Israel had completed waves of pre-dawn airstrikes on military targets in Iran, while Iran said that it had successfully countered the Israeli assault.
TEHRAN/JERUSALEM, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israel said Saturday that it had completed waves of pre-dawn airstrikes on military targets in Iran in what it called a retaliatory move to recent months of attacks from Iran, with Iran reporting that it had successfully countered the Israeli assault.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement early Saturday that it launched "precise and targeted" air strikes on targets in several areas in Iran, including missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missile arrays, and additional Iranian aerial capabilities.
The IDF statement was issued about three and a half hours after it announced the start of the operation.
Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that dozens of jets, including F35, F16 and F15, attacked 20 military targets in Iran.
Iranian eyewitnesses said that loud explosions were heard around the country's capital Tehran early Saturday. Shortly afterward, Iranian media reported that Iran's air defense was engaged against Israeli strike attempts.
Iran's air defense headquarters successfully countered the Israeli attack, which resulted in "limited damage," Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
It said while Iran's integrated air defense system intercepted and countered the attack, limited damage occurred in some areas. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The Tasnim report said that the Israeli forces targeted military sites in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces, despite prior warnings from Iran against attacking the country.
Two Iranian soldiers were killed following the Israeli attacks, Iran's army said.
Tasnim news agency said in another report that Israel has exaggerated its predawn strike on targets in Iran.
Israel's claims that over 100 military aircraft were involved in its attack on Iran and 20 points in the country were targeted were "unreal" and far lower than the Israeli numbers, Tasnim quoted an informed source as saying.
Citing another informed source, Tasnim said Iran was ready to respond to the Israeli attack.
The source added Iran reserved the right to respond to any attack by Israel, and Israel would receive a reaction for every action it took.
Also on early Saturday, the Syrian Defense Ministry reported that Israeli forces launched a series of airstrikes against military sites in Syria's southern and central regions.
The strikes, reportedly carried out around 2:00 a.m. local time (2300 GMT Friday), involved missiles launched from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Lebanese airspace.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that Israeli aircraft entered Syrian airspace to target locations linked to Iran.
According to the Syrian Defense Ministry, Syrian air defenses intercepted and downed several missiles, and efforts to assess the full impact of the strikes were ongoing.
Many countries condemned Israel's strikes against Iran.
"Israeli strikes against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran are a grave violation of the United Nations (UN) Charter and the international law," the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said the kingdom affirmed its rejection of the continued escalation in the region and the expansion of the conflict, which threatens the security and stability of the region's countries and people.
"Iraq strongly condemns this attack, expressing its solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran," read an official statement from the Iraqi government, saying "The occupying Zionist entity continues its aggressive policies and widening the conflict in the region through blatant attacks that it carries out with impunity."
On Oct. 1, Iran fired approximately 180 missiles at Israeli targets. Tehran said the strikes were retaliation for the assassinations of several leaders of regional resistance groups, among other reasons. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had made a "grave mistake" and vowed retaliation.■
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