"Precise attacks" ended Israel retaliates against Iran - an overview of the situation
Explosions could be heard in the center of the Iranian capital.
Image: Vahid Salemi/AP
Israeli army chief Halevi leads the attack. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Explosions could be heard in the center of the Iranian capital.
Image: Vahid Salemi/AP
Israeli army chief Halevi leads the attack. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Israel retaliates after the Iranian missile attack. Tehran is reportedly ready to respond. Is the conflict between the two arch-enemies getting out of control?
Israel has launched its retaliatory strike against Iran, which has been expected for weeks. The military announced overnight that it was carrying out precise attacks on military targets in Iran "in response to the Iranian regime's attacks on Israel, which have been ongoing for months".
After around five hours of several waves of attacks, the army declared the strike under the name "Days of Reversal" to be over in the morning. The "mission" had been accomplished. Iran's military is ready to strike back. "There is no doubt that Israel will receive an appropriate response to any action," the Tasnim agency quoted a source as saying. Tasnim is considered the mouthpiece of the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's elite military force. Israel's airstrike was carried out over a distance of around 1500 kilometers.
It is the first known large-scale attack by a foreign power in Iran since the first Gulf War between the Islamic Republic and Iraq in the 1980s. "We attacked targets in various regions in Iran in a precise manner," said Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari in the morning. These included workshops for the production of missiles.
Surface-to-air missile systems and air defense systems were also attacked. "Now Israel has more freedom in air operations in Iran," said Hagari. The locations attacked were selected from a list of targets. Should it become necessary, further targets from this list could be attacked. According to media reports, a total of around 20 targets in Iran were bombed by Israel.
Iran's media report "limited damage"
The USA had called on Israel, its most important ally, not to attack nuclear facilities or oil fields in Iran. Iranian media initially reported "limited damage" to military bases in the country. There have been no reports of possible casualties so far. According to Iran's state media, airspace was initially closed, but should be reopened in the morning. The country's state media had reported explosions in the area around the capital Tehran, which is home to 15 to 20 million people. In the early morning, explosions were also heard in the city center and air defense fire could be seen. Israel's retaliation was in response to the latest Iranian missile attack.
Israel makes good on its threat
On October 1, the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's elite military force, fired around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. The attack followed a series of targeted killings by Israel, which were aimed at key players in Iran's network of non-state allies such as the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and the Islamist Hamas. Israel then announced its intention to retaliate. The attack began during the Jewish day of rest, the Sabbath. The high Jewish holiday ended on Thursday evening. According to US media, the American armed forces in the region were not involved.
Will Iran strike back?
Initially, Iranian state media portrayed the Israeli attack as harmless. State radio reported that sounds of explosions in the west of the capital Tehran had been triggered by air defenses. Iran's Revolutionary Guards had repeatedly emphasized in recent days that they would react decisively to an attack. Israeli army spokesman Hagari warned Iran of a further escalation after the end of the strike. "Should the regime in Iran make the mistake of initiating a new round of escalation, we are obliged to respond," said Hagari in the morning.
The US government also called on Iran shortly before the presidential election in the USA not to escalate the conflict any further. A senior government official pointed out that Israel had followed the US government's recommendation to limit the attack to military targets and avoid civilian casualties. US President Joe Biden and his team have encouraged Israel in recent weeks to respond to the Iranian missile attack on October 1 in a targeted and appropriate manner, the government official told the Wall Street Journal. Israel's response could influence domestic politics in the US, former CIA Director John Brennan told NBC News.
Warnings to Iran
The website Axios reported that Israel had warned Iran of a response before the retaliatory attack. In the event of an Iranian counter-attack, a more serious attack had been threatened via intermediaries, especially if there were casualties among the Israeli population, Axios wrote, citing anonymous sources.
According to a media report, Iran's military was working on several attack scenarios. The Islamic Republic could fire up to 1,000 ballistic missiles at its declared arch-enemy, expand attacks by allied militias in the region and disrupt shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Against this backdrop, the USA stationed a battery of the THAAD missile defense system in Israel. The USA had already deployed a battery of the THAAD system in the region last year.
Israel: has the right to react
According to local media reports, Israel's cabinet had authorized the retaliatory strike shortly before the attack. A corresponding telephone conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Galant took place on Friday evening, reported the Haaretz newspaper. "Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond," the Israeli military declared in the morning.
Israel will not allow Iran to "continue to hide behind its proxies", wrote Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon on Platform X. Israel has repeatedly made it clear to the international community "that we will use all means at our disposal to protect the citizens of Israel".
Since the beginning of the Gaza war more than a year ago, there have been repeated attacks on Israel by Iran's allies in the so-called "resistance axis". In addition to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, these include militias in Iraq and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. After the retaliatory strike against Iran began, the Israeli military declared this morning that its defensive and offensive capabilities were fully mobilized. "We will do everything necessary to defend the State of Israel and the Israeli people." However, there are currently no special instructions from the civil defense.
Meanwhile, following the start of the Israeli retaliatory strike in northern Israel, there were renewed rocket alerts. The Israeli army announced that warning sirens were sounding in the coastal town of Nahariya and surrounding areas. There were initially no reports of possible casualties. Hezbollah, which is allied with Iran, has been firing at Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war a year ago. Israel has responded with massive air strikes and now also a ground offensive. Meanwhile, Israel continues to take action against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
dpa
