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New Delhi:
Israel has launched targeted strikes against Iran, with its military saying the strikes are in response to the October 1 missile attack, during which Iran fired approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.
Here are 10 points on this big story:
- “In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel, the IDF is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. Israeli officials have clarified that these attacks are justified as measures of self-defence. IDF’s spokesperson Daniel Hagari also urged Israeli citizens to “remain alert and vigilant.”
- The United States confirmed it was informed of the impending strike, although no US personnel or assets were involved in the operation. Sean Savett, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, termed Israel’s actions as “an exercise of self-defence and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel.”
- Iranian state TV reported “strong explosions” around Tehran on Saturday morning, without specifying their cause. The semi-official Tasnim News Agency noted that no rockets or aircraft were reported in the skies over Tehran at the time of the explosions.
- Iranian state TV claimed that the blasts heard around Tehran were due to the “activation of the air defence system.” “The loud blasts heard around Tehran were related to the activation of the air defence system against the actions of Zionist regime which attacked three locations outside of Tehran city,” state TV reported
- Iranian authorities suggested the noises could be related to defensive measures, hinting at the possibility that Iran’s air defence systems had been activated.
- In addition to Tehran, residents in the nearby city of Karaj reported hearing blasts. Iranian authorities say that operations at critical sites such as the Imam Khomeini International Airport, Mehrabad Airport, and a prominent oil refinery south of Tehran were “normal” and unaffected by the strikes. However, several military bases near Tehran were reportedly targeted by Israeli forces, according to Iran’s Fars News Agency.
- Reports of explosions from Syria’s state news agency SANA noted that Syrian air defences were activated in response to “hostile targets” near the capital, Damascus. While there was no official statement connecting the Syrian incidents directly to the Israeli strikes in Iran, explosions were heard in Damascus and central regions.
- In recent weeks, Israel has intensified operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – both allies of Iran – following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
- This brutal assault, labelled the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, has triggered relentless Israeli offensives across Gaza and heightened security measures along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon to counter Hezbollah’s influence.
- Israel’s defence minister warned earlier this week that any attempt to harm Israel would result in a “heavy price”. The United States, while voicing its support for Israel’s right to defend itself, has been diplomatically active, pushing to prevent a chain reaction that could destabilise the entire region.
