ReutersIsrael carried out what it described as “precise and targeted” air strikes on Iran in retaliation for the attack. series of missile attacks conducted by Tehran against Israel earlier this month.
This is the latest development in a series of exchanges between the two countries over the past several months that have raised fears of a full-scale war in the region.
However, while Iran said Saturday’s attacks on military sites killed four soldiers, early signs suggest the attacks were more limited in scale than previously believed. fear.
Here’s what we know.
How do the attacks take place?
Around 02:15 local time (22:45 GMT on Friday), Iranian media reported explosions in and around the capital Tehran.
Video uploaded to social media and verified by the BBC showed bullets flying over the city, while residents in some areas reported hearing loud explosions.
Soon after, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed they were carrying out “precision” attacks on “military targets” in Iran.
The attacks involved a variety of aircraft, including jets and drones. Targets included Iran’s air defense system, as well as missile and drone production facilities and launch facilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant watched the operation from the IDF command and control center in Tel Aviv.
The strikes took place in several waves, lasting three hours. Shortly after 06:30 (03:00 GMT), the IDF said the strikes had ended.
The White House described the attack as a “self-defense exercise”. A senior administration official said the US worked with Israel to encourage a “targeted and proportionate” response.
What is the scale of the attacks?
The extent of the attacks – and the damage caused – remains unclear at this stage.
The IDF said it hit about 20 targets, includes missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missiles and other military facilities.
Iran’s military confirmed four soldiers were killed, two “while fighting with bullets”.
Iranian authorities said sites in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces were targeted. The country’s air defense force said it “successfully prevented” the attacks, but “some areas suffered only limited damage”.
BBC Verify has identified damage at a Defense Ministry base east of Tehran and at an air defense base in the south.
A senior US administration official said the attacks did not cause damage to Iran’s oil infrastructure or nuclear facilities, goals set by President Joe Biden. urged Israel not to attack.
Syrian state media also reported attacks on military sites in central and southern Syria, although Israel has not confirmed attacking the country.
Why did Israel attack Iran?
Iran is the main backer of a series of groups across the Middle East – often described as proxies – hostile to Israel, including Hamas and Hezbollah, with whom Israel is currently at war.
In April, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel, with about 300 missiles and drones, in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes. attack on the Iranian embassy complex in Syria killed several top commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Israel responded with a “limited” attack on missile defense systems in Iran’s Isfahan region, but Iran chose not to respond.
Then, in July, Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in an airstrike on Beirut. The next day, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Tehran. Iran blamed Israel but Israel did not comment.
At the end of September, Israel Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated and Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior Iranian official, in Beirut.
October 1, Iran launches about 180 ballistic missiles in Israel, which was said to be in response to the deaths of Haniyeh, Nasrallah and Nilforoushan.
This latest attack on Iran is Israel’s response to that.
What happens next?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied a report by the US news agency Axios that before the attacks, Israel sent Iran a message revealing certain details about the attacks and warning Tehran not to react.
“Israel did not inform Iran before the attack – not about the timing, not about the target, not about the strength of the attack,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s spokesman said.
However, initial signs show that this attack is not as serious as some people fear.
The IDF said in a statement that “we are focused on our war objectives in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. It is Iran that continues to push for broader escalation in the region.”
A senior US official said “this will be the end of the direct gun battle between Israel and Iran”.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it “has the right and obligation to defend itself” and described the attack as a violation of international law.
But they also said Tehran acknowledged “its responsibility for regional peace and security”.
What is the situation in Iran?
Images released by Iranian state media showed life continuing relatively normally – with crowded streets, people exercising in parks and fruit and vegetable markets open as usual.
Iran closed its airspace for several hours overnight, but later reopened it and commercial flights were launched across the country in the late afternoon.
But there are signs that the Iranian government wants to downplay the impact of the attacks.
The IRGC announced that it is a criminal offense to send “images or news” related to the attack to media outlets it considers “affiliated with Israel” or “hostile.” Normally, Iran views Western media as hostile.
Iranian media today reported that the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office filed a complaint against an anonymous website for “reporting on issues that go against national security”.
How did the world react?
US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said Israel’s response “avoided populated areas and focused only on military targets, in contrast to Iran’s attack on Israel which targeted the most populous city in Israel”.
However, he added, Washington’s goal is to “accelerate diplomacy and reduce tensions in the Middle East region.”
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Israel had the right to defend itself but called on all sides to “show restraint” and urged Iran not to respond.
Saudi Arabia condemned the attack and warned of any actions that “threaten the security and stability” of the region.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry echoed those concerns and said it was “extremely concerned” by the strikes.
Hamas described these actions as “a blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and an escalation aimed at the security of the region and the safety of its people”.
Additional reporting by Ghoncheh Habibiazad, BBC Monitor
