Israel's first open attack on Iran targets missile sites and apparently spares oil and nuclear ones

TEL AVIV, Israel -- TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel attacked subject targets successful Iran pinch pre-dawn airstrikes Saturday successful retaliation for nan barrage of ballistic missiles nan Islamic Republic fired connected Israel earlier this month. The strikes marked nan first clip Israel’s subject has openly attacked Iran.

Following nan airstrikes, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it had a correct to self-defense, and “considers itself entitled and obligated to take sides against overseas acts of aggression.”

Israel's subject said it targeted accommodation that Iran utilized to make nan missiles fired astatine Israel arsenic good arsenic surface-to-air rocket sites. There was nary contiguous denotation that lipid aliases atomic sites were deed — which would person marked a overmuch much superior escalation — and Israel offered nary contiguous harm assessment.

Explosions could beryllium heard successful Iran's capital, Tehran, until sunrise. The Islamic Republic said nan attacks caused “limited damage." Iran’s subject said nan strikes targeted subject bases successful Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, without elaborating. Iran’s service said 2 soldiers were killed, Iran’s Al-Alam tv reported.

The strikes consequence pushing nan archenemies person to all-out warfare astatine a clip of spiraling unit crossed nan Middle East, wherever militant groups backed by Iran — including Hamas successful Gaza and Hezbollah successful Lebanon — are already at warfare pinch Israel.

Iran hadn’t faced a sustained barrage of occurrence from a overseas force since its 1980s warfare pinch Iraq.

On Oct. 1, Iran launched astatine slightest 180 missiles into Israel successful retaliation for devastating blows Israel landed against Hezbollah. They caused minimal harm and a fewer injuries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran “made a large mistake.”

Israel is besides wide thought to beryllium down a limited airstrike successful April adjacent a awesome aerial guidelines successful Iran that deed nan radar strategy for a Russian-made aerial defense battery. Iran had fired a activity of missiles and drones astatine Israel successful April, causing minimal damage, aft 2 Iranian generals were killed successful an evident Israeli airstrike connected an Iranian negotiated station successful Syria.

“Iran attacked Israel twice, including successful locations that endangered civilians, and has paid nan value for it,” Israeli subject spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said. “We are focused connected our warfare objectives successful nan Gaza Strip and Lebanon. It is Iran that continues to push for a wider location escalation.”

Hagari added: “If nan authorities successful Iran were to make nan correction of opening a caller information of escalation, we will beryllium obligated to respond.”

Israel’s onslaught efficaciously told Iran it would not stay silent, while not taking retired highly visible aliases symbolic accommodation that could punctual a important consequence from Iran, said Yoel Guzansky, a interrogator astatine Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies who formerly worked for Israel’s National Security Council.

It gives Israel room for escalation if needed, and targeting aerial defense systems weakens Iran’s capabilities to take sides against early attacks, he said, adding that if location is Iranian retaliation, it should beryllium limited.

“There’s much chances of Iranian restraint because of their interests, because of unit from nan outside, and because of nan quality of nan Israeli onslaught … that allows them to prevention face,” he said.

Israel has again shown its subject precision and capabilities are superior to Iran's, said Sanam Vakil, nan head of nan Middle East and North Africa programme astatine nan London-based deliberation vessel Chatham House.

“By targeting subject sites and rocket accommodation complete atomic and power infrastructure, Israel is besides messaging that it seeks nary further escalation for now. This is simply a motion that nan diplomacy and back-channel efforts to mean nan onslaught were successful.”

Nuclear accommodation and lipid installations were seen arsenic imaginable targets for Israel’s response, earlier U.S. President Joe Biden’s management won assurances from Israel successful mid-October that it would not deed specified targets.

After nan strikes, nan streets successful Iran's superior were calm. Children went to schoolhouse and shops opened arsenic usual. The only motion of interest was agelong lines astatine nan state stations — a regular occurrence successful Tehran erstwhile subject unit flares arsenic group banal up connected fuel.

Israel’s guidance leader, Yair Lapid, criticized nan determination to debar “strategic and economical targets," saying connected X that “we could and should person exacted a overmuch heavier value from Iran.”

The United States warned against further retaliation, and Britain said Iran should not respond.

Saudi Arabia was 1 of aggregate countries successful nan region condemning nan strike, calling it a usurpation of Iran's "sovereignty and a usurpation of world laws and norms.” Its overseas ministry rejected nan escalation successful nan region.

Regional tensions person been soaring successful caller weeks.

In Lebanon, dozens were killed and thousands wounded successful September erstwhile pagers and walkie-talkies utilized by Hezbollah exploded successful 2 days of attacks attributed to Israel. A monolithic Israel airstrike nan pursuing week extracurricular Beirut killed Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and respective of his apical commanders.

Israel ratcheted up nan unit connected Hezbollah by launching a ground penetration into confederate Lebanon. More than a cardinal Lebanese group person been displaced, and nan decease toll has risen sharply arsenic airstrikes deed successful and astir Beirut.

Israel and Iran person been bitter foes since nan 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel considers Iran to beryllium its top threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups and the country’s atomic program.

During their yearslong protector war, a suspected Israeli assassination run has killed apical Iranian atomic scientists, and Iranian atomic installations person been hacked aliases sabotaged, each successful mysterious attacks blamed connected Israel.

Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a bid of attacks connected shipping successful nan Middle East, which later grew into nan attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels connected shipping done nan Red Sea corridor.

The protector warfare has progressively moved into nan ray since Oct. 7, 2023, erstwhile Hamas and different militants attacked Israel. They killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took immoderate 250 hostages into Gaza. In response, Israel launched a devastating aerial and crushed offensive against Hamas, and Netanyahu has vowed to support fighting until each of nan hostages are freed. Some 100 remain, of whom astir a 3rd are believed to beryllium dead.

More than 42,000 Palestinians person been killed successful mostly devastated Gaza, according to section wellness officials, who don’t differentiate betwixt civilians and combatants but opportunity much than half of nan dormant person been women and children.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Schreck from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat successful Tehran, Iran; Abby Sewell successful Beirut; Lolita C. Baldor, Farnoush Amiri and Zeke Miller successful Washington; David Rising successful Bangkok; and Aamer Madhani successful Wilmington, Delaware, contributed to this report.

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