Representative image of missiles in the sky after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel | Photo: Reuters
Israel launched airstrikes early on Saturday (October 26, 2024) targeting what it described as military targets in Iran in retaliation for ballistic missile attack on October 1officials said. There were no immediate reports of damage in the Islamic Republic.
The Israeli military described the attack as “precision strikes against military targets in Iran,” without immediately providing details.
“The regime in Iran and its supporters in the region have relentlessly attacked Israel since October 7 – on seven fronts – including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” the Israeli military said in a statement. “Like any other sovereign state in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the obligation to respond.”
Explosions in Tehran
The sound of explosions could be heard in Tehran, the Iranian capital, with state media initially acknowledging the blasts and saying some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.
Iran has launched two ballistic missile attacks against Israel in recent months amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel also launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.
The strike came just as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was arriving in the US after a tour of the Middle East, where he and other US officials had warned Israel to offer a response that would not further escalate the conflict in the region and shut down Iran’s nuclear sites.
Published – 26 Oct 2024, 05:29 AM IST
