Iran's army says 2 soldiers killed in Israeli attack

TEHRAN -- Iran's army said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in the Israeli strike on the country earlier in the day.

In a statement published on its public relations website, the army said two fighters "sacrificed their lives" while countering Israel's projectiles to defend Iran's security and prevent harm to the country's people and interests.

It said further information would soon be released.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said early Saturday that Israel had completed what it called a retaliatory attack on military targets in Iran earlier in the day.

The IDF launched "precise and targeted" airstrikes on targets in several areas in Iran in response to the attacks from Iran in recent months, it said in a statement.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that "dozens of jets, including F35, F16 and F15, attacked 20 military targets in Iran."

Iran's air defense headquarters said in a statement that it had successfully countered the Israeli attack, which inflicted "limited damage," Tasnim news agency reported.

The report said damage occurred in some areas while Iran's integrated air defense system intercepted and countered the attack, adding that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

The Tasnim report also said that the Israeli forces targeted military sites in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces Saturday morning, despite prior warnings from Iran urging Israel to avoid risky actions.

On Oct. 1, Iran fired approximately 180 missiles at Israeli targets. Tehran described the strikes as retaliation for the assassinations of several leaders of regional resistance groups, among other things.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran had made a "grave mistake" and vowed retaliation.