Israel strikes Iran with series of attacks, IDF says it's responding to earlier 'continuous attacks' from Iran

The Israeli military confirmed that it launched strikes on military bases in Iran on Oct. 26, the latest development that has sparked concerns about a full-scale war in the Middle East.

Around 20 sites in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran were hit in the span of several hours at around 2am local time (6:30am Singapore time), reported Al Jazeera.

The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) announced the operation was complete on the morning of Oct. 26.

Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that if Iran carries out retaliatory strikes, Israel will be “obligated to respond”.

Two Iranian soldiers were killed, but Iran said the attacks resulted in only “limited damage”, The Guardian reported.

In response to "continuous attacks" from Iran: IDF

The IDF said in a statement that this was in response to "months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran" against Israel.

"The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since Oct. 7 — on seven fronts — including direct attacks from Iranian soil. Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond."

IDF said it will "do whatever necessary" to defend its country and its people.

Tensions between the two countries have been heightened ever since the Oct. 7 attack in 2023 by Iranian-backed military organisation Hamas.

The attacks appeared to be carried out in retaliation to a missile barrage launched by Iran on Oct. 1.

"Based on intelligence, IAF [air force] aircraft struck missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the state of Israel over the last year," the Israeli military said, as reported by The Guardian.

Calls for de-escalation

Various countries have called for Israel to refrain from escalating the conflict further, Al Jazeera reported.

Responding to the attacks, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said, “We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation."

Savett said Israel's actions were "an exercise in self-defence" which "specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets".

He contrasted this with Iran’s attack against Israel, saying that it had "targeted Israel’s most populous city".

He also stressed that the U.S. did not participate in the operation, and said it aims to "accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region".

Qatar expressed deep concern over the escalation in the Middle East, saying the attack was a "“blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law", and called on the international community to intensify efforts toward de-escalation.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt's foreign affairs ministries urged parties towards de-escalation.

Egypt stressed that "ceasefire in the Gaza Strip should be reached quickly", saying that "a deal through which hostages are released" would be "the only way to de-escalate".

The UK and France reiterated similar positions, urging restraint on all sides.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I’m equally clear that we need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint. Iran should not respond."

Top image via @IDF/X