Israel Attacks Military Targets Across Iran, Escalating Conflicts

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(Bloomberg) — Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes on targets across Iran early Saturday, delivering on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to retaliate for a missile barrage three weeks ago and fanning fear of open conflict between the two longtime adversaries.

Numerous explosions were reported around Tehran in what appeared to be a first wave of strikes. More than an hour later, Israel’s Channel 12 reported more strikes in the city of Shiraz and said dozens of fighter jets were involved. There were no immediate reports of casualties. 

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After announcing that the mission was over, the Israel Defense Forces said the plane hit the production facilities that make the missiles used last year against Israel. It said surface-to-air missiles and other air capabilities were also hit.

A person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing the Israeli operation, said its forces had raided missile production facilities and air defense systems. That suggested that Netanyahu halt the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure as US President Joe Biden has urged.

“Due to months of ongoing attacks by the Iranian regime against the State of Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces are currently conducting direct strikes on military targets in Iran,” the Israeli military said in a statement. Israel says it has the “right and duty” to respond to Iran’s attacks.

The early morning strikes fulfilled Netanyahu’s promise of retaliation after Iran fired about 200 ballistic missiles into Israel on October 1. The Islamic Republic said the attacks were in retaliation after days of military and intelligence operations killed members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the country’s most important terrorist group. of Tehran and is considered a terrorist organization by the US.

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The tit-for-tat attack fueled fears of direct and open conflict between Israel and Iran. The US and its allies have said for weeks that Israel has the right to defend itself but have worked behind the scenes to prevent Israel from launching an attack that would trigger a wider war.

Iran “has the right to respond to any form of aggression,” Tasnim news agency said. Passenger flights to Iran have been canceled until further notice.

The latest attack came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left for the Middle East, where he launched a new US campaign to end the shooting in Gaza and sought to exert new influence on Israel to reduce its response to Iran. The Biden administration was concerned that an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be an unacceptable escalation and that attacking the country’s oil infrastructure would disrupt global energy markets.

Biden was informed of the Saturday morning airstrikes and was monitoring what was happening. The Israeli government advised the US of its plans in advance, according to a person familiar with the matter. But the US military was not involved, another official said.

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“We understand that Israel is conducting strikes against Iranian forces as a defensive measure and in response to Iran’s missile attack against Israel on October 1,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.

Israel Launches Direct Strike on Iranian Military Targets: TOPLive

Last month, Israel killed the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, in a strike in Beirut. That happened days after the bombings that killed several leaders of the organization. In recent weeks, Israel has continued its campaign against Hezbollah despite appealing to its western allies for a ceasefire. It also killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Iran-backed militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas invaded southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing around 1,200 people, kidnapping around 250 others and setting off a war with Israel. The ensuing battle left more than 42,000 Palestinians dead, according to health officials in the Hamas-controlled area, who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel’s statement about Saturday’s strikes was unusual as a public acknowledgment that Iran had taken action. Israel has been accused of carrying out several strikes against Iran in recent years, including one strike after a previous Iranian attack in April that was in response to an Iranian general strike in Syria, but did not claim direct responsibility.

—Courtesy of Courtney McBride, Natalia Drozdiak and Ethan Bronner.

(Updates on Israel announcing operation in third phase)

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