The Israel announced that it conducted “precision targeted strikes”against Iran today in response to an Iranian attack on October 1, primarily targeting missile manufacturing facilities. Tehran, for its part, announced “limited damage.”

These Israeli raids were launched against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions following the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas just over a year ago. The clashes have also extended to neighbouring Lebanon where the Israeli army is clashing with Hezbollah. These two Islamist movements are allies of Iran.

Tehran launched some 200 missiles against Israel on October 1, including supersonic missiles – a first for the country. Israel had promised to make Tehran pay the price for this attack.

The warplanes “struck a missile manufacturing facility (…) which Iran has been launching against the state of Israel for a year. These missiles posed an immediate and imminent threat to the citizens of Israel,”the Israeli military said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Israeli armed forces noted that they targeted“ground-to-air missile batteries and other anti-aircraft defense systems.”

In a separate statement, Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari explained that these strikes give Israel more freedom of action in Iranian airspace.

“Our message is clear: all those who threaten the state of Israel and try to drag the region into a wider escalation will pay a heavy price, he stressed.

The first explosions were heard at about 02:15 (local time, 01:45 GMT), mainly west of Tehran, Iran’s Irna news agency reported.

Israel “attacked military centers in the provinces of Tehran, Kuzestan (southwest) and Eelam (west)”, bordering Iraq, “as part of an operation causing tensions”, the Iranian anti-aircraft defense forces said in a statement.

According to the same source, the Israeli attack caused “limited damage in some areas.”

Iranian state television had reported overnight“six powerful explosions” around Tehran, which were linked “to the activation of the anti-aircraft defense system.”

Iran announced the suspension until further notice of all flights in its airspace, but air traffic has now been restored.

“No explosion or fire”has been reported at Tehran’s main refinery, Tasnim agency clarified.

From Washington, the White House called Israel’s strikes “self-defense maneuvers”and called on Tehran “to end its attacks against Israel in order to close this cycle of conflict without further escalation.”

A senior US President Joe Biden‘s senior administration official commented that with these “targeted and proportionate strikes” by Israel against Iranian military positions, direct fire exchanges between the two countries should end.

He added, moreover, that the US is fully prepared to defend Israel once again should Iran decide to respond.

At the same time, the US official pointed out that the US has direct and indirect channels of communication with Tehran through which it has made its positions on many issues clear.

The US was briefed but not involved
The Iranian missile strike of October 1 was launched in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Lebanon in September that killed an Iranian general and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Iranian officials had indicated that the operation was also in response to the Israeli-attributed assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyah on Iranian soil.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galad had warned that his country would respond “in a deadly, specific and surprising”way to the Iranian attack on October 1.

US President Joe Biden had asked Israel in early October not to strike Iranian oil facilities, something Tehran warned against.

On October 14, the Washington Post reported in an article that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Biden that he was considering hitting the Iranian military rather than Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities.

“We understand that Israel’s targeted strikes against military targets in Iran are self-defense maneuvers and are in response to the Iranian ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1”, explained White House National Security Council spokesman in a statement.

“We call on Iran to cease its attacks against Israel so that this cycle of conflict can be brought to a close without further escalation, he added.

The US had been informed in advance by Israel of its strikes against Iran, but was not involved in the operation, a US defense official explained.