Dubai: Israel hit out at Iran early on Saturday, saying its military was carrying out strikes against military targets, while Iranian media reported several explosions in the capital Tehran and nearby bases.

The Middle East has been on edge in anticipation of Israeli retaliation for a ballistic missile barrage by Iran on October 1, in which some 200 missiles were fired at Israel, Iran’s second direct attack on Israel in six months.

Those strikes, which Iran said targeted Israeli military installations, came after Israel killed the top leadership of Iran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hezbollah militants joined the fight against Israel in support of Hamas, the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group also aligned with Iran, which attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

“In response to months of continued attacks by the Iranian regime against the State of Israel – right now, the Israel Defense Forces are conducting precision strikes on military targets in Iran,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

Israel has the right and duty to respond to attacks by Tehran and its proxies, which have included missile strikes launched from Iranian territory, the military said.

The scope of the attack was not immediately clear, but an Israeli public broadcaster said dozens of fighter jets were striking military targets. The targets did not include energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities, NBC News and ABC News reported, citing an Israeli official.

US President Joe Biden warned that Washington, Israel’s main backer and arms supplier, would not support a strike on Tehran’s nuclear sites and said Israel should consider alternatives to attacking Iran’s oil fields.

Iran downplays strikes
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said several military bases in western and southwestern Tehran were targeted by Israel. Iranian state media reported that loud explosions were heard around Tehran and near Karaj, but downplayed the attack in initial reports, saying life continued as normal.

The Tasnim news agency said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bases that were attacked were not damaged.

State television broadcast images of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, with arriving passengers disembarking from their flights.

Israel also targeted some military sites in central and southern Syria with airstrikes early Saturday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

The Syrian Air Defense Forces intercepted rockets fired by Israel “from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights and Lebanese territories” and shot down some of them, SANA added.

Israel has not confirmed the Syrian strike.

Iranian authorities have repeatedly warned Israel against launching an attack, saying any attack on Iran would be met with stronger retaliation.

Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were closely monitoring the operation from the military’s command and control center in Tel Aviv.

The United States was notified by Israel ahead of the strikes on targets in Iran but was not involved in the operation, a US official told Reuters.

“It is our understanding that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as a self-defense exercise and in response to Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack against Israel,” White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said. .

Fears that Iran and the U.S. could be drawn into a regional war have grown as Israel’s assault on Hezbollah intensified last month, including airstrikes on Beirut and a ground operation, as well as its year-old conflict in the Gaza Strip.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Israel’s retaliation should not lead to further escalation. Israel’s defense minister said this week that enemies will “pay a heavy price” for trying to harm Israel.