A general view of Tehran after several explosions were heard in Tehran on October 26, 2024.
AFP
The Israeli military claimed its strikes hit Iran's missile manufacturing facilities, missile arrays and other systems in several regions.
Iran’s military said the strikes targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces but caused “limited damage.”
"This fake regime (Israel) attacked parts of military centres in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces," it said in a statement, adding that the attack "caused limited damage" while being intercepted.
The Iranian army said two soldiers were killed on military installations, Iran's Al-Alam television reported.
"The army of the Islamic Republic of Iran lost two of its fighters during the night when they faced projectiles from the criminal Zionist regime in defence of its territory," the statement said.
Earlier, Iranian state television reported blasts around the capital, saying they were due to the "activation of the air defence system" against an Israeli attack.
Israel had vowed to hit back at Iran for its October 1 missile strike, the second-ever direct attack by the Islamic republic.
Iran in April launched its first-ever direct assault on Israeli territory in retaliation for a deadly strike on Iran's consular annex in Damascus, that killed two Revolutionary Guards.
Iran launched the October 1 missile barrage in retaliation after Israel assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31 and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, along with Revolutionary Guards general Abbas Nilforushan, both killed in an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27.
The Israeli aircraft struck "missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the State of Israel over the last year," Israel's armt said in a statement.
The Israeli army added that it simultaneously, "struck surface-to-air missile arrays and additional Iranian aerial capabilities." It said that the strike "has been completed and the mission was fulfilled."
Still, the strikes risk pushing the archenemies closer to all-out war at a time of spiraling violence across the Middle East.
Iran self defence
Iran condamned the Israeli aggression and said it has "duty" to defend itself.
"Iran has the right and the duty to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression," the foreign ministry said in a statement, citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
A Ministry called the attacks a "clear violation of international law" and the UN Charter, particularly regarding the prohibition against threats or the use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations.
"Iran reserves the right to respond to any aggression, and there is no doubt that Israel will face a proportional reaction for any action it takes," the semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing sources, Reuters reported.
Tehran had in recent weeks warned that any attack on its infrastructure would provoke an "even stronger response", while Revolutionary Guards general Rassul Sanairad said an attack on nuclear or energy sites would cross a red line.
US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett claimed the Israeli "strikes on military targets" are "an exercise of self-defence and in response to Iran's ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1."
The United States was "informed beforehand and there is no US involvement," a US defence official told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
The official did not say how far in advance the United States had been informed or what had been shared by Israel.
Meanwhile, Iran announced Saturday the resumption of flights after a brief suspension following an “Israeli” attack that targeted several military sites in the country.
"Flights will return to normal from 9:00 am (0530 GMT) on Saturday," the spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Organisation said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
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