Israel Strikes Iran in High-Stakes Retaliation, Over 100 Planes Used in Attack | Top Points

Tel Aviv: After pounding Iran with multiple airstrikes, Israel on Saturday concluded it 'Days of Repentance' Operation which was launched to retaliate a massive missile barrage on the Jewish state on October 1. The end of airstrikes was confirmed by the Israeli military on social media platform X.

“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel,” said IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari on a video message posted on X.

Meanwhile, Iran's military said early Saturday that Israeli assault on the country targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, causing “limited damage.”

The statement from Iran's armed forces was read aloud on state television, which showed no images of the damage described. Iran's military claimed its air defences limited the damage done by the strikes, without providing additional evidence.

While Israel said it launched attacks targeting missile manufacturing plants and other sites in the country. West Asia had been on the boil in anticipation of Israel's revenge for a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on October 1.

The recent Israeli attack on Iran comes weeks after Tehran launched a massive missile barrage on the Jewish state October 1, most of which were shot down by Israeli air defenses with the help of US forces. That attack was in retaliation to a series of Israeli attacks against Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike and then sending troops across the border into southern Lebanon. Israel has also battered Lebanon with aerial strikes which it says are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah, but which have claimed thousands of lives. 

Here are the top points about Israel-Iran conflict

• Israel on Saturday launched airstrikes on Iran in response to a ballistic missile assault on October 1. Israeli military termed the the attack as “precise strikes on military targets in Iran”. “The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7 – on seven fronts – including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” an Israeli military statement said. “Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond.” In Tehran, the Iranian capital, the sound of explosions could be heard, with state-run media there initially acknowledging the blasts and saying some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city.
• As per news agency AP a Tehran resident said that at least seven explosions could be heard, which rattled the surrounding area. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
• Israel's military described the attack as “precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” without immediately elaborating. Taking to X, 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."
• Iran has launched two ballistic missile attacks on Israel in recent months amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that was triggered following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel also has launched a ground invasion of Lebanon. Israel had vowed to give strong response to Iran following a massive Iranian missile barrage on October 1. Iran said its barrage was in response to deadly Israeli attacks against its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and it has promised to respond to any retaliatory strikes. 
• The Israeli airstrikes on Iran happened just as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was arriving back in the US after his Middle East visit where he and other US officials had warned Israel to tender a response that would not further escalate the conflict in the region and exclude nuclear sites in Iran. White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement that “we understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran” and referred reporters to the Israeli government for more details on their operation.
• Later in the day, Israel launched a second wave of attack on Iran as explosions were heard near the city of Shiraz in South-Central Iran, on Saturday. According to sources, over 100 planes were involved in the 2000 km attack on Iran, including the cutting-edge F-35 stealth fighter.
• The recent escalation in conflict in West Asia prompted both Iran and Iraq to suspend their flight operations. According to media reports, Iraq suspended all flight operations until further notice in the wake of Israel-Iran conflict while Bagdad halted the flight operations till 5.30 UTC. 
• The recent escalation comes amidst growing tensions in West Asia between Israel and other countries such as Iran, Lebanon and Syria. 
• Reacting to the recent development in the West Asia, the White House said that the Israeli assault on "military targets" in Iran are “an exercise of self-defense” following Tehran’s ballistic missile attack on October 1. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the “targeted strikes on military targets” are “an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1.”
• Later in the day, Israel military confirmed the completion of its strikes targeting Iran. The Israeli military issued a statement saying its planes “have safely returned home.” Its aircraft “struck missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the state of Israel over the last year,” the military said. “These missiles posed a direct and immediate threat to the citizens of the state of Israel.” It added that it also “struck surface-to-air missile arrays and additional Iranian aerial capabilities, that were intended to restrict Israel's aerial freedom of operation in Iran.” It offered no damage assessment. Iran has not acknowledged any damage to its military facilities.