The Iranian army said that two soldiers were killed after alleged Israeli airstrikes hit several military bases in Iran; Israel said it has “completed” its operations and warned against any potential retaliation.
The strikes came in just after 2 a.m. local time on Saturday, what Israel described as months of attacks from “Iran and its proxies” in the region. The Israeli military claimed it had “accomplished its objectives” with the strikes.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed that the country had “the right and a duty to defend itself from external aggressive acts.” According to the headquarters of Iran’s air defense, strikes hit installations in the cities of Ilam and Khuzestan, as well as Tehran. However, these were “successfully countered” with only minor damages.
Iran warned that it is ready for any aggression from Israel and, as a response, this conflict would have its ratio. The strikes targeted several air defenses, missile bases, and drone facilities in Iran, although they seem to have concentrated primarily in Tehran.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said, “Iran and its proxies never stopped their hostilities against the State of Israel since the 7th of October, which also included direct attacks from Iran itself; this empowered Israel’s right to respond.
The United States called for Iran to stop the attacks as an initial step to loosen the lethal cycle of violence, while National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett was saying that the U.S. is striving to “speed up diplomatic efforts in the region.”
This comes after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, caused heavy casualties and at least 42,847 deaths as part of its ongoing conflict in Gaza that raised concerns of a wider regional conflict involving Iran and the U.S.
