Explosions in Tehran: Israel reports attack on military targets in Iran

Israel hat kurz vor der US-Präsidentenwahl zum Vergeltungsschlag gegen Iran ausgeholt. Man führe „als Reaktion auf die seit Monaten andauernden Angriffe des iranischen Regimes“ auf Israel präzise Angriffe auf militärische Ziele in Iran durch, teilte das Militär in der Nacht mit. Nach etwa fünf Stunden mehrerer Angriffswellen erklärte die israelische Armee den Schlag am Morgen für beendet. Die „Mission“ sei erfüllt. Irans Militär ist bereit, zurückzuschlagen. „Es besteht kein Zweifel daran, dass Israel auf jede Aktion eine angemessene Antwort erhalten wird“, zitierte die Nachrichtenagentur Tasnim eine anonyme Quelle aus der Staatsmacht. Tasnim gilt als Sprachrohr der Revolutionsgarden, Irans Elitestreitmacht. Israels Luftangriff erfolgte über eine Distanz von etwa 1500 Kilometern.

Es ist der erste bekannte groß angelegte Angriff einer fremden Macht in Iran seit dem ersten Golfkrieg zwischen der Islamischen Republik und Irak in den 1980er Jahren. Laut dem israelischen Militär griffen Kampfflugzeuge Anlagen zur Herstellung von Raketen an. Auch Boden-Luft-Raketenstellungen sowie weitere iranische Luftabwehrsysteme seien attackiert worden. „Hunderte Kampfflugzeuge und Flugkörper“ seien beteiligt gewesen, berichtete die israelische Nachrichtenseite „Ynet“. Iranische Medien berichteten von Explosionen im Raum der Hauptstadt Teheran, in der 15 bis 20 Millionen Menschen leben. Am frühen Morgen waren auch Explosionen im Stadtzentrum zu hören und Feuer der Luftabwehr zu sehen.

Unklar war, welche Ziele getroffen wurden. Iranische Medien meldeten am Morgen zunächst „begrenzte Schäden“ an Militärstützpunkten. Es gibt bislang keine Berichte über Opfer. Der Luftraum wurde laut Irans Staatsmedien gesperrt. Alle Flüge seien gestrichen, meldete die Nachrichtenagentur Irna unter Berufung auf einen Sprecher der zivilen Luftfahrtbehörde. Israels Gegenschlag erfolgte in Reaktion auf die jüngste iranische Raketenattacke.

On October 1, the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's elite military force, fired around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. The attack came after a series of targeted killings by Israel targeting key players in Iran's network of non-state allies such as the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and the Islamist Hamas. Israel then announced retaliation. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi led the attack from the Air Force's underground command center at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, along with Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar, the army said.

The attack began during the Jewish day of rest, Sabbath. The high Jewish holidays ended on Thursday evening. It was initially unclear which targets were hit. An Israeli official told US broadcaster NBC News that Israel is not attacking nuclear facilities or oil fields in Iran. “We are targeting things that have threatened us in the past or could threaten us in the future,” he said. According to the Israeli military, these are “precise attacks on military targets in Iran.” According to US media, American forces in the region are not involved in the attack.

Initially, the Iranian state media portrayed the Israeli attack as harmless. State radio reported that sounds of explosions in the west of the capital Tehran were triggered by air defenses. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have repeatedly emphasized in recent days that they want to respond decisively to an attack. Israel's army spokesman Daniel Hagari warned Iran against further escalation after the strike ended. “If the regime in Iran makes the mistake of initiating a new round of escalation, we are obliged to respond,” Hagari said this morning.

According to a media report, Iran's military is working on several attack scenarios. If Israel launches a massive attack and, for example, targets the country's oil and nuclear facilities, the reaction will be violent, The New York Times reported, citing four Iranian officials, including two members of the Revolutionary Guard.

Iran could fire up to 1,000 ballistic missiles at its declared arch-enemy, expanding attacks by allied militias in the region and disrupting shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Against this background, the USA stationed a battery of the THAAD missile defense system in Israel. The USA had already relocated a THAAD system battery to the region last year.

Israel has informed its most important ally the USA in advance, US media reported. US President Joe Biden was briefed by his team of security advisors about Israel's attacks on Iran. Biden is continuing to monitor the situation, journalists traveling with Biden reported. Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi led the attack from the Israeli Air Force's underground command center at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, along with Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar, the army said.

Israel's cabinet had authorized the retaliation shortly before the attack, according to local media reports. A corresponding telephone conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Galant took place on Friday evening, the Haaretz newspaper reported. It was said that ministers had been informed in recent days about the scope of the apparent attack plan. After the attack began, Netanyahu held a briefing at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, according to his office. Chief of General Staff Halevi, Defense Minister Galant and the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet secret services were also involved in the meeting in the underground command center of the Israeli Air Force.

“Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and duty to respond,” the Israeli military said Saturday morning. Israel will not allow Iran to “continue to hide behind its proxies,” wrote Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon on Platform X. Israel has repeatedly made it clear to the international community “that we are using all the means at our disposal to protect the citizens of Israel,” Danon continued.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war more than a year ago, there have been repeated attacks on Israel by the so-called “axis of resistance” of Iran’s allies. In addition to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, these also include militias in Iraq and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. After the retaliatory strike against Iran began, the Israeli military said in the morning that defensive and offensive capabilities were fully mobilized. “We will do everything necessary to defend the State of Israel and the Israeli people.” However, there are currently no special instructions from civil defense.

Meanwhile, after the start of the Israeli retaliatory strike, there was another rocket alarm in northern Israel. The Israeli army said warning sirens were sounding in the coastal city of Nahariya and surrounding areas. There were initially no reports of possible victims. Hezbollah, which is allied with Iran, has been shelling Israel since the Gaza war began a year ago. Israel responded with massive air strikes and now also a ground offensive. Meanwhile, Israel continues to take action against Hezbollah in Lebanon.