Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters that Israeli airstrikes had hit their targets, but did not immediately provide proof.
Israel says it has launched a major attack on Iran after more than a year of fighting, which began with an attack by Iranian proxy group Hamas on the Jewish state and escalated into a multi-front conflict that directly involves Tehran and its proxies.
In a statement released early Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said its warplanes returned home safely after carrying out “precise and targeted strikes against military targets in a number of areas in Iran”. The Israeli military released the statement about four hours after the first reports of explosions appeared in Iran around 2:30 a.m. Tehran time.
“According to intelligence, Israeli Air Force jets hit missile production facilities used to produce missiles that Iran fired at Israel last year,” the Israeli military said. “These rockets pose a direct and immediate threat to Israeli citizens. Simultaneously, the Israeli military attacked other Iranian surface-to-air missile arrays and air capabilities, which were intended to limit Israel’s freedom of air operations in Iran.
