Israel attacks targets across Iran, warns Tehran against retaliation
- Israeli army has carried out strikes on military targets in Iran in response to what it said were months of attacks by “Iran and its proxies” in the region.
- Iran’s military says two soldiers killed in Israeli strikes that targeted military bases in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran.
Israeli forces arrest all male medical staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital
The Israeli siege of northern Gaza is now in its 22nd day. It has also been targeting Kamal Adwan Hospital.
This is what the Palestinian Health Ministry said:
- At the moment, Israeli forces have arrested all male medical staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital in addition to a number of wounded and sick inside the hospital. They detained women in one of the rooms inside the hospital without water or food.
- We appeal to all international institutions and concerned authorities to intervene urgently to protect patients and medical staff working at the hospital.
Israeli army says it intercepted two drones from Lebanon
The Israeli army said it intercepted two drones crossing into Israel from Lebanon just hours after Israel struck several military targets inside Iran.
“Following the sirens that sounded … in the Upper Galilee area, the IAF (air force) intercepted a UAV that crossed into Israel from Lebanon,” the military said in a statement, later adding that another drone had also crossed and been intercepted.
Iraq resumes air traffic after brief suspension
Iraq’s Transport Minister Razzaq Muhaibis al-Saadawi has confirmed the resumption of flights at all Iraqi airports.
In a statement, the media office of the Transport Ministry said: “After overcoming all risks that could have affected the security and safety of civil aviation in Iraq, the Minister of Transport ordered the reopening of Iraqi airspace to civilian aircraft crossing the airspace and arriving and departing from Iraqi airports.”
What we know about Israel’s attack on Iran
- The Israeli military carried out strikes on Iran, hitting about 20 sites over several hours in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran.
- Iran’s military confirmed that the strikes targeted military bases, reporting that the attacks resulted in only “limited damage”.
- Israel warned Iran against retaliating, stating that it will be “obligated to respond” again and noting that it has “additional targets” it could strike if that occurs.
- A US National Security Council spokesman stated that Washington was aware of the strikes by its ally but did not participate, describing the operation as an “exercise in self-defence”.
- The Pentagon reaffirmed its “ironclad commitment” to “Israel’s security and right to self-defence”.
- Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Oman are among the first countries to condemn the Israeli attack.
- Iran has resumed flights on all routes after a brief suspension following the attack.
Iraq suspends flights at all airports
Iraq’s state news agency is reporting that flights at all airports in the country have been suspended until further notice.
US reaffirms ‘ironclad commitment’ to Israel after attack on Iran
The US Department of Defense has issued a statement following Israel’s attack on Iran, saying that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart to “receive updates” on the attack.
The Pentagon “reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the US to Israel’s security and right to self-defence”.
It statement also emphasised the “enhanced posture of the US to defend US personnel, Israel and partners across the region in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organisations”.
Israel reportedly warned Iran in advance of attack
Israel has stated that all their aircraft, which were guided by intelligence and involved in the attack on Iran, have safely returned to Israel.
In the hours leading up to these details, we heard some information about how precisely this strike was approved.
We learned that on Friday evening, a call took place during which ministers from Israel’s cabinet spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who then approved the strike plans.
We also know they had been briefed in the days leading up to this call on the parameters of the strike plan regarding Iran.
Another interesting detail we’ve learned is that reports in Israeli media, quoting unnamed Israeli officials, indicate that Israel sent a message to Iran on Friday – before the strike, warning Iran not to retaliate. The reports do not specify how this message was delivered or who conveyed it, only that the message was sent.
That aligns closely with the rhetoric in the statements released by the Israeli army, which have all warned Iran not to retaliate.
They have stated that the retaliation against Iran is over and that they do not want further retaliation from Iran.
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