Israel bombs Iran: LIVE UPDATES

 

Multiple explosions were 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 its retaliatory raid against Tehran, with the Israel Defense Forces claiming to be targeting only military installations with its “precise strikes.”

The attack comes in retaliation for Iran’s October 1 strike, 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, claimed to have hit several Israeli military targets.

Israel has since threatened to deliver a “deadly, pinpoint accurate, and surprising” retaliation, without specifying any time frame. Tehran has warned Israel against conducting any strikes, vowing a “decisive and regretful” response, should it do so.

• 26 October 2024

  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,” Malaysia’s 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 for contravening 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.

• 06:03 GMT

  Iran has reopened its airspace after attacks by Israel.

  Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization 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, sources with knowledge of the issue have said.

  Israel warned that if Iran did retaliate, Israel would attack again, especially if Israeli civilians are killed or injured, the sources claimed.

• 05:04 GMT

  “Iran’s power humiliates the enemies of the motherland,” Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref wrote 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 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 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,” The Guardian reports.

  “We support Israel’s right to self-defense and to protect itself in line with international humanitarian law,” a Downing Street spokesman said.

• 04:01 GMT

  The Israeli attack caused only “limited damage to military bases in the targeted provinces,” according to the Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen.

  “Israel carried out an air attack on bases in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces and most of the attacks were countered,” the channel reported, citing Iranian air defense forces.

• https://www.rt.com/news/606451-tehran-multiple-explosions/