Israel strikes Iran's military sites; massive explosions heard in Tehran
In retaliation to Iran's ballistic missile attack earlier this month, Israel carried out "precise strikes" on Iranian military targets early Saturday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the airstrikes targeted Iranian military sites. The first wave of strikes led to explosions near Tehran around 2:15am local time, followed by a second wave hours later with visible explosions and light trails in central Tehran.
IDF confirms strikes, Netanyahu oversees operation
In a statement, the IDF claimed that Iran and its regional proxies have been attacking Israel since October 7 on seven fronts, including direct attacks from Iranian soil. The IDF reiterated Israel's right to defend itself, saying it "will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF commanders during the operation in a bunker below the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv.
Iranian state TV attributes explosions to air defense activation
The extent of the damage was not immediately clear but Iranian state television blamed the explosions on the activation of an air defense system. "The loud blasts heard...were related to the activation of the air defense system against the actions of Zionist regime which attacked three locations outside...Tehran city," state TV reported. However, an Israeli source dismissed the claim as false, saying there were "zero interceptions." An Israeli official clarified that nuclear facilities and oil fields were not targeted.
US not involved
An American official told Reuters that Israel informed the US ahead of the strikes, stressing that the US was not involved in the operation. "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," White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said.
Israel ends strikes
The attack is expected to be limited to one night, ABC News reported, with the IDF also saying the strike has ended. However, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari warned that if Iran was to "make the mistake" of escalating further, Israel would respond. Iran had anticipated a reprisal after its recent missile barrage on October 1, in which it fired 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.
