Iran vows defense after Israeli strikes

TEHERAN/CAIRO — Iran warned on Saturday it would defend itself after Israeli airstrikes killed at least four soldiers and further stoked fears of a full-scale war in the Middle East.

Scores of Israeli jets completed three waves of strikes before dawn against missile factories and other sites near Teheran and in western Iran, Israel's military said.

It was retaliation for Iran's Oct 1 attack on Israel with about 200 ballistic missiles as Israel warned its arch-foe not to hit back after the latest strike.

Iranian officials should determine how best to demonstrate Iran's power to Israel, Iran's official IRNA news agency cited the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying on Sunday.

"The evil committed by the Zionist regime (Israel) two nights ago should neither be downplayed nor exaggerated", IRNA cited Khamenei as saying.

Iran condemned the Israeli raid and its Foreign Ministry said Iran was "entitled and obligated" to defend itself. But it added that it "recognizes its responsibilities toward regional peace and security", a more conciliatory statement than after previous bouts of escalation.

Iran's military said the Israeli warplanes used "very light warheads" to target border radar systems in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and around Teheran.

"Enemy planes were prevented from entering the country's airspace... and the attack caused limited damage," Iran's military joint staff said. However, four soldiers were killed while countering the Israeli strike.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday that Iran's nuclear facilities "have not been impacted" in the Israeli strike.

"IAEA inspectors are safe and continue their vital work" in Iran, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said in a statement.

Iran's Lebanese ally Hezbollah said it had already launched rocket salvos targeting five residential areas in northern Israel. The Israeli army said 80 projectiles were fired across the border on Saturday.

Hezbollah later issued evacuation warnings for more than a dozen named locations in Israel, while the Israeli army made similar warnings for two neighborhoods in southern Beirut.

Violation of intl law

In a statement, Jordan's Foreign Ministry called the Israeli attack a violation of international law and an infringement on Iran's sovereignty, as well as a serious escalation that pushes the region toward further tension.

Kuwait slammed the Israeli escalation, saying it "exemplifies the policy of chaos adopted by Israeli occupying forces by breaching countries' sovereignty, jeopardizing regional security and breaking international law principles and norms".

Syria's Foreign Ministry denounced the Israeli attacks as a "brazen violation" of Iranian and Syrian sovereignty and a "blatant breach" of international law and the United Nations Charter.

A US defense official said there was "no US involvement" in the strikes on Iran, but afterward, Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid tribute to "our great friend the USA for being a true ally, and for the overt and covert cooperation". He did not elaborate.

A senior official from US President Joe Biden's administration said: "If Iran chooses to respond once again, we will be ready, and there will be consequences for Iran once again. However, we do not want to see that happen. This should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran. Israel has made clear to the world that its response is now complete."

Following the attacks, analysts believe the multiyear conflict between Israel and Iran is entering a new, more dangerous phase. However, Israel's latest "moderate" military action suggests that neither side is inclined to escalate the situation further, making a full-scale war unlikely, at least for now.

Trita Parsi, executive vice-president of the Quincy Institute in the United States, wrote on X, "Teheran is downplaying it — even mocking it — which may be more reflective of their desire to de-escalate than a true assessment of the damage Israel inflicted on Iran.

"But if Iran chooses to exercise restraint, as it did after Israel's limited strikes in April, then this chapter may be closed, yet the conflict will remain very much alive.

"As long as Israel's slaughter in Gaza and Lebanon continues, a new exchange of fire between Israel and Iran will only be a question of time. And the next round will likely be more ferocious than the previous, just as this round was larger than the exchange in April," he said.

Agencies - Xinhua