Multiple explosions have been heard in Tehran as the IDF launched a multi-wave air raid
Israeli F-35 fighter jets during Blue Flag exercise at Ovda Airbase, near Eilat, Israel, November 11, 2019. © Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP
West Jerusalem has launched a retaliatory wave of airstrikes against Tehran. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has claimed that it is only military targeting installations with its “precise strikes.”
The attack comes after Iran’s October 1 strike on the Jewish state, when it fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the killing of the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders as well as an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general.
The IDF insisted following the strike that the majority of the projectiles had been intercepted. Tehran, however, has claimed that it was able to hit several Israeli military targets.
Following the October 1 attack, Israel threatened to deliver a “deadly, pinpoint accurate, and surprising” retaliation, without specifying any time frame. Alleged details of possible Israeli targets were leaked to media last week. Tehran has pledged a “decisive and regretful” response to any Israeli strikes.
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26 October 2024
07:37 GMT
The White House has called on Iran to stop attacking Israel so that this “cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett has said, after Israel announced the completion of its retaliatory strikes.
Savett stressed that the US wasn’t involved in the operation, claiming their aim is to “accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions” in the Middle East. He urged Iran to stop attacking Israel “so this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.”
- 06:59 GMT
Malaysia has called for an end to “the cycle of violence” in response to Israel’s overnight attacks on Iran, saying they constitute “a blatant violation of international law and seriously undermine regional stability.”
“Israel’s continuous acts of impunity have severely affected, and will continue to affect, the security and future stability of the Middle East, bringing the region closer to the brink of a wider conflict,” the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
- 06:35 GMT
Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran as a violation of the country’s sovereignty and as a contravention of international laws and norms.
“The Kingdom also affirms its unwavering position in its rejection of the continued escalation in the region and the expansion of the conflict that threatens the security and stability of the countries and people of the region,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
They also urged all parties to “exercise the utmost restraint and reduce escalation,” warning of the consequences of continuing military conflicts in the region.
#Statement | The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its condemnation and denunciation of the military targeting of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is a violation of its sovereignty and a violation of international laws and norms. The Kingdom also affirms its unwavering… pic.twitter.com/3iLuGlmiwM
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) October 26, 2024
- 06:03 GMT
Iran has reopened its airspace after the wave of air attacks by Israel.
The country’s Civil Aviation Organization has said flights resumed at 9am local time (6am GMT).
- 05:46 GMT
Israel had warned Iran ahead of its retaliatory attack on Friday not to respond to its airstrikes, three sources told Axios.
The Israelis had sent the Iranians a message through several third parties, warning of inevitable retaliation to any attacks, sources with knowledge of the issue have told the outlet.
- 05:04 GMT
“Iran’s power humiliates the enemies of the motherland,” Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref has said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
- 05:00 GMT
The IDF reportedly codenamed its retaliatory operation against Iran “Days of Repentance.”
- 04:49 GMT
Iran’s National Air Defense Headquarters has called the Israeli attack “provocative” and “adventurous,” but said nothing about a potential retaliation, insisting that the impact was “limited.”
“The country’s integrated air defense system successfully intercepted and countered this aggressive action, though limited damage has been reported in certain areas,” the defense agency said in a statement cited by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
“The scope of this incident is currently under investigation,” it added.
- 04:27 GMT
A senior US official has said that President Joe Biden and his security team had “worked with the Israelis over recent weeks to encourage Israel to conduct a response that was targeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm and that is precisely what transpired this evening.”
“This should be the end of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran,” the unnamed official told US media, adding that “as far as we’re concerned, that should close out the direct exchange.”
- 04:23 GMT
The UK government is “monitoring” the situation after Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iran and believes that “further escalation is in no one’s interest,” according to The Guardian.
“We support Israel’s right to self-defense and to protect itself in line with international humanitarian law,” a Downing Street spokesman has said.
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