• The Israeli military said it carried out “accurate strikes” on Iranian military targets.
• The strikes were long-awaited retaliation for an Iranian missile barrage earlier this month.
• Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1. The attack followed another in April.

Israel’s military said it carried out “accurate strikes” on military targets in Iran on Saturday, carrying out a long-awaited retaliation for an Iranian missile barrage earlier this month.

“I can now confirm that we have ended the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. said. “We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran – thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel.”

Hagari added that Israel would be “forced to respond” if Iran launched a new round of attacks.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA said “explosion-like sounds” were heard across the country on Saturday, including in the capital, Tehran.

Iran’s military said in a statement on Saturday that four soldiers were killed in the strikes, IRNA reported.

The Pentagon and US Central Command did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

In a press conference held after the end of Israel’s attacks against Iran, a senior US administration official said that the US did not participate in the planning or execution of the retaliatory operation.

However, the US official said President Joe Biden and his national security team had been working with the Israelis in recent weeks to “encourage Israel to conduct a response that was targeted and proportionate to the low risk of civilian harm”.

“The president discussed the overall situation with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” the US official said. “Last week, he encouraged the minister to develop a response that would serve to deter further attacks against Israel while reducing the risk of further escalation. And that is our goal. It is also Israel’s objective, as they have stated this evening. Should Iran choose to retaliate, we are fully prepared to defend ourselves again against any attack.”

Neither Hagari nor the US official identified specific Iranian targets that were struck in Israel’s operations.

Iran attacked Israel with over 180 ballistic missiles on October 1 in retaliation for the killing of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the political wing of Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran in July and Israel killed Hassan Nasrallahthe Hezbollah leader, in an airstrike in Beirut at the end of September. Most of the munitions dropped on Israel in early October were shot down, although some managed to penetrate Israel’s vaunted air defense network.

The October 1 attack followed a April damwhile Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones to Israel. Almost all threats have been shot down by Israel and partner forces.

Israeli officials have said repeatedly in the weeks since the barrage began in October that the country would retaliate for the missile barrage, consistently signaling that a response is imminent.