- More than 100 Israeli warplanes, including F-35 stealth fighters, took off for the mission just before dawn. They flew up to 1,000 kilometers and attacked Iran’s radar and air defense systems, rendering them defenseless, and other military sites, including a missile manufacturing facility.
- Israel said it carried out “precision strikes”. Iran initially claimed that the explosions in the capital Tehran were caused by the activation of air defense systems, but later admitted that the attacks caused “limited damage” to military sites. Two Iranian soldiers were killed in the attack.
- “We are ready to respond to any Israeli “aggression,” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing government sources. “There is no doubt that Israel will be punished for any action,” he said. The Israeli military has warned Iran of paying a “heavy price” if it starts a new round of tensions.
- The US described Israel’s attack as a “self-defense exercise” and urged Tehran to avoid any further escalation. AFP quoted US government sources as saying, ‘Israel had informed the US in advance about the attacks and Washington has no involvement in the attacks.’
- Israel attacked at its opportune time, a tit-for-tat move that has created a volatile situation in the region, drawing condemnation from states in the region and outside. Hamas, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Saudi Arabia condemned the attacks. Turkey went a step further and called for an end to the “terror perpetrated by Israel”.
- Russia urged both sides to exercise restraint and avoid a “catastrophic scenario”. Moscow has been at war with Ukraine for more than two years, but tensions show no signs of easing. India said it was “deeply concerned about the rising tensions in West Asia and its impact on peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
- In an interview with NDTV, Israeli envoy to India Reuven Azar said, “What Israel did was a very precise strike that destroyed Iran’s air defense systems, and military installations associated with their missile and drone programs. Targeted. The signal here is very clear: Israel will not agree to continued attacks by Iran, either directly or indirectly.”
- “Israel could have done much more to harm Iran, but it decided to limit its response out of responsibility because we want to focus on the operation that the Israeli cabinet has determined – the military operation of Hamas. To completely destroy the capabilities, to bring back our hostages and ensure that Hamas does not retreat,” Mr Azar told NDTV.
- Israel also attacked Syria. Explosions were heard in the capital Damascus. Syrian officials said Israel launched attacks from the occupied Golan Heights and parts of Lebanon, prompting them to activate air defense systems. Syria is part of the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’, a group of Shia militias and political groups against Israel and the US in the region.
- Following the attack, a temporary lockdown was imposed in the airspace of three countries. Iran, Iraq and Syria closed airspace in response to the attack to maintain the safety of civil aviation. Restricting airspace after attacks is part of the standard operating procedures of states for security reasons to prevent infiltration of enemy aircraft into the area and to make it easier for air defense systems to identify friendly aircraft in the airspace.
