Israel carries out attacks on military targets in Iran, escalating wars in the Middle East

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel launched airstrikes on what it said were military targets in Iran early Saturday Retaliation for a ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1, officials said. There was initially no information about damage in the Islamic Republic.

The attack, threatened by Israel for weeks, comes as the Middle East teeters on the brink of regional war more than a year later a first attack by the militant group Hamas on Israel. Since then, Israel has launched a devastating ground offensive in Gaza and an invasion of neighboring Lebanon, targeting militants long armed and supported by Tehran.

The Israeli military described Saturday's attack as “precise attacks on military targets in Iran,” without immediately elaborating.

“The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7… including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” an Israeli military statement said. “Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and obligation to respond.”

Explosions were heard in Tehran, the Iranian capital. State media there initially acknowledged the explosions, saying some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.

A Tehran resident told the Associated Press that at least seven explosions were heard, shaking the area. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

International flights began rerouting around western Iran as news of the attacks broke, flight tracking data showed.

Meanwhile, state media in Syria described air defenses there also targeting “enemy targets.”

Iran has launched two ballistic missile attacks on Israel in recent months as the war between Israel and Hamas continues in the Gaza Strip, beginning with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In this initial attack, about 1,200 people were killed and 250 more were taken as hostages back to the seaside enclave.

Since then, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities, which do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Since then, Israeli military operations in the West Bank have killed hundreds more people.

Israel has also launched a ground invasion of Lebanon and a series of devastating airstrikes that have rocked the country.

Saturday's attack came just as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to the U.S. after a tour of the Middle East, where he and other U.S. officials had warned Israel to offer a response that does not further escalate the conflict in the region and would exclude nuclear sites in Iran.

White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement: “We understand that Israel is conducting targeted attacks against military targets in Iran,” and referred reporters to the Israeli government for further details on their operation.

Two U.S. officials said the U.S. was notified of the attacks in advance by Israel. They said there was no US involvement in the operation. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation.

Israel had promised to hit Iran hard after a massive Iranian missile fire on October 1st. Iran said its barrage was in response to deadly Israeli attacks Attacks against his deputy in Lebanon, Hezbollah has promised to respond to any retaliatory strikes.

Israel and Iran have been bitter enemies since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat, citing its leaders' calls for the destruction of Israel, their support for anti-Israel militant groups and the country's nuclear program.

Israel and Iran have been embroiled in a years-long shadow war. A suspected Israeli assassination campaign has killed top Iranian nuclear scientists. Iranian nuclear facilities have been hacked or sabotaged, all mysterious attacks attributed to Israel. Meanwhile, Iran has been accused of a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which later expanded into attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on shipping through the Red Sea corridor.

But since Hamas' attack on October 7, the fighting has become increasingly open. Israel recently turned its attention to Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets at Israel ever since the war in Gaza began. During the year, several senior Iranian military officials were killed in Israeli strikes in Syria and Lebanon.

Iran fired a wave of missiles and drones at Israel last April after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria on an Iranian diplomatic post. The missiles and drones caused minimal damage and Israel responded – to pressure from Western countries to show restraint – with a limited attack.

But after Iran's missile attack in early October, Israel promised a tougher response.

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Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Lolita C. Baldor, Farnoush Amiri and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.