(CLO) Israel and Iran have been at war for years. Now, their conflict has exploded openly after the Israeli military carried out a series of airstrikes against Iran on Saturday (October 26).
Israel publicly confirms attack
The Israeli military, in a statement at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, confirmed that it was “conducting precision strikes on military targets in Iran,” adding that it was acting in response to more than a year of attacks on Israel by Iran and pro-Tehran forces across the Middle East.
Images shared on social media show an Iranian facility on fire after an Israeli airstrike. Photo: Israel Hayom
Israel did not immediately say where or how the airstrikes were carried out. But residents of the Iranian capital Tehran reported hearing explosions in and around the city.
Iranian authorities said the country's air defense system tracked and successfully repelled the Israeli airstrikes. According to the Iranian air defense force's report, Israel attacked military centers in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces.
“The integrated air defense system successfully tracked and intercepted this aggressive action, although damage was limited to a few locations and the scale of this incident is currently under investigation,” the report said.
Meanwhile, footage released by Al Araby TV showed damage caused by an Israeli airstrike at a factory in Shamsabad, south of Tehran. Unverified reports on social media said three workers were killed at the factory, which is believed to be involved in the development and production of military drones.
For its part, the Israeli military (IDF) said it had completed airstrikes targeting missile production facilities, surface-to-air missile systems and destroying air force capabilities in several areas of Iran.
“The IDF has completed precise and targeted strikes on military targets in several areas of Iran. Our aircraft have returned home safely,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a press conference on Saturday (October 26).
Israel's confirmation of the attack on Iran is a move that represents a new escalation of tensions between the two countries, as in the past, Israel has rarely acknowledged its military operations on Iranian territory.
How did Israel and Iran get to this point?
The Israeli attack came weeks after Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles into Israel, forcing millions of Israelis to take shelter in bomb shelters. Iran said at the time that it had fired missiles into Israel in response to Israel’s killing of an Iranian commander and several leaders of Iran-backed militias in the region.
But the recent skirmishes between Israel and Iran have broken with both countries’ longstanding practice of avoiding direct military confrontation. So what has brought both sides to this point?
The wreckage of a building in Hod Hasharon, Israel, after it was hit by a missile from Iran earlier this month. Photo: New York Times
For decades, Iran and Israel have been engaged in what amounts to a covert war. Iran has used a network of allied groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, to attack Israeli interests, and Israel has assassinated senior Iranian officials and nuclear scientists and staged cyberattacks against Iran.
Their conflict erupted publicly this year, following Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel. But the two sides had refrained from direct confrontation until after Israel’s April raid on the Iranian embassy complex in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed three senior Iranian commanders.
After that incident, Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in its first direct attack on its rival — in retaliation. Israel was able to intercept almost all of the Iranian missiles using its own air defenses, with the help of the US and other allies. But that was partly because Iran had given advance warning of the attack before launching its attack.
Then, in late July, Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike that killed a senior Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital Beirut, in retaliation for a rocket attack that killed at least 12 people. A day later, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Tehran.
The Iranian government and Hezbollah vowed to retaliate, but Iran surprisingly did not take immediate action. It was not until October 1 that Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said was in retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and an Iranian commander, Ismail Haniyeh.
A protest in Tehran, the capital of Iran, to condemn Israel in July after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated there. Photo: New York Times
In the April airstrike, Israel waited only about five days to respond to Iran with limited airstrikes on military bases in Isfahan province, a response to Tehran’s October 1 attack. But a variety of factors appear to have dictated a longer lead time for this response, including negotiations between Israel and the United States, the arrival of U.S. air defense systems, and Jewish holidays.
What is Israel's potential target?
Having severely weakened Hezbollah and Hamas, Israel has tried to balance its strategic goals with concerns from its allies, especially the United States, that a new attack could spark a wider regional war.
Earlier this month, two senior Israeli officials told the New York Times that the government had told President Joe Biden’s administration that it would avoid attacking Iran’s nuclear enrichment and oil production sites. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters, said Israel had agreed to focus its strikes on military targets in Iran.
As of early Saturday morning in Iran, it was unclear what targets Israel had or had not struck. But avoiding nuclear or oil infrastructure could reduce the likelihood of a full-scale war between the two rivals, reducing the risk of a wider, regionally devastating conflict. It also eases U.S. concerns about being drawn into a broader Middle East confrontation as the U.S. presidential election approaches.
According to the Times of Israel, a warning message was sent by Israel to Iran through an intermediary, that Tehran should not foolishly respond to this attack if it does not want more serious consequences.
How far can Israel's strike capabilities reach?
Israel has recently demonstrated its ability to carry out air strikes from long distances.
During attacks on Houthi forces in Yemen in late September, Israeli warplanes flew nearly 2,000 kilometers to bomb enemy power plants and air force infrastructure. Dozens of warplanes were refueled mid-flight during the operation.
Modern Israeli fighter jets. The Israeli Air Force has carried out attacks on Houthi forces in Yemen, 2,000 km away from Israel. Photo: WarZone
An air strike on Tehran, some 1,000 miles from Israel, would only have a similar range. Iran has much stronger air defenses than Lebanon and Yemen, but Israel has proven it can prevail.
In April, in retaliation for Iran's first missile barrage, an Israeli airstrike destroyed an S-300 air defense system near Natanz, a city in central Iran that is vital to the country's nuclear weapons program.
Western and Iranian officials said Israel deployed drones and at least one missile fired from a fighter jet in the attack, demonstrating that Israel could overcome and cripple Iran's defenses.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based political think tank, Israel has additional options: the Jericho 2 intermediate-range ballistic missile, which can reach targets about 3,200 kilometers away, and the Jericho 3 intermediate-range ballistic missile, which can reach targets more than 6,000 kilometers away.
The US position is important for a potential war between Israel and Iran. President Joe Biden recently said he would not support an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
But some analysts told the New York Times that the looming presidential election and the fact that Joe Biden is not seeking a second term make it difficult for the White House to influence and limit Israel's actions at this time.
Quang Anh
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tai-sao-israel-tan-cong-iran-va-moi-nguy-la-gi-post318581.html
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