A day after Israel's retaliatory strike on Iran, the media reports on the details of this operation. The Jerusalem Post reported that over a hundred planes took part in the attack. The targets of the raids included the air defense system at Tehran airport and the secret Parchin military base, the New York Times added. The Israeli military talks about four-hour raids.
The Israeli army announced that on the night from Friday to Saturday it carried out a wave of targeted airstrikes on Iran in response to earlier attacks by that country. It was reported that approximately 20 military targets were attacked, including drone and ballistic missile factories, air defense systems and other military facilities.
Dozens of aircraft, including fighters, air tankers and reconnaissance machines, took part in the complex operation, which attacked targets located approximately 1,600 km from Israel, the armed forces added. According to the Jerusalem Post, over a hundred planes took part in the raid, including F-35 fighters.
See also: Israel on “precise attacks on military targets in Iran”. Retaliatory operation completed
Four hours of raid
The military confirmed that the raids, which lasted about four hours, took place in several phases. According to the media, the first one was an attack on air defense systems. Even before that, the Israeli air force hit air defense radars in Syria – added the Jerusalem Post.
Israel attacked, among others, S-300 air defense system guarding the international airport in Tehran – reported “NYT” according to sources in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. At least three missile bases of this formation were also hit, and Israeli drones attacked the secret Parchin military base on the outskirts of Tehran, the New York newspaper added.
Iran minimizes the scale of Israel's raid
According to the Times of Israel website, the target of the attack on the Parchin complex was a facility associated with the production of ballistic missiles. Iranian authorities said one drone hit Parchin and the others were shot down. The website also quoted media from Saudi Arabia, which reported the complete destruction of one of the factories involved in the production of ballistic missiles. The location of the plant was not disclosed, but according to the Saudi website Elaph, the factory was destroyed and its reconstruction will take at least two years. It added that the plant produced fuel for missiles that Iran used to attack Israel on October 1.
Iranian authorities said the airstrikes targeted targets in Tehran as well as in two southwestern provinces on the border with Iran. Iraq – Eelam and Khuzestan. It added that air defenses intercepted some of the missiles, but “limited damage” was reported in some areas. Iran's military later said the attacks damaged only radar systems. According to Iranian media, four people were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Representatives of the Iranian authorities also minimized the scale of Israel's attacks. “Reports that a hundred Israeli military planes took part in the attack are a complete lie,” said one official, quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The authorities in Tehran also reported that Israeli planes struck targets in Iran from Iraqi territory and did not cross Iranian airspace.
They didn't hit nuclear facilities
All sources confirm that the Israeli attacks did not cover Iran's nuclear facilities or those related to the mining industry. President USA Joe Biden previously warned Israel not to strike these targets, fearing it would lead to even greater escalation in the region.
According to the media, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu he had already told the Americans that the attack would only cover military facilities. Netanyahu's office issued a statement on Saturday evening, noting that the targets of the attack were set with Israel's national interest in mind. It added that reports of them being restricted under American pressure are “completely false.”
Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi confirmed on Saturday that Iran's nuclear facilities were not damaged in the Israeli attacks.
After the Israeli attack, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized in a statement that Iran believes it “has the right and obligation to defend itself against acts of external aggression” in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. However, the government in Tehran did not announce an immediate response.
Israel said it was prepared for possible Iranian retaliation, but warned Tehran that such an attack would be met with another response.
Tension in the Middle East
Iran is viewed by Israel as its main enemy in the region, which surrounds the Jewish state with a network of self-backed militias belonging to the so-called axis of evil or axis of terror, which Tehran presents as the “axis of resistance.” This informal coalition includes, among others, the Palestinian Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, which started the war in the Gaza Strip that continues to this day.
The strongest organization supported by Iran is the Lebanese Hezbollah, which has been attacking Israel for over a year. For over a month, Israel has been conducting an intense campaign against Hezbollah, including a ground operation in the south Lebanon.
Main photo source: IDF