Iran’s army said Israel’s strikes in retaliation for its missile attacks earlier this month have killed four of its soldiers.
The strike, which took place early on Saturday, targeted missile factories and other sites near Tehran and western Iran, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had earlier announced.
The Israeli military launched strikes on military bases in Iran, hitting about 20 sites over several hours in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran.
The Israeli military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, announced that the operation was complete, adding that if Iran carries out retaliatory strikes, Israel will be “obligated to respond”.
Israeli retaliation for an Iranian barrage of almost 200 ballistic missiles fired towards Israel on 1 October had been widely expected for weeks, with its forces threatening that it would be massive.
The Iranian army on Saturday evening, confirmed that four soldiers were killed in the attack which dealt “limited damage” to the country.
Iran’s air defence headquarters said the “aggressive action was successfully intercepted and countered by the country’s integrated air defence system”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Iran was “entitled and obligated to defend itself against external aggressive acts” after the attacks on its soil.
World Powers React
The US National Security Council spokesman, Sean Savett, urged Iran not to retaliate to avoid escalation of the issue.
Savett said, “We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.
“Their response was an exercise in self-defence and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, contrary to Iran’s attack against Israel that targeted Israel’s most populous city,” he added.
Stressing that the US did not participate in the operation, Savett said “We aim to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region”.
A senior White House official said the Biden administration believed the Israeli operation should “close out” the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran.
On his part, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, sued for peace in the region, specifically warning Israel to cease its military action in Iran.
“We urge all parties involved to exercise restraint, stop the violence and prevent events from developing into a catastrophic scenario,” she said, warning of “the ongoing explosive escalation” in the region.
“It is necessary to stop provoking Iran into retaliatory actions and get out of the spiral of uncontrolled escalation,” she added.
Furthermore, the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer said, Israel is at liberty to defend itself but said anything that encourages aggression must be avoided.
“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression.
I’m equally clear that we need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint. Iran should not respond.” he said
Also speaking, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged “all parties to abstain from any escalation and action that could worsen the extremely tense context in the region”.
On their part, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, condemned the military targeting Iran, as a “violation of its sovereignty” and international laws, and urged both parties to “exercise the utmost restraint and reduce escalation”.
The Ministry said, “The Kingdom affirms its firm 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 peoples of the region.”
Also, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “Israel, which is committing genocide in Gaza, preparing to annex the West Bank, and killing civilians every day in Lebanon, has now brought our region to the brink of a wider war with this attack.
“It is now clear that putting an end to Israeli terror in the region has become a historic task to ensure international security and peace,” it added in a statement, which called on the international community to “take immediate action to enforce the law and stop the Netanyahu government”.
“We do not want any further war, violence, or lawlessness in our region,” it said.
Iran Says It Suffered ‘Limited Damage’ After Israel Retaliation Claimed 4 Soldiers is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
