Illustrative image (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Israel launched its long-awaited retaliatory attack against Iran early on October 26, more than three weeks after the Islamic Republic’s large-scale ballistic missile strike on the country.
The attack began at around around 2:15 a.m. local time, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) releasing a statement confirming that it was striking Iran, in response to “months of continuous attacks from the Iranian regime against the State of Israel.”
The attack was carried out in several waves over the course of several hours with blasts being reported in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and the provinces of Karaj, Isfahan and Shiraz.
During the attack, Syrian state media reported that Israel struck several military sites in the south and center of the country. The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that air defense sites were hit in the al-Suwayda province.
Israeli warplanes, specifically F-15 fighter jets, were also spotted flying at a low altitude over an unspecified part of Jordan in the course of the attack.
The first wave of the Israeli attack reportedly targeted Iran’s air defense capabilities, while the second hit drone and ballistic missile manufacturing sites, including those used in direct Iranian attacks on Israel on April 14 and October 1, as well as sites used to launch such weapons.
The IDF announced at 6 a.m. that the attack had been completed, with “all goals achieved” and all aircraft returning safely home. It dubbed the operation “Days of Repentance,” a reference to the recent Yom Kippur holiday. It also said that dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, tankers and spy planes, participated in the “complex” operation some 1,600 kilometers from Israel.
The attack gave the Israeli Air Force “wider freedom of aerial action in Iran,” the IDF added, noting that it has a broad bank of targets that it could hit in the future if required.
“The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th –- on seven fronts –- including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” the IDF said. “Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond.”
Following the strikes, the IDF said that it was holding an assessment on a potential Iranian response to the attack, but as of now, there were no changes to guidelines for civilians.
The IDF added that its “defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized,” and that it “will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel.”
“Iran struck Israel twice… and has paid the price for that,” IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement. “We are focused on the goals of the war in Gaza and Lebanon. It is Iran that continues to push for a wide regional escalation.
“If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation — we will be obligated to respond,” he continued. “Our message is clear: All those who threaten the State of Israel and seek to drag the region into a wider escalation will pay a heavy price. We demonstrated today that we have both the capability and the resolve to act decisively, and we are prepared -on offense and defense- to defend Israel and the people of Israel.”
In a statement, Iranian air defense forces said that Israel attacked military targets in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam.
“The loud blasts heard around Tehran were related to the activation of the air defense system against the actions of Zionist regime which attacked three locations outside of Tehran city,” state TV reported, citing officials of the Tehran province air defense.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that several military sites near Tehran were targeted in Israeli strikes. It specified that several bases in the western and southern areas of the capital were attacked.
Meanwhile Iranian sources quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency threatened that Iran was prepared to respond to any Israeli “aggression.”
“There is no doubt that Israel will face a proportional reaction for any action it takes,” Tasnim quoted the sources as saying.
According to an Israeli official quoted by NBC News, Israel did not target Iranian nuclear facilities or oil fields and focused on military targets.
An American official also told Reuters that Israel notified the United States ahead of the strikes, stressing the United States was not involved in the operation.
“We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett.
While the attack was limited in scale and appears to have caused no casualties, the full extent of damage Iran took remains unclear.
An Iranian response to the Israeli attack could lead to a serious escalation and even an all-out war. Nevertheless, Israel could escalate even further against Iran and its allies if Tehran chose not to respond, as it would see this as a sign of weakness.
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