Israel’s strikes on Iran and the latest on the war in the Mideast: Live updates | CNN
Published October 27, 2024Khamenei said that those who believe Iran should avoid producing weapons in order to avoid provoking backlash are misguided. Keeping a country weak does not maintain its security, he said.
The Iranian leader also condemned Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, as well as the international community for enabling them.
“War operates within a framework of rules, laws, and limitations. These limitations can’t just be disregarded during a war. However, the criminal gang ruling over the occupied lands has trampled all boundaries and rules underfoot,” he said.
Key context: Both Iranian and Israeli officials appeared deliberate Saturday in their initial framing of Israel’s retaliation for Tehran’s major missile attack earlier this month.
Israel’s public posture immediately after the strikes was relatively muted. That was intentional, a source familiar with the Israeli government’s thinking said, aimed at giving Iran the opportunity to downplay the strikes and avoid further escalation.
Iran’s government seemed to seize that opportunity, claiming the strikes caused only limited damage at military sites, even as it acknowledged that four Iranian soldiers were killed.
As part of Israel’s airstrikes on Iran early Saturday, some Israeli warplanes breached Iranian airspace, one former and one current Israeli official told CNN — representing a significant Israeli military capability against Iran.
About 100 Israeli aircraft took part in the mission, though not all of them entered Iranian airspace.
The Israeli military said it had targeted Iranian missile manufacturing sites and aerial defense systems in what appeared to be a highly calculated response that avoided critical energy infrastructure, such as oil fields and nuclear facilities.
The strikes came in response to Iran’s large-scale missile attack on October 1.
On Saturday, Tehran accused Israel of using Iraqi airspace to carry out the attack.
Israel’s airstrikes on Iran should not be magnified nor downplayed, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday.
While Israel would like to amplify the impacts of its actions against Iran, Khamenei said, it would also not be right for Iran to dismiss the strikes as insignificant.