Israel have conducted retaliatory airstrikes in Iran early Saturday morning, targeting military sites in response to an October 1 missile attack.
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari confirmed that the strikes were aimed at “precision military targets” due to recent Iranian actions against Israel.
Hagari emphasized Israel’s readiness for both offensive and defensive situations, noting no changes in civilian instructions.
The United States was informed in advance, according to Israeli news agency KAN.
Reports from regional sources indicated that numerous Israeli jets struck locations in Tehran, Mashhad, and Karaj, with explosions reported.
Some sounds were attributed to Iranian air defenses. Syria’s SANA news agency also reported that Syrian defenses responded to nearby hostile activity, with explosions heard in Damascus.
The escalation follows Iran’s earlier missile barrage on Israel, which came after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had warned of repercussions, asserting that Iran would “pay for” its actions.
In a prior understanding with the United States, Israel agreed not to target Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities, aiming to avoid broader regional impacts.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has deployed additional military assets to the region as a deterrent.
The United States is not participating in the Israeli military’s operations against Iran, a senior administration official said told CNN.
“We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st. We would refer you to the Israeli government for more information on their operation,” said Sean Savett, White House National Security Council spokesperson, said in a statement.
Israel did give the White House a heads up in advance of the strikes, according to a source familiar with the notification.
US President Joe Biden is currently in Wilmington, Delaware, and his advisers are currently not planning to convene in the Situation Room.
The president has been briefed on the strikes, though, and is closely following developments, a White House official said.
