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Israel said early Saturday it had begun retaliatory strikes on Iran, the latest salvo in an escalating conflict between the regional rivals as the US and its allies fear an all-out war.
Israel’s military offered few details about the strikes, other than describing them as “precise” and aimed at “military targets in Iran.”
“Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilised,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement. “We will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel.”
While Iranian officials have yet to confirm the attacks, explosions could be heard in Tehran, and residents took to social media, describing multiple blasts that rattled the capital.
The US had pressed Israel to avoid striking Iran’s nuclear sites or oil facilities. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this week met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials and urged a measured response.
US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said: “We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defence and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st. We would refer you to the Israeli government for more information on their operation.”
The Israeli strikes follow Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack on Israel, consisting of over 180 projectiles, which Iran claimed were in retaliation for the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, head of the militant group, Hizbollah, in an air strike on Beirut.
This is a developing story
