Iran says it has a ‘right to self-defense’ after Israel attack, as U.S. urges end to missile exchanges
Oct. 26, 2024, 6:10 PM GMT+5
Three waves of pre-dawn strikes on military targets in Iran on Saturday completed Israel's retaliation on Iran, the Israel Defense Forces said, in what U.S. officials and others hoped would be the last shot in a hostile exchange between the two regional powers that has had the world on edge for weeks, fearing a dangerous expansion of the war.
The IDF said it hit aerial defense systems and missile manufacturing facilities in Iran, avoiding nuclear and oil facilities in what appeared to be a limited attack aimed at deterrence by showing its military might, while avoiding a major escalation.
In a briefing following the attacks, a senior official of the Biden administration told reporters that “This should be the end of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran.”
The official said this is the “very strong view” of the U.S. and “it’s been communicated to our partners throughout the region.”
Iran's foreign ministry condemned the attack in a statement on Saturday, asserting Iran's “inherent right to self-defense,” but added that the country will uphold its “responsibilities for regional peace and stability,” making no mention of imminent retaliation.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in July that Iran does not seek a wider war in the Middle East and that such a conflict would have no winners, something Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed last week, saying "if a major war breaks out in the region, America will be dragged into it, which is something we do not want."
Earlier in October, however, Pezeshkian threatened "harsher reactions" if Israel acts against Tehran.
The Iranian army said two soldiers were killed in the attacks, without adding further details. It also said the strikes targeted military centers in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam, but downplayed the attack, saying "damage was limited," and that its defense forces "successfully intercepted" the strike.
Iran's state media reported several explosions that could be heard from the capital, Tehran, and video footage verified by NBC News showed Iran’s air defense forces appearing to engage with Israeli projectiles. The capital itself was not directly hit.
The strikes drew condemnation from other nations in the Middle East. Qatar and Saudi Arabia called the attack a “flagrant violation of Iran’s sovereignty,” while Iraq accused Israel of continuing its “aggressive policies.”Jordan, one of the U.S.’ closest allies in the region, called the strikes a “dangerous escalation” that “threatens the stability of the region.”
The IDF said the strikes were in response to “months of continuous attacks” from Iran and its allies in the region, the latest in a tit-for-tat cycle of response and retaliation that has been going on for months.
On Oct. 1, Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel which it said it was a retaliation for Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, as well as the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in September, alongside a senior commander of the Iranian revolutionary guard. That barrage caused little damage to the country.
The assassinations aimed to weaken the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah, with whom Israel has been engaged in heavy warfare in Gaza and Lebanon since October 2023.