ISRAEL said it struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on Israel earlier this month, the latest attack in the escalating conflict between the heavily armed rivals. Iranian media reported multiple explosions over several hours in the capital and at nearby military bases, but the Iranian military said there was limited damage. Before dawn, Israel’s public broadcaster said three waves of strikes had been completed and that the operation was over.
The aggression is in retaliation for a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on Oct. 1, in which around 200 missiles were fired at Israel. Tel Aviv has since then been repeating threats every other day to teach Tehran a lesson, forgetting that Iran was forced to carry out strikes inside the Jewish state following a series of provocations and high profile killings by Israel. Fears that Iran and the U.S. would be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel’s intensifying assault on Hezbollah since last month, including airstrikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut and a ground operation, as well as its year-old conflict in the Gaza Strip. The latest Israeli aggression has the potential to deepen the conflict in the Middle-East in case Iran opts to give a tit-for-tat response as it has been warning during the last few weeks. However, it seems no side is in a mood to expand the scope of the ongoing war in Gaza and Lebanon as Iran’s missile attack on Israel was a one off affair and Tel Aviv too has announced completion of its overnight attack, which means there will be no further attacks. Earlier, there were apprehensions that Israel might carry out attacks against Iranian oil and nuclear facilities leaving Tehran with no option but to respond with full force. However, the United States, which has been consulted on the attack and notified (ahead of strikes) as well, claimed the targets did not include energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities. Irrespective of what Iran does in response to attacks on Tehran, there are legitimate apprehensions for escalation of the ongoing conflict if the international community fails to take prompt practical measures to stop genocide in Gaza and Lebanon. Time is running out.
