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Israeli jets carried out air strikes in Iran in the early morning hours of Saturday local time and its military said "precise strikes" on military sites were retaliation for an October 1 Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel.
The move brings the Mideast closer to all-out war between two of its strongest military powers, as combat pitting the Jewish state against Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas has ratcheted up in recent weeks.
Multiple explosions rocked Tehran and the town Karaj just outside the capital at around 2:15 am local time with unverified reports also suggesting attacks in Shiraz and other Iranian cities.
The Israeli military signaled that the strikes would be limited to military sites but the country was prepared for any escalation.
"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," Israeli military Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a video recording posted on X.
"Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized," he added.
There were no immediate details on the specific targets affected or reports of any casualties.
The United States, Israeli's main political and military backer, described the attack on their mutual archenemy in the region as self-defense.
"We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel", he said in statement.
That attack came in response to Israel's likely assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July and killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last month.
It was the second direct attack by the Islamic Republic on Israel this year after an earlier salvo in April which also caused minimal damage or casualties and was repelled with US help.
