Israel’s attack on Iran: "Raid on military targets". Usa: "It’s self-defense"

Night of fire in Iran with Israel completing its announced ‘revenge’ against Tehran after the attack on October 1st with three consecutive “precise and targeted” raids on military targets. A response agreed with the USA warned in advance, who had recommended in recent days to Israel not to strike nuclear sites, but which in any case occurs in a context of regional tensions exacerbated a year after the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas and its extension into neighboring Lebanon, where the Israeli army faces Hezbollah.

Tehran had launched around 200 missiles at Israel on October 1, including several hypersonic missiles for the first time. And Israel promised to make Iran pay for this attack. The raids took place during the night, around 2.15am local time (12.45am in Italy), mainly west of Tehran, according to the official IRNA news agency. Military planes “hit missile production sites that Iran has been launching against the State of Israel for a year. These missiles pose a direct and immediate threat to the citizens of Israel,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

The attacks also targeted “surface-to-air missile batteries and other aerial systems that were intended to limit Israel’s freedom to operate in Iran”, the IDF explained, specifying that these raids had ended. “Our message is clear: all those who threaten the State of Israel and attempt to tip the region into broader escalation will pay a high price,” said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an army spokesman.

Military centers attacked

Israel “attacked military centers in Tehran and Khuzestan (southwest) and Ilam (west) provinces” on the border with Iraq “as part of a tension-generating operation,” they said in a statement. the Iranian air defense forces communicated, specifying that the attack caused “limited damage in some places”. Iranian state television reported “six strong detonations” around the Iranian capital, “linked to the activation of the air defense system.” Iran then closed the airspace and interrupted flights, which resumed once the raid was over, around 6 am (Italian time). “No fire or explosion” was reported at Tehran’s main refinery, local news agency Tasnim said.

In Washington, the White House described these attacks as “self-defense maneuvers” and called on Tehran to “cease its attacks on Israel so that this round of fighting can end without further escalation.” Biden and Harris had been informed of the attack but the presidential offices were keen to clarify that there was “no involvement” of the US in the attacks.

But fears of a further increase in tension in the area remain: in recent weeks, Iran has played on both tension and relaxation, in the face of threats of Israeli retaliation for its missile launches. “We will hit you again painfully” in the event of an attack, warned General Hossein Salami, leader of the Revolutionary Guards, the powerful ideological army charged with defending the regime of the Islamic Republic. “We don’t want war, we want peace”, Foreign Minister Araghchi insisted several times, but assured that Iran is “totally ready to face a war situation”.

The precedent of the response to the raid on the consulate in Syria

In April, Tehran had already launched missiles and drones against Israel, during an unprecedented operation after a deadly attack on its consulate in Syria, blamed on the Israeli army. Detonations were subsequently reported in central Iran, with senior American officials speaking in the media of an Israeli response. Israel, for its part, has never claimed responsibility for an attack. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia was the first to comment on Israel’s raids, condemning them and speaking of a violation of sovereignty and international law. The Kingdom urged all parties to exercise “maximum restraint” and called on the international community to take action to reduce tensions and end the regional conflict.

Hezbollah attacks military base, IDF raid on Beirut

The Lebanese movement Hezbollah announced that it had launched a drone attack in Israel against the Tel Nof air base, south of Tel Aviv. If confirmed, it would be the first attack against this military site in more than a year of escalation between the two sides. Hezbollah announces daily that it is targeting military bases in Israel, while today it claimed to have launched “a drone airstrike” against the Tel Nof base, according to a press release, the first such claim in a year.

Also today, Hezbollah said it had fired “a salvo of rockets” at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon near the border village of Aita al-Chaab, one of the axes on which the Israeli army seeks to continue its ground incursions . In a press release, the Lebanese movement assures that its fighters launched “a volley of rockets” against the Israeli forces on the outskirts of Aita al-Chaab, an area shaken by sporadic fighting since the end of September, while the Israeli soldiers had managed last week to raise the flag on the village’s water tank.

At the same time, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that “the Israeli enemy army has been blowing up and destroying houses since dawn” in the border village of Odaisseh. The Israeli military had previously reported “the explosion of a large amount of explosives in Lebanon” that was strong enough to trigger earthquake warnings across much of Israel.
Overnight, Israeli fighter jets also struck Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese capital Beirut. According to the IDF, the targets included weapons production sites, a command room belonging to Hezbollah’s intelligence division and surveillance equipment. According to the IDF, Hezbollah’s assets were all located in civilian buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Before the attack, the army had issued evacuation warnings for civilians.

Ankara condemns the attack: “Israel must be stopped”

The Turkish government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “strongly” condemns the attack launched by Israel this night towards Iran, warns against the risk of “a great war” and defines it as “a duty” to stop the military operations of Jewish state. “We absolutely condemn Israel’s attack on Iran. Israel commits genocide in Gaza, kills civilians every day in the West Bank and Lebanon and has now brought us to the brink of a much bigger war. It is now a duty to ask end this terror. We call on the international community to intervene to impose international law and stop the Israeli government,” read a statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Tehran, 10 years in prison for anyone who shares raid images

A harsh blow from the Tehran authorities towards citizens who have shared videos of the latest Israeli attacks with Western media: they risk up to 10 years in prison. This was reported by the Telegraph newspaper, attributing the repressive measure to the Iranian police. According to the same source, sending footage to Western media “affiliated with the Zionist regime” will be punishable by long prison sentences.

Tehran, two Iranian soldiers killed in attacks on Israel

Two Iranian soldiers were killed during Israeli attacks on Iran. The Iranian army announced this in a statement quoted by state television. “The army of the Islamic Republic of Iran lost two of its fighters last night who faced bullets from the criminal Zionist regime to defend” the territory, Iranian forces said. Previously, the army said Israeli strikes had caused “limited damage”.