already undergoing repairs.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations accused the U.S. of complicity in the attack, claiming that the U.S. controls Iraqi airspace.
Israel’s attack did not target highly visible or symbolic facilities that might elicit a major response from Iran, according to Yoel Guzansky, a researcher at Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former member of Israel’s National Security Council.
This approach allows Israel the flexibility to escalate if necessary, while targeting air defense systems diminishes Iran’s ability to defend against future strikes. Guzansky noted that any potential Iranian retaliation is likely to be limited.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, that “Iran should not make the mistake of responding to Israel’s strikes, which should mark the end of this exchange,” according to Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, AP reported.
How did Harris and Trump react?
On the campaign trail this weekend, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump both briefly commented on the recent airstrikes.
“Israel is attacking — we’ve got a war going on and she’s out partying,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan on Friday as Harris was holding an event with Beyoncé in Texas.
Meanwhile, Harris on Saturday called for “de-escalation and not an escalation of activities in that region.”
“I feel very strongly, we as the United States feel very strongly that Iran must stop what it is doing in terms of the threat that it presents to the region and we will always defend Israel against any attacks by Iran in that way,” she told reporters in Michigan, AP reported.
The United States warned against further retaliation, and Britain and Germany said Iran should not respond. “All acts of escalation are condemnable and must stop,” the spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general said.
Saudi Arabia was one of multiple countries in the region condemning the strike, calling it a violation of Iran’s “sovereignty and a violation of international laws and norms.” Hezbollah and Hamas condemned Israel’s attack.
Regional tensions have been soaring.
In Lebanon, dozens were killed and thousands injured in September when Hezbollah’s pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in attacks attributed to Israel. The following week, a significant Israeli airstrike near Beirut resulted in the death of Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel then initiated a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, displacing over a million Lebanese people and significantly increasing the death toll as airstrikes targeted areas in and around Beirut.
Hezbollah warned 25 communities in northern Israel to evacuate on Saturday, designating them as “legitimate military targets” due to Israel’s attacks originating from those locations.
Enemies for decades
Israel and Iran have been adversaries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with Israel viewing Iran as its greatest threat due to its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, support for anti-Israel militant groups, and its nuclear program.
Over the years, a shadow war has unfolded, involving suspected Israeli operations that have assassinated top Iranian nuclear scientists and sabotaged Iranian nuclear facilities. Contrariwise, Iran has been implicated in attacks on shipping in the West Asia.
This shadow conflict intensified after October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other militants launched a significant attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and the abduction of around 250 hostages into Gaza. In retaliation, Israel initiated a devastating air and ground offensive against Hamas, with approximately 100 hostages remaining, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in largely devastated Gaza, according to local health officials, who don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but say more than half have been women and children.
“Those who were not killed by the bombing are dying from starvation. This is life,” said one woman displaced from northern Gaza, Madallah Abu Zaid.