Explosions in Iran as Israel launches air strikes

In the early hours of Saturday, Israel carried out a series of air strikes against Iran. This action is said to be a reaction to what the Israeli military described as "months of ongoing assaults" from Tehran and its affiliated groups.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that it is conducting "targeted attacks on military sites" in Iran, which it blames for "continuously assaulting Israel" since October 7, 2023.

The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed that they carried out attacks on Iran after Iranian state media reported multiple explosions occurring in and near the capital city of Tehran.

This follows Tehran's launch of nearly 200 ballistic missiles aimed at Israel on October 1. The Iranian government stated that this action was in response to the assassination of Hamas's political leader on Iranian territory in July.

In a statement regarding the ongoing actions in Iran, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari declared that Israel has both the "right and responsibility" to take action, emphasizing that its "defensive and offensive resources" are "completely prepared."

The United States, a strong supporter of Israel, stated that the attack on Saturday was an act of self-defense.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council informed CBS, the US news partner of the BBC, that Israel is carrying out focused attacks on military sites in Iran as a means of self-defense, following Iran's missile attack on Israel on October 1.

On October 1, Israel's military successfully prevented most of the attacks; however, a few did hit central and southern parts of the country.

Tehran reported that it targeted Israel in response to what it described as an infringement on Iran's sovereignty and the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh died in an explosion in Tehran in July, which Iranian authorities attributed to Israel, though Israeli officials did not accept accountability for the incident.

During that period, Iran stated that the assault was a reaction to an Israeli airstrike targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut, which resulted in the deaths of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, who was in charge of operations for the Quds Force, the IRGC's unit responsible for activities outside of Iran.

The increase in conflict occurred just hours after Israeli forces launched an operation into southern Lebanon aimed at eliminating what the military identified as "Hezbollah terrorist targets" in nearby villages, which they claimed endangered residents in northern Israel.

After Israel initiated its attacks on Saturday, a spokesperson from the White House stated that President Joe Biden has been updated and is keeping a close watch on the situation.

A US defense official emphasized that the United States did not play any role in the Israeli attacks that occurred on Saturday.

Iranian state media reported that loud explosions were audible in the western part of Tehran. A news outlet associated with the Revolutionary Guards mentioned that certain military installations in the western and southwestern regions of the capital were struck.

The scale of the assaults and the specific objectives remain uncertain at this time.

Iranian media are claiming there has been no significant damage from these attacks, according to reports from BBC Persian.

However, the nation's aviation authority stated that all flights have been suspended on every route until there is a new update.

According to the Syrian state news agency, Israeli airstrikes have hit several military locations in the central and southern regions of Syria.