Iran warns it will defend itself after Israeli strikes

Israel warned that Iran would “pay a heavy price” if it retaliated, while the US, Germany and Britain demanded Tehran not allow the conflict to escalate further.

US President Joe Biden said he hoped “this is the end” after the pre-dawn Israeli strikes, saying they “appear to have hit nothing but military targets.”

Biden called on Israel to spare nuclear and oil sites in retaliatory strikes, and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that no nuclear sites were hit.

The European Union called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid “uncontrollable escalation.”

Other countries, including many of Iran’s neighbors, condemned the Israeli strikes, and some, such as Russia, called on both sides to show restraint and avoid what Moscow called a “catastrophic scenario.”

Iran insisted it had the “right and responsibility” to defend itself, while its Lebanese ally Hezbollah said it had already launched salvos of rockets at five residential areas in northern Israel.

The Israeli army said 80 shells were fired across the border on Saturday.

Hezbollah later issued evacuation warnings for more than a dozen named locations in Israel, while the Israeli army issued similar warnings for two neighborhoods in southern Beirut.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported early Sunday that Israel had carried out a new raid in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

– “Limited damage” –

Confirming its own strikes after explosions and anti-aircraft fire echoed across Tehran, the Israeli military said it had struck Iranian missile factories and military sites in several provinces.

“The retaliatory strike is complete and the mission is accomplished,” and the Israeli planes “returned safely,” the military spokesman said.

Iran confirmed that Israel had carried out strikes on military targets around the capital and in other provinces, saying the raids caused “limited damage” but killed four soldiers.

Iran’s military general staff said the strikes only damaged radar systems and refrained from any threat of immediate retaliation.

“While reserving its legitimate and legitimate right to respond at the appropriate time, Iran gives priority to establishing a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon,” the statement said.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held telephone conversations with his Egyptian, Qatari and Syrian counterparts.

Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, a key mediator in Gaza truce efforts, expressed “deep concern about the serious consequences that could arise from this escalation,” his ministry said.

– Direct attack –

Israel vowed to retaliate after Iran fired nearly 200 missiles on Oct. 1, the second-ever direct attack on its arch-enemy. Most of these missiles were intercepted, but one person was killed.

Israel’s retaliation drew condemnation from Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Saudi Arabia, which warned against further escalation. Jordan said Israeli planes did not use its airspace.

Türkiye has been one of the most outspoken critics, calling for an end to the “terror created by Israel.”

Israel is already fighting on two fronts.

It has waged a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon since last month, including strikes that killed the group’s top leadership and ground incursions to destroy missile sites.

And more than a year after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a war in Gaza that has resulted in massive civilian casualties in the densely populated Palestinian territory.

The United Nations has warned that the conflict is entering its “darkest moment,” with Palestinians facing a dire humanitarian crisis and daily Israeli bombing.

– “A true ally” –

A Defense Department spokesman said “the United States was not involved” in the strikes on Iran, but Israeli President Isaac Herzog subsequently paid tribute to “our great friend the United States for being a true ally and for overt and covert cooperation.” He didn’t specify.

US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said Israel’s response was an “exercise in self-defense.”

He called on Iran to “stop attacks on Israel so that this cycle of hostilities can end without further escalation.”

The Israeli military has accused “Iran and its proxies” in the region of “relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7,” when Hamas attacked Israel, triggering the Gaza war.

It killed 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP.

Dozens of hostages taken that day are still being held by militants in Gaza.

Israel’s retaliatory bombing and ground war in Gaza have killed 42,924 people, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-controlled territory’s health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.

In late September, Israel focused its attention on Lebanon, striking Hezbollah targets and leaders and then sending ground troops there.

Israel says the goal is to make its north safe for the return of tens of thousands of displaced civilians.

At least 1,615 people have been killed in Lebanon since September 23, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

In April, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles in its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory.

Tehran said the attack was in retaliation for a strike on the Iranian consulate annex in Damascus that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders.

Bombings later in April rocked Iran’s Isfahan province in what US media said was an Israeli response.

Iran said its Oct. 1 missile attack on Israel was in retaliation for the Israeli air raid that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Gaza’s health ministry on Friday accused Israeli forces of storming the last functioning hospital in the northern territory in a raid that it said left two children dead.

The Israeli military says it is seeking to destroy the operational capabilities that Hamas is trying to rebuild in the north.