Israel in the wee hours of Saturday launched direct strikes on Iran in high-stakes retaliation, CNN reports.
The strikes are on “military targets” in Iran. Israel described the operation as a response to Tehran and its proxies “relentlessly attacking” Israel since October 7. The targets do not include energy infrastructure, an Israeli military source told CNN.
Iranian state media reported several explosions in the capital early Saturday morning local time. Later, a source familiar with the development told CNN that Israel was carrying out a second wave of strikes in the country.
The US is not participating in the Israeli military operation, a senior administration official said Friday. Israel did give the White House a heads up in advance of the strikes, according to a source familiar with the notification.
The region has been bracing for Israel’s retaliation to Tehran’s major missile attack earlier this month, as it also wages war on Iran-backed militant groups in Lebanon and Gaza.
Earlier, Iranian state media reported several explosions in Tehran early Saturday morning local time.
One resident in Iran claimed she “woke up to a distant sound of blasts” and described a heavy Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps presence in the city all day.
Meanwhile, Iraq has closed its airspace, citing security concerns, according to an official notice issued by its civil aviation authority.
The closure, according to the notice, is set to expire at 11:00 a.m. local time on Saturday.
It follows a similar decision by neighboring Iran’s civil aviation authority.
Israel Defense Force (IDF) in a post on its official X handle @IDF, confirmed the attack. It wrote:
“In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel—right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets 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. Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond. Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized. We will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel.”
Source: CNN and OUR REPORTER
