In a striking development, Israel conducted multiple air strikes on Iran early Saturday morning, citing what the Israeli military described as “months of continuous attacks” orchestrated by Tehran and its proxies. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) asserted that Iran has been “relentlessly attacking Israel” since October 7, 2023.
This confirmation of air strikes came shortly after Iranian state media reported a series of explosions in and around the capital city, Tehran. This escalation followed a significant event on October 1, when Tehran reportedly launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel, claiming the attacks were in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas’s political leader in Iranian territory back in July.
While the IDF managed to intercept most of the missiles during the October 1 assault, a few did hit central and southern Israel. In response, the IDF announced that their “defensive and offensive capabilities” were “fully mobilized” to address the ongoing threats.
The United States, a key ally of Israel, characterized Saturday’s strikes as an “exercise of self-defense.” A spokesperson from the National Security Council explained to CBS News, “We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1.”
Additionally, a White House official informed CBS News that President Joe Biden “has been briefed and is closely following the developments.”
