Iran says two soldiers killed in ‘limited’ damage caused by Israeli strikes

The Iranian army said two soldiers were killed in Israeli air strikes on military installations in the Islamic republic on Saturday, according to a statement carried by state television.

"The army of the Islamic Republic of Iran lost two of its fighters during the night when they faced projectiles from the criminal Zionist regime in defence of its territory," the statement said.

Iran said it was obliged to defend itself, after Israeli retaliatory strikes hit military targets and killed two soldiers in the Islamic republic on Saturday.

"Iran has the right and the duty to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression," the foreign ministry said in a statement, citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Earlier, Iran’s military said its air defence system successfully countered Israel’s air attacks but that “limited damage” was caused to some locations.

Iran said Israeli strikes on the country targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, causing “limited damage.”

The statement from Iran’s armed forces was read aloud on state television, which showed no images of the damage described. Iran’s military claimed its air defences limited the damage done by the strikes, without providing additional evidence.

Iran's air defence forces said "This fake regime (Israel) attacked parts of military centers in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces," it said in a statement, adding that the attack "caused limited damage" while being intercepted.

Israel says attacks over

Israel said it launched attacks targeting missile manufacturing plants and other sites in Iran and it has completed its strikes on Iran.

Israel said early Saturday it had completed its strikes targeting Iran. The Israeli military issued a statement saying its planes “have safely returned home.”

Its aircraft “struck missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the state of Israel over the last year,” the military said. “These missiles posed a direct and immediate threat to the citizens of the state of Israel.”

It added that it also “struck surface-to-air missile arrays and additional Iranian aerial capabilities, that were intended to restrict Israel’s aerial freedom of operation in Iran.”

 Israeli says ‘precise attacks’ target missile manufacturing plants

Israel announced the launch of "precise strikes" on military targets in Iran on Saturday in retaliation for Iranian attacks, as an AFP journalist in Tehran reported hearing several explosions.

Israel had vowed to hit back at Iran for its October 1 missile strike, the second-ever direct attack by the Islamic republic on its arch-foe.

The rapid escalation of violence has heightened fears across the region and beyond of a wider war, pitting Israel against Iran and the allies it dubs the "axis of resistance" on multiple fronts.

Since the deadliest attack in its history on October 7, 2023, Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza, and since late last month, it has been at war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas are allies of Iran, as are armed groups in Yemen and Iraq and the government in Syria.

In a statement, the Israeli military said that it was conducting "precise strikes on military targets in Iran", in response to what it said were "months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran".

"The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th -- on seven fronts -- including direct attacks from Iranian soil," the military said.

Iran in April launched its first-ever direct assault on Israeli territory in retaliation for a deadly strike on Iran's consular annex in Damascus.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had said that Israel's retaliation for the October 1 strike would be "deadly, precise and surprising".

The October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the conflict killed 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 42,847 people, the majority civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.

It has since broadened the scope of its operations to Lebanon, vowing to secure its northern border after nearly a year of attacks launched by Iran-backed Hezbollah in support of Hamas.

At least 1,580 people have been killed in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry figures.

"Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilised," the Israeli military said.

Military spokesman Daniel Hagari in a separate statement urged people to be "alert and vigilant".

Iran's October 1 strike came after an Israeli air raid killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guards general Abbas Nilforoushan in Lebanon on September 27.

The killing of Nasrallah, which dealt Hezbollah a seismic blow, followed the death of Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, on July 31 in Iran in an attack widely blamed on Israel.

- 'Fully mobilised' -

Iranian state television reported blasts around the capital Saturday, saying they were due to the "activation of the air defence system" against an Israeli attack.

"The loud blasts heard around Tehran were related to the activation of the air defence system against the actions of the Zionist regime (Israel) which attacked three locations outside of Tehran city," state TV reported, citing officials of the Tehran province air defence.

An AFP reporter also heard the explosions.

Iranian media said no fires or blasts had been reported at a main oil refinery near the capital.

Iran had in recent weeks warned that any attack on its "infrastructure" would provoke an "even stronger response", while Revolutionary Guards general Rassul Sanairad said an attack on nuclear or energy sites would cross a red line.

US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the "targeted strikes on military targets" are "an exercise of self-defence and in response to Iran's ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1."

The United States was "informed beforehand and there is no US involvement," a US defence official told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

The official did not say how far in advance the United States had been informed or what had been shared by Israel.

Citing an unnamed military source, the agency said the attack at around 2:00 am (2300 GMT) had targeted positions in central and southern Syria.

The attack prompted Syria to activate its air defences, SANA said, as Israel announced it was launching "precision strikes" in neighbouring Iran.

Iran and Syria are allies in the so-called "axis of resistance" that also includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

"Our anti-aircraft defence is confronting hostile targets in the skies around Damascus," state news agency SANA reported on Telegram.

SANA had previously reported the "sounds of explosions" in the vicinity of the Syrian capital.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose network of pro-Iran factions, claimed responsibility early Saturday for a drone attack against a "military target" in northern Israel, following the announcement of Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iraq suspended all air traffic Saturday at its airports until further notice after Israel its attack.

Iran announces resumption of flights

Iran announced on Saturday the resumption of flights after a brief suspension following an Israeli attack that targeted several military sites in the country.

"Flights will return to normal from 9:00 am (0530 GMT) on Saturday," the spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Organisation said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Earlier, Iran suspended all flights until further notice, the aviation authority announced, after Israel announced it was conducting strikes in the country.

"Flights on all routes have been cancelled until further notice," the spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Organisation said, according to the official IRNA news agency.