October 25, 2024 Israel strikes Iran in high-stakes retaliation

Our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East has moved here.

Iran said Israel attacked military facilities across the country Saturday morning, causing “limited damage” in some areas.

Israel “attacked parts of military centers in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam,” state news agency IRNA reported, adding that “the attack has been successfully intercepted and countered” by Iran’s “integrated air defense system.”

Iranian officials earlier said air defenses were deployed “in several areas around Tehran and the country,” according to IRNA.

Israel’s top military spokesperson confirmed Saturday morning that the country has concluded its “response” to Iran.

“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a video message shared by the Israel Defense Forces.

Hagari warned that if Iran were to begin “a new round of escalation,” Israel will be “obligated to respond.”

“Our message is clear: All those who threaten the state of Israel and seek to drag the region into a wider escalation will pay a heavy price,” he said. “We demonstrated today that we have both the capability and the resolve to act decisively, and we are prepared on offense and defense, to defend the state of Israel and the people of Israel.”

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrives at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on October 18.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke about Israel’s strikes on Iranian military targets.

Austin “emphasized the enhanced force posture” of US troops to defend US personnel and Israel, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement Friday evening.

The Israeli military said it has completed “precise and targeted” airstrikes on military targets in Iran.

“The retaliatory strike has been completed and the mission was fulfilled,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. “Our planes have safely returned home.”

The Israeli Air Force struck “missile manufacturing facilities” that it said were used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at Israel over the last year. It also said the Israeli military struck “surface-to-air missile arrays and additional Iranian aerial capabilities, that were intended to restrict Israel’s aerial freedom of operation in Iran.”

A view of Tehran, Iran, seen early Saturday morning on October 26.

The Israeli retaliation against Iran early Saturday morning is over after three waves of strikes, two sources familiar with the operation told CNN.

The sources spoke with CNN as the sun came up in Iran. The precise targets and the extent of the damage inflicted by Israel remain unclear.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a “security situation assessment” from the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, according to the prime minister’s office.

Those in attendance include Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and the heads of its intelligence agencies Mossad and Shin Bet, the statement said.

Netanyahu was in a bunker in the military base early Saturday (local time) during the attack in Iran, his office said earlier.

Iranian officials said blasts heard around the country early on Saturday were related to air defenses deployed “in several areas around Tehran and the country,” state news agency IRNA reported.

Several explosions were heard west of Tehran around 2:15 a.m. local time (about 7 p.m. ET Friday), according to IRNA.

The agency said the situation in the capital remained “normal” despite the explosions.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency earlier reported that several explosions were heard west of the Iranian capital.

Several explosions were also heard in Tehran on Saturday morning local time, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

This post has been updated with additional information.

Tracer fire and explosions are illuminating the Iranian capital’s sky as a source familiar with Israel’s operation tells CNN a second wave has begun.

Videos posted to social media by Tehran residents show explosions in the sky, and tracer fire rising from the city as dawn nears.

One of those videos, geolocated by CNN, shows multiple rounds of tracer fire being shot off as explosions are heard in the background.

Another video, also geolocated by CNN, shows a number of explosions in the sky towards the south of Tehran.

Israel’s strikes on Iran are expected to last “several more hours,” a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Israel’s military early Saturday confirmed it is striking “military targets” in Iran, following initial reports of explosions in Tehran.

Iranian state media began reporting explosions in Tehran early Saturday morning local time.

Images released by the Israeli military show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant managing the operation against Iran from the Kirya, the Israel Defense Forces military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant monitor the attack on Iran from an undisclosed location. Parts of the image were obscured by the Israel Defense Forces.

A Defense Ministry spokesperson said in a statement Netanyahu and Gallant are “closely following” the strikes in Iran “from the IDF’s command and control center.”

They are joined by Israel’s deputy chief of the general staff, Ministry of Defense director general and additional senior officials, the statement said. The Israeli military said the commander of the Israeli Air Force Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar is also present.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been briefed on Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iran, a White House official said Friday.

Harris is in Houston for a rally Friday night. She has not taken the stage yet.

CNN’s Kayla Tausche reported earlier on Friday that President Joe Biden has been briefed and was closely following developments, per a White House official.

A general view of Tehran after several explosions were heard, in Tehran, Iran, on October 26.

Israel is carrying out a second wave of strikes on Iran, according to a source familiar with Israel’s operation.

Earlier, Iranian state media reported several explosions in Tehran early Saturday morning local time.

One resident told CNN she “woke up to a distant sound of blasts” and described a heavy Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps presence in the city all day.

Flight tracking data shows the empty airspace over a wide swath of the Middle East.

Iraq has closed its airspace, citing security concerns, according to an official notice issued by its civil aviation authority.

The closure, according to the notice, is set to expire at 11:00 a.m. local time on Saturday (4 a.m. ET).

It follows a similar decision by neighboring Iran’s civil aviation authority.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on Friday following Israeli strikes on Iran, according to a US defense official.

The two defense chiefs speak on a regular basis as developments occur in the Middle East.

The US deployed a THAAD missile system to Israel and troops to operate it, which are now in place in case Iran retaliates.

Israel’s security cabinet voted unanimously to approve the strikes in Iran, the prime minister’s office told CNN.

The vote took place during a phone call in the hours before the attack, according to the office.

Israel’s military early Saturday confirmed it is striking “military targets” in Iran, following initial reports of explosions in Tehran.

Last week, an Israeli official told CNN that the cabinet had not yet reached a decision on how to proceed, following a missile barrage launched by Iran on 1 October.

Iran has closed its airspace, according to an official notice issued by its civil aviation authority.

The airspace will be closed until Saturday 9:00 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET), according to the notice.

Earlier on Saturday morning, around the time of the strikes, CNN observed four civilian planes begin flying away from the Iranian capital of Tehran on the flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Israel’s decision to strike what it described as Iranian military targets early Saturday morning came after weeks of deliberations within its security cabinet about the nature and scope of such an attack, Israeli officials said.

Ultimately, Israel chose to strike only military targets. One Israeli official said they were targets “that posed a threat or could pose a threat.”

A second Israeli official described the decision as the result of a “very diligent decision-making process.”

That process also included multiple rounds of consultations with US officials, including a phone call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden.

Israeli officials have yet to reveal additional details about the number and nature of the military targets, but the Israeli military is expected to share additional details once the operation is concluded.

Iran is yet to comment on the attack.

Israel’s retaliatory targets on Iran do not include energy infrastructure, an Israeli military source tells CNN.

The source said Saturday’s attack on Iran was 100% Israeli, but there continues to be “deep cooperation” with the United States, including on aerial defenses.

Earlier this month Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, assured the United States that a counterstrike on Iran will be limited to military targets rather than oil or nuclear facilities, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

A general view of Tehran after several explosions were heard, in Tehran, Iran, on October 26.

A Tehran resident told CNN she “woke up to a distant sound of blasts” in the early hours of Saturday morning local time.

Speaking to CNN anonymously due to security concerns, she said she looked through the windows of her house to check for any signs of the blasts’ aftermath but could not see anything.

She also told CNN there was a heavy Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps presence in the city “all day” on Friday, but could not provide more details.

Israel’s military has confirmed it is striking “military targets” in Iran, following initial reports of explosions in the Iranian capital.