Day breaks in Iran after hours of Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to Iranian missile attacks on Israel earlier this month and in April.
Israel’s military has warned Iran that it “has the right to protect its citizens” as the long-running conflict between the two powerful militaries could escalate into a wider regional war – potentially drawing on the US.
Israel’s military says it has struck missile production sites that Iran has launched into Israel over the past year. It was not clear whether the factories also produced missiles fired by Iran’s proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, as tensions in the region have simmered since Israel’s invasion of Gaza a year ago.
Israel also said it struck Iranian air defense bases early Saturday, allowing its planes to attack other targets.
Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said parts of military bases in the three provinces of Tehran, Ilam and Khuzestan had been hit, but its air defenses were successful and the damage was “limited”.
“The dimensions of the incident are under investigation,” IRNA said. Earlier, videos posted on social media by Tehran residents showed explosions in the sky and tracer fire rising from the city at dawn.
Images broadcast by Iranian state media showed the streets of Tehran quiet, with traffic moving and people going about their daily business.
Israeli officials said Israel’s decision to strike early Saturday came after weeks of debate within its defense cabinet over the nature and scope of such an attack.
The United States has pushed Israel not to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure, fearing it could trigger a wider conflict, a request Israel appears to have heeded, according to initial reports.
“This should be the end of this direct firefight between Israel and Iran,” a senior US administration official said after the strikes.
