Israel concluded three waves of targeted air strikes on Iran early Saturday morning local time hours after starting the attack, which came in response to the Islamic Republic’s missile barrage on October 1.
“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a video statement. “We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel.”
Iran’s National Air Defense headquarters said there was “limited damage” in certain areas of the country and that some of the strikes were successfully intercepted. Several military sites were struck overnight in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan, and Ilam.
At least two soldiers were killed during the attack, the Iranian army said. Explosions were heard in Tehran, but the capital itself was not directly hit.
Iranian leaders did not immediately comment on the developing situation, but Israel confirmed the assault shortly after it began.
“In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel—right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” the IDF confirmed in a statement.
Iran said the scope of the attack is under investigation. No Iranian nuclear facilities or oil fields have been hit, according to reports.
An anonymous Israeli official told NBC News that the Jewish state struck military targets instead of Iranian nuclear facilities or oil fields, which the Biden administration has warned against targeting.
“We’re targeting things that might have threatened us in the past or could do in the future,” the official reportedly said.
Israeli officials have recently said they would respond to Iran’s attack, in which 180 to 200 ballistic missiles were launched toward Israel earlier this month in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah and other terrorist leaders. U.S. officials considered Iran’s military action unsuccessful, considering it did not inflict major damage on Israel.
The White House was reportedly given advance notice of Israel’s reprisal shortly before it was carried out. The U.S. was not involved in the attack. As the news broke, a National Security Council spokesman said the Israeli air strikes are “an exercise of self-defense.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, over the phone after Israel initiated the air strikes. Austin stressed it was important “to defend U.S. personnel, Israel, and partners across the region,” per a readout of the call provided by Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder.
In the weeks before the attack, the U.S. mobilized military forces in the region to deter Iran from responding with force and help Israel defend itself from another Iranian missile barrage should one occur. The deployment included a THAAD missile-defense system in Israel, meaning U.S. soldiers could intervene in the fighting between the two Middle Eastern nations on Israeli soil if necessary.
Last week, a pro-Iranian Telegram account leaked U.S. intelligence documents of Israel’s plans to strike Iran. Described by Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) as “very concerning,” the leak came as Israel was finishing preparations for its targeted air strikes. The FBI has since opened an investigation into the leak, considered to be a serious breach of U.S. intelligence.