A general view of Tehran after several explosions were heard, in Tehran, Iran, October 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

“Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on October 1, hours after Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel, which hit at least two military bases. The strike, the second direct Iranian attack on Israel this year, had triggered strong responses from Israel’s political leadership. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the Iranian attack was an opportunity for Israel to “destroy” the Iranian nuclear programme. Others speculated that Israel could target Iran’s critical energy infrastructure or ports to exact a heavy price from the Islamic Republic.

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But Prime Minister Netanyahu seemed to have ignored the calls for a massive retaliatory strike on Iran’s critical infrastructure and instead chose to carry out pointed strikes, targeting Iranian military facilities on Saturday. According to Israeli media, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) carried out three waves of attack inside Iran, hitting at least 20 targets across Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan and Shiraz.

In the first wave, Israeli warplanes targeted Iranian air defence, and in the second and third waves, Iran’s ballistic missile and drone manufacturing and storage centres were targeted, according to IDF officials. The first of explosions were heard at 2: 15 a.m. local time in Tehran, and by 6 a.m., the IDF announced that the attack had been completed and all the aircraft were returning home. Iran acknowledged the “Israeli aggression”, but but played down the impact of the attacks. State media reported that ‘Iran’s air defence ‘successfully intercepted and countered Israeli aggression’.

In carrying out a coordinated attack across military facilities in Iran, some 1,600 km away from Israel, the IDF has demonstrated its long-range operational capabilities. This was also the first time Israel owned up to an attack inside Iran. When Israel retaliated against Iran’s first direct attack, it targeted a radar system in Isfahan and did not even claim that. This time, Israel’s public statement that it was carrying out an hours-long operation inside Iran suggests that the Iran-Israel conflict is entering a new phase. But at the same time, by limiting its attack to military facilities, Israel allowed Iran to claim that the attack was thwarted and that normal life was not affected.

U.S. pressure yields result

It is now evident that the U.S. had put pressure on Israel against targeting Iran’s critical infrastructure. Any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities or energy infrastructure would have prompted a strong response from Iran (IRGC-linked Telegram channels had claimed that the Iranians had warned the Americans that they would target oil facilities across the gulf if their oil sites came under attack).

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U.S. President Joe Biden had publicly expressed his opposition towards Israel hitting Iran’s nuclear sites and raised doubts about the effectiveness of an attack on the oil facilities. American media reported earlier this month that Mr. Netanyahu told Mr. Biden in a conversation that he would target Iran’s military sites. The U.S. agreed to send the THAAD anti-missile system along with 100 soldiers to operate it in a bid to bolster Israel’s defence. When the U.S. confirmed the deployment of THAAD last week, it was evident that an Israeli attack was in the offing.

The ball is now in Iran’s court. Iran had earlier warned that it would retaliate against any Israeli attack on its soil. But the initial response from Iran’s military and state media was aimed at playing down the attack. For Mr. Netanyahu, the main purpose of the attack appeared to be sending a clear message to the rulers in Tehran that the state of Israel can reach anywhere in Iran. But at the same time, his decision to go for a limited attack, even after Iran launched some 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, shows signs of caution.

The absence of any major Israeli attack on its critical infrastructure allows Iran to claim that it successfully thwarted the Israeli attack and back off from a regional war. But if it decides to retaliate, it could trigger a counter-retaliation from Israel, and West Asia will see a shooting match between two of its key players.

Four weeks after Iran attacked Israel with a barrage of ballistic missiles to avenge the strikes on ally Hezbollah, the Jewish state responded at the time of its choosing. The tensions never simmered in the region and now Iran says it is ready to respond to the ‘act of aggression’.

Iran is prepared to respond to any Israeli “aggression,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing sources. “There is no doubt that Israel will face a proportional reaction for any action it takes,” Tasnim quotes the sources as saying.

The Israeli army has warned Iran that it will “pay a heavy price” if it begins a new round of escalation. Iran said the attack caused “limited damage”.

Israel Strikes Back

Iranian state TV reported “strong explosions” around Tehran on Saturday morning, without specifying their cause. The semi-official Tasnim News Agency noted that no rockets or aircraft were reported in the skies over Tehran at the time of the explosions. 

Iranian state TV claimed that the blasts heard around Tehran were due to the “activation of the air defence system.” “The loud blasts heard around Tehran were related to the activation of the air defence system against the actions of Zionist regime which attacked three locations outside of Tehran city,” state TV reported.

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Iranian authorities suggested the noises could be related to defensive measures, hinting at the possibility that Iran’s air defence systems had been activated.

In addition to Tehran, residents in the nearby city of Karaj reported hearing blasts. Iranian authorities say that operations at critical sites such as the Imam Khomeini International Airport, Mehrabad Airport, and a prominent oil refinery south of Tehran were “normal” and unaffected by the strikes. However, several military bases near Tehran were reportedly targeted by Israeli forces, according to Iran’s Fars News Agency.

Israeli officials said the attacks are justified as measures of self-defence. IDF’s spokesperson Daniel Hagari also urged Israeli citizens to “remain alert and vigilant.”

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials are assessing the security situation after the strikes. Meanwhile, Iran has suspended all flights until further notice.

What Happened On October 1

A few hours before midnight, Iran attacked Israel with missiles and rockets after tensions escalated in West Asia following artillery and air strikes on Lebanon to target Hezbollah, a Shia militant outfit and a strong ally of Iran.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the attack was in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Videos show the night sky lighting up with explosions after air raid sirens echoed across the country.

The missiles were raining down on Israel and the Iron Dome and Arrow air defence system were in action to intercept and neutralise the targets. Iran fired over 100 missiles, Israeli media reported and several videos showed intercepted missile debris falling over Israeli cities. 

In Tehran, the Iranian capital, the sound of explosions could be heard, with State-run media there initially acknowledging the blasts and saying some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.

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

International flights began diverting around western Iran as news of the strikes broke, flight-tracking data showed.

– AP

Jerusalem:

Israel’s military said that it launched “precise strikes” on military targets in Iran” early Saturday morning. The strikes against Iran were in response to “months of continuous attacks” from Tehran.

Iran’s state TV also confirmed that several strong explosions were heard around the capital, but there was no official comment about the source of the explosions. A few hours later, several explosions were heard in the capital Tehran, which the Iranian state media said was because of the activation of air defence systems.

According to Fox News, the White House was notified shortly before Israel carried out air strikes on Iran.

Here are the updates on Israel’s attack on Iran:

The FBI confirmed the investigation for the first time on Tuesday (October 22, 2024) and said that it is “working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.”
| Photo Credit: AFP

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Tuesday (October 22, 2024) that it is investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Monday (October 23, 2024) that the Joe Biden administration is still not certain if the classified information was leaked or hacked but that officials don’t have any indication at this point of “additional documents like this finding their way into the public domain.”

At the Pentagon, Major General Pat Ryder said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with his counterpart, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, about the release of documents. But Mr. Ryder, who is press secretary, said he could provide no details or say when the conversation took place.

The Associated Press reported on Saturday (October 19, 2024) that U.S. officials were investigating the release. The FBI confirmed the investigation for the first time on Tuesday (October 22, 2024) and said in a statement that it is “working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.” It did not comment further.

The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency and note that Israel is still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on October 1, 2024. They were shareable within the “Five Eyes,” an intelligence alliance comprised of the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Marked top secret, the documents first appeared online Friday (October 18, 2024) on the Telegram messaging app and quickly spread among Telegram channels popular with Iranians.

Mr. Ryder said he could provide no details about the probe, including who in the department is working with the FBI, which is leading the investigation.

“The investigation is in its first few days, so it’s important to let that investigation run its course,” he said, adding that the department takes the safeguarding of sensitive information very seriously and will continue to do so.

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| Video Credit:
Thamodaran B.

Even during the second world war, attacks on diplomatic missions were unheard of. According to the The 1961 Vienna Convention, embassy and consular premises should be protected even in times of war. But on April 1, Monday, an annex of Iran’s embassy in Damascus, the Syrian capital, came under air strikes.

At least 13 Iranians, including General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the Quds Force commander who was in charge of the Revolutionary Guards’ Syria operations, were killed in the attack.

There’s no price in guessing who is behind the attack. Iran immediately blames Israel. Israel neither confirms nor rejects that it’s carrying out air strikes in Syria. But it’s now an open secret. A few days earlier, Israel had attacked a weapons depot in northern Syria, killing at least 38 Syrian soldiers and half a dozen Hezbollah fighters. A day after the embassy attack, Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said, “We are in a multi-front war, offensively and defensively. We are acting everywhere and every day to prevent the strengthening of our enemies.”

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The recent spell of the crisis began on October 7, when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that has Iran’s backing, carried out a cross-border attack in Israel, killing at at least 1,200 people. Since then, Israel has carried out dozens of air strikes in Syria and Lebanon, besides its full-throttled invasion of the Strip, hitting Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah targets.