Israel launched retaliatory strikes against sites inside Iran

By: Manoah Kikekon 

Benjamin Netanyahu 

The Israeli military struck sites inside Iran in the early hours of Friday in response to Iranian direct rocket and missile attacks on Israel earlier this week, according to two Israeli and three Iranian officials who spoke with the New York Times.

Israel's latest action is a direct response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s Saturday night attack on Israeli sites, which involved the launch of over 300 rockets and missiles from inside Iran.

Meanwhile, Israel was able to intercept the majority of the flying objects before they entered Israeli territory thanks to a military coalition that included the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Jordan, and other regional allies.

Iran stated that the actions taken were necessary following Israel's attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria.

In response to the incident, the Israeli government vowed to respond decisively to the attack, which it did early Friday morning by striking several targets in Syria, Iraq, and Iran at the same time.

According to the Times, Iranian officials said Israeli airstrikes hit a military base near Isfahan in central Iran, activating local air defence systems.

Iran's media and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the global nuclear watchdog, both stated that no nuclear facilities were targeted or destroyed during the attack. This is the first time Israel has launched a direct attack on Iran.

The Israeli government has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident. 

However, media reports in both countries downplay the scope of the attack, which analysts claim was intended to de-escalate the situation.