Tehran
\nIsrael has carried out a series of overnight air attacks against Iran, in retaliation for Tehran\u2019s barrage of missile strikes against Israel earlier this month.
\nThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said aircraft struck military sites including air defence batteries and missile manufacturing facilities, adding that it considers its response completed.
\nTwo Iranian soldiers were killed in the strikes, state media reported, while other sources denied there had been serious damage.
\nIran\u2019s Foreign Ministry said it has a responsibility to defend itself, but added that Iran \u201crecognises its responsibilities towards regional peace and security,\u201d a statement viewed as relatively conciliatory.
\nIsraeli retaliation for an Iranian barrage of almost 200 ballistic missiles fired towards Israel on 1 October had been widely expected for weeks.
\nAt the time, Tehran said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Hamas\u2019s political leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil in July. Many missiles were shot down by Israel and its allies but a small number struck central and southern Israel.
\nThe US and Britain have both urged Iran not to strike back following the latest strikes, with the Biden administration calling for an end to the cycle of violence.
\nThe Israeli military announced Saturday\u2019s operation shortly after explosions were reported in Iran. IDF spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said the military had demonstrated its preparedness \u201cto defend the state of Israel\u201d.
\nHe also warned if Iran started a new round of escalation, Israel would be \u201cobliged to respond\u201d.
\nIranian authorities said sites in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces were attacked. The military claimed that the attacks had been successfully countered, although there was \u201climited damage\u201d in some locations.
\nSenior US administration officials said the US was informed of Israel\u2019s strikes beforehand, and that Washington had no involvement in them.
\nThe attacks did not include Iranian oil infrastructure or nuclear facilities – targets the Biden administration had urged Israel not to hit – an official said.
\nThe official said the US had encouraged Israel for weeks to conduct a response that was \u201ctargeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm\u201d and suggested that was \u201cprecisely what transpired\u201d on Saturday evening.
\nUK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Israel had the right to defend itself against \u201cIranian aggression\u201d and echoed calls for Iran to avoid retaliation, saying the UK would work to \u201cde-escalate the situation across the region\u201d.
\nBut Russia and other countries in the region, including US allies Jordan and Saudi Arabia, accused Israel of escalating the conflict.
\nIran\u2019s missile attack on Israel
\nThe extent of the Israeli strikes and their precise targets were still unclear on Saturday morning.
\nIran\u2019s aviation authority briefly suspended flights but announced that they would restart from 09:00 local time (06:30 BST).
\nState media carried footage showing traffic flowing normally in several cities, while school and sports activities were reportedly being held as scheduled.
\nHooman, a 42-year-old factory employee, was working in Tehran when he heard the blasts, he told news agency AFP.
\n\u201cIt was an echoing sound… terrible and horrifying,\u201d the agency quoted him as saying. \u201cNow that there is war in the Middle East, we are afraid that we will be dragged into it.\u201d
\nIsraeli air strikes also targeted sites in central and southern Syria, Syrian state media reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tehran Israel has carried out a series of overnight air attacks against Iran, in retaliation for Tehran\u2019s barrage of missile strikes against Israel earlier this month. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said aircraft struck military sites including air defence batteries and missile manufacturing facilities, adding that it considers its response completed. Two Iranian soldiers were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-439667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n