Israel Attacks Iran in Series of Pre-Dawn Airstrikes Targeting Military Infrastructure Originally published at 6:33 AM EDT on October 26, 2024; updated at 8:59 AM EDT on the same day.
Israel Attacks Iran in Series of Pre-Dawn Airstrikes Targeting Military Infrastructure Israel’s Tel Aviv — Israel launched a series of pre-dawn airstrikes on Iranian military facilities Saturday in retribution for the Islamic Republic’s volley of ballistic missiles against Israel earlier in the month.
According to the Israeli military, its planes targeted surface-to-air missile installations and facilities used by Iran to produce the missiles fired at Israel.
Although the Islamic Republic maintained that the explosions had caused “limited damage,” Iranian state media minimized the strikes, and explosions were audible in Tehran, the country’s capital.
However, at a time of escalating violence throughout the Middle East, where Iranian-backed militant groups, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, are already at war with Israel, the strikes run the risk of bringing the archenemies closer to full-scale conflict.
Israel’s initial overt assault on Iran
Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stated, “Iran has paid the price for its two attacks against Israel, including in areas that put civilians in danger.”
“We are concentrating on our war goals in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Iran is still advocating for a more extensive regional escalation.
Israeli officials released images and video of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both dressed in black casual jackets, meeting with military advisers and others in a conference room at a military command and control center in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv.