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How Israel’s attack on Iran unfolded and what we know so far

Israel launched a barrage of direct airstrikes on Iran overnight in a high-stakes retaliatory attack that has threatened to bring the Middle East closer to a regional war.

The Israeli military said it had completed its air assaults in the early hours of Saturday morning, striking military targets and aerial defences across Iran.

While the strikes reportedly targeted missile manufacturing plants, they did not appear aimed at the country’s most sensitive oil and nuclear targets after urgent calls from allies and neighbours for restraint following a previous exchange.

The risk of direct conflict between Israel and Iran – the Middle East’s two largest military powers – has long imperilled the wider security of the region already besieged by warfare in Gaza and Lebanon. While the US insisted “this should be the end of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran”, it is not yet clear whether the latest strikes would trigger further escalation.

Iran’s foreign ministry has since insisted that it is “entitled and obliged to defend itself against external aggressive acts”.

A general view of Tehran after several explosions were heard, in Tehran, Iran, October 26, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
A general view of Tehran after a series of explosions (Photo: Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

How did Israel’s attack on Iran unfold?

The strikes in the early hours of Saturday morning were formed of three waves which the Israel Defence Forces described as “precision strikes” aimed at missile manufacturing plants and military bases.

Several explosions were reported over Tehran, Karaj and Mashhad just after 2.30am local time as Israeli jets fired on the military targets, triggering Iran’s air defence systems.

Amid the rocket fire, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said: “In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran.”

The attack on Iran ended just before sunrise in Tehran with the Israeli military insisting it had “fulfilled its mission” by conducting what it called “targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran.”

Dozens of fighter jets were involved in the attacks, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported.

Israel’s acknowledgement of the attack on Iran is a rare move for the IDF who has previously not commented on similar military action. The move appeared to show that the long-running shadow war between the two military powers has moved into a new, more open phase.

Tehran, meanwhile, appeared to downplay the airstrikes saying there was only minimal damage. A spokesperson for the regime said Tehran’s airport was operating as normal.

Iran later confirmed two soldiers had died as a result of the attacks.

This screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Israeli army on October 26, 2024, shows military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari calling on the Israeli people to be "alert and vigilant" as it carries out strikes on military targets in Iran. Israel announced the launch of "precise strikes" on military targets in Iran on October 26, in retaliation for attacks against it, as Iranian state media reported several explosions around the capital. (Photo by Israeli Army / AFP) / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Handout / Israeli Army' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS == (Photo by -/Israeli Army/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel’s military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari calls on the Israeli people to be “alert and vigilant” as it carries out strikes on military targets in Iran (Photo: Israeli Army/AFP)

Was the US involved in the strikes on Iran?

In a late-night conference call a senior US official told reporters that the United States did not participate in Saturday’s strikes but worked with the Israeli government to encourage “low-risk” attacks that minimised civil harm.

“The effect was a proportionate self-defence response. The effect is to deter future attacks and to degrade Iran’s abilities to launch future attacks,” the official said.

They added that the US considered the strikes to be an “end to the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran”.

“This should be the end of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran – we had a direct exchange in April and that was closed off and now we’ve had this direct exchange again.”

TOPSHOT - Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike on a neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 25, 2024. Israel expanded operations in Lebanon nearly a year after Hezbollah began exchanging fire in support of its ally, Hamas, following the Palestinian group's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP) (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike on a neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs, October 25 (Photo: Ibrahim Amro/AFP)

What was Israel’s attack in retaliation to?

Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iran had been expected for some weeks after the Islamic regime launched a missile barrage consisting of 180 rockets on Tel Aviv earlier this month.

Tehran’s attack on October 1, most of which were shot down by Israeli air defences with the help of US forces, targeted Israel’s economic centre and a series of military bases.

The Iranian attack was also in response to a series of Israeli attacks against Hezbollah – an Iranian proxy that has long been backed financially and militarily by the Islamic regime in Tehran – after the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike in September. Israel also sent its troops across its northern border into Lebanon and began direct conflict with the militant group.

Israel’s war with Hezbollah has now ravaged for almost a month, killing thousands of people.

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