Israel waited for almost four weeks to avenge the ballistic missile attack from Iran on October 1. Yesterday, Israeli fighter jets flew for over 1,000 kilometres and conducted “precise strikes” on military facilities in Tehran and nearby provinces.
Here are 10 points on the big story
- Over 100 Israeli fighter jets including the F-35 stealth fighters, took off for the mission just before dawn. They flew for 1,000 kilometres and struck the radar and air defence systems of Iran to render them defenceless and hit other military sites including a missile manufacturing unit.
- Israel said it conducted “precise strikes”. At the same time, Iran, initially claimed that the explosions across the capital Tehran were due to the activation of air defence systems, but later admitted that the strikes caused “limited damage” to military sites. Two Iranian soldiers were killed in the attack.
- “We are prepared to respond to any Israeli “aggression,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing sources in the government. “There is no doubt that Israel will face a proportional reaction for any action it takes,” they added. The Israeli army has warned Iran of paying a “heavy price” if it begins a new round of escalation.
- The US has termed Israel’s attack an “exercise of self-defence” and urged Tehran to avoid any further escalation. ‘The US was informed by Israel beforehand about the attacks and there is no involvement of Washington in the strikes,’ AFP reported quoting sources in the US government. Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary, Lloyd J Austin, in a warning said, “Iran should not make the mistake of responding to Israel’s strikes, which should mark the end of this exchange.”
- Israel attacked at the time of its choosing, the tit-for-tat move has led to a volatile situation in the region, drawing condemnation from states in the area and outside. Hamas, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Saudi Arabia condemned the strikes. Turkey went a step ahead and called for an end to “terror created by Israel”.
- Russia urged both sides to restrain and avoid a “catastrophic scenario”. Moscow has been at war with Ukraine for over two years, with no sign of a de-escalation. India said it is “deeply concerned by the evolving escalation in West Asia and its ramifications for peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
- In an interview with NDTV, Israeli envoy to India, Reuven Azar, said, “What Israel did is a very precise strike that took out Iran’s air defence systems, and targeted military installations connected to their missile and drone programmes. The signal here is very clear: Israel will not agree to continue to be attacked by Iran either directly or indirectly.”
- Lebanon reported an Israeli raid today on southern Beirut after Israel’s army issued an evacuation call. Lebanon’s National News Agency said Israel “targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut”. The Israeli army had earlier urged residents of two neighbourhoods in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital to evacuate their homes.
- Israel attacked Syria too. Explosions were heard in the capital Damascus. Syrian authorities said Israel launched attacks from the occupied Golan Heights and parts of Lebanon, prompting them to activate air defence systems. Syria is part of the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’, a group of Shia militias and political groups, against Israel and the US in the region.
- The airspace in three countries was under a temporary lockdown after the strikes. Iran, Iraq and Syria shut the airspace in response to the strike to preserve the safety of civil aviation. Prohibiting airspace after attacks is part of standard operation procedures of states for security reasons to prevent intrusion of enemy aircraft in the territory and make it easy for air defence systems to identify friendly aircraft in the airspace.