Inside Israel’s missile blitz on Iran: Tehran vows ‘no limits’ on its revenge after dozens of Israeli fighter jets strike up to 20 key military sites across the country
Iran vowed revenge yesterday after Israel’s missile strike on Tehran destroyed up to 20 key military sites, including a top-secret research facility.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had “no limits” in defending its interests and was obliged to take retaliatory measures.
But amid relief that nuclear and oil facilities were spared, the US said the airstrikes – themselves a retaliation for Iran’s missile attack on Israel earlier this month – should mark the end of direct conflict between the two countries.
The pre-dawn attacks killed two Iranian soldiers and two others and marked the first time Israel openly attacked the country.
Dozens of fighter jets hit ballistic missile factories, air defense batteries and rocket launchers. Israel launched a simultaneous attack on military targets in central and southern Syria. Among the pilots and navigators involved in the attacks on Iran were a number of women, who were praised by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for their bravery.
It is thought the secret research base near Tehran was developing ‘kamikaze drone’ technology, designed to hover over a target until it is ordered to attack.
Dozens of fighter jets hit ballistic missile factories, air defense batteries and rocket launchers on Friday as Israel launched a missile attack on Iran
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had “no limits” in defending its interests and was obliged to take retaliatory measures.
Officials said some of the affected facilities caused rockets to be fired into Israel on October 1.
The “precision strikes” raised tension at a time of rising violence in the Middle East, where militant groups backed by Iran – including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – are already at war with Israel.
US President Joe Biden had been warned before the attacks, saying it appeared “they were only hitting military targets.” He added: “I hope this is the end.”
Iran has not faced a sustained barrage from a foreign enemy since the war with Iraq in the 1980s. Explosions could be heard in Tehran until dawn.
On October 1, Iran launched 180 missiles at Israel in retaliation for attacks on Hezbollah. They caused only minimal damage and some injuries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran “has made a big mistake.”
It is also widely believed that Israel was behind a limited airstrike in April near a major air base in Iran that hit the radar system of a Russian-made air defense battery.
And Iran fired a wave of missiles into Israel later that month, causing minimal damage, after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic post in Syria.
Israel had hit Iran with three waves of attacks in the early morning hours of Saturday
The IDF said Iran has “paid the price” for twice attacking Israel, adding: “If the regime in Iran makes the mistake of starting a new round of escalation, we will be obliged to respond.” Footage released by the Israeli military shows pilots and navigators preparing to take off for the strikes in US-made F-15 and F-16 jets.
Sanam Vakil of London-based think tank Chatham House said Israel has once again shown that its military precision and capabilities are superior to Iran’s. “By targeting military sites and missile facilities over nuclear and energy infrastructure, Israel is also signaling that it is not seeking further escalation for the time being,” she said.
After the strikes, the streets in the Iranian capital were calm, children went to school and shops opened. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the decision to avoid “strategic and economic goals,” saying on social media: “We could and should have demanded a much higher price from Iran.”
Both Britain and Germany last night urged Iran not to respond.