Israel attacked Iran with a series of airstrikes before dawn on Saturday in what it said was a response to the barrage of ballistic missiles fired by the Islamic Republic at Israel earlier this month.

The Israeli military said its aircraft targeted facilities that Iran used to produce missiles fired at Israel, as well as surface-to-air missile sites. There was no immediate indication that oil or missile sites had been hit — strikes that would have marked a much more serious escalation — and Israel offered no immediate assessment of the damage.

Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, although the Islamic Republic insisted they caused only “limited damage” and Iranian state media downplayed the attacks.

Still, the strikes risk pushing the foes closer to all-out war at a time of spiraling violence in the Middle East, where Iran-backed militant groups – including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – are already at war with Israel .

“Iran attacked Israel twice, including in locations that endangered civilians, and paid the price for it,” Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video statement.

“We are focused on our war objectives in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. It is Iran that continues to push for broader regional escalation.”

The strikes marked the first time the Israeli military has openly attacked Iran, which has not faced a sustained bombardment from a foreign enemy since its 1980s war with Iraq.

It came as part of Israel’s “duty” to respond to attacks on it by “Iran and its proxies in the region,” Hagari said.

“The Israel Defense Forces have accomplished their mission,” Hagari said. “If the regime in Iran makes the mistake of starting a new round of escalation, we will be forced to respond.”

Israel has not provided any initial damage assessment.

Iran’s reaction

Iran’s state media acknowledged the explosions that could be heard in Tehran and said some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.

But beyond a brief reference, Iranian state television for hours offered no further details and even began showing what it described as live footage of men loading trucks at a Tehran vegetable market in a apparent attempt to downplay the attack.

A resident of Tehran told The Associated Press that at least seven explosions could be heard in the first wave of attacks, which shook the surrounding area. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

As the explosions rang out, people in Tehran could see what appeared to be tracer fire lighting up the sky. Other images showed what appeared to be surface-to-air missiles being launched.

Iran closed the country’s airspace early Saturday, and flight tracking data reviewed by the AP showed commercial airlines had largely left the skies above Iran and over Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

Iran’s move to quickly downplay the attack may provide an avenue to not respond, which could risk further escalation.

US reaction

The White House has indicated that Israel’s attacks on Iran should end direct fire between the two hostile countries, while warning Tehran of “consequences” if it retaliates.

A senior White House official said the administration believed the Israeli operation should “shut down” direct military exchanges between Israel and Iran, and said other allies agreed.

US President Joe Biden was updated on Israel’s operation, the official said, while stressing that the US had no involvement in the attack.

The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity under White House ground rules, said the Israeli operation “was extensive, it was targeted, it was precise.”

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel’s attacks on military targets in Iran, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Friday evening.

Austin reiterated that the US is committed to the security of its ally and that Israel has the right to defend itself, although Washington is determined to prevent the conflict from escalating, the Pentagon’s press secretary said in a statement.

Israel and Iran have been bitter enemies since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups, and the country’s nuclear program.

During their years-long shadow war, an alleged Israeli assassination campaign killed top Iranian nuclear scientists and Iranian nuclear facilities were hacked or sabotaged, all in mysterious attacks blamed on Israel.

Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which later turned into attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping through the Red Sea corridor.

Airstrikes on Syria

Meanwhile, Syrian state news agency SANA reported that “rocket barrages from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan and Lebanese territories targeted some military sites in the southern and central regions” of Syria early Saturday.

It said Syria’s air defenses had shot down some missiles, with no information immediately available on casualties.

Iran launched two ballistic missile attacks on Israel in recent months amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which began with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The initial attack killed around 1,200 people and saw another 250 taken hostage back in the seaside enclave.

Since then, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local health officials led by Hamas.