Israel Launches Retaliatory Attack On Iran’s Capital, But Iran Claims Attack Caused Minimal Damage

IDF Spox. RAdm. Daniel Hagari announced Israel’s latest countermeasures in a short video briefing. “In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel—right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” he stated.

“The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th—on seven fronts—including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” he elaborated. “Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond. Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized. We will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel.”

The Times of Israel reported:

Reports of explosions near Tehran began to emerge around 2:15 a.m. local time, with the Israel Defense Forces quickly releasing a statement confirming that it was attacking, in response to “months of continuous attacks from the Iranian regime against the State of Israel.”

The strikes were carried out in several waves over the course of several hours, in various areas of Iran, with the Islamic Republic closing its airspace for the duration and seemingly showing little ability to counter the assault. Strikes were reported in the Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan and Shiraz areas.

The operation, hitting targets some 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away, marked an unprecedented attack in terms of its scale, duration and Israel’s immediate acknowledgment of responsibility.

The first wave of attacks apparently targeted Iran’s air defense capabilities, both to ensure the IDF’s freedom of operations during Saturday’s sorties, and to lay the ground for further strikes, should Iran retaliate. As the campaign was underway, Syrian state media reported that Israel struck several military sites in the south and center of the country, action possibly taken to enable the IAF to operate more freely in Iran.

The next waves hit drone and ballistic missile manufacturing sites — those used in direct Iranian attacks on Israel on April 14 and October 1 — as well as sites used to launch such weapons.

Iran confirmed an Israeli attack had targeted military sites in the capital Tehran and other parts of the country, but said it had caused “limited damage” and that air defense systems had successfully countered much of the attacks — an assertion dismissed in Israel.

The Israeli military said at 6 a.m. that the assault had been completed, with “all goals achieved” and all aircraft returning safely home. It dubbed the campaign “Days of Repentance,” a reference to the recent Yom Kippur holiday. It said dozens of IAF aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, participated in the “complex” operation some 1,600 kilometers from Israel.

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In a follow-up statement after the strikes, Hagari said in a press release: “I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel.” He noted that should Iran respond once again that the IDF will do the same.

“We are focused on the goals of the war in Gaza and Lebanon. It is Iran that continues to push for a wide regional escalation,” he added.

Some footage has circulated on social media and regional media reports purportedly showing some of the strikes. So far, it appears that there is a lack of any real significant damage, damage that at least probably will not warrant a counterstrike from Iran.

The Iranian Tasnim News Agency noted in a short report that some people reported hearing explosions in the early morning in Tehran, ‘but there were no reports of hearing the sound of warplanes or missiles. There were also no reports of fire or smoke being seen in the city,’ the outlet reported. ‘According to some sources, the air defenses have fired missiles, but the situation in the capital is normal, including at Imam Khomeini (RA) and Mehrabad airports,’ the paper added.

Iran is claiming they fully and successfully defended itself against the IDF’s attacks. Tasnim reported:

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Iran’s Air Defense Base said the country’s air defenses have successfully confronted Israeli acts of aggression.

The Air Defense Base issued a statement on Saturday, saying that the criminal, illegitimate and fake regime of Israel in a move to escalate tensions launched attacks on some military sites in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam in the early hours of today.

Iran’s air defenses intercepted and successfully confronted the acts of aggression, it said, adding that some limited damage was caused in some areas, the dimensions of which are being investigated.

The statement urged people to maintain unity and calm and ignore rumors spread by the enemy media.

Loud sounds were heard by some people in the vicinity of Tehran in the wee hours of Saturday, which Iranian security sources said were due to the activation of air defense systems.

According to reports, Iranian air defenses successfully shot down adversarial targets in the airspace around Tehran province.

Footage shared online captured what appeared to be interceptions over the Iranian capital.

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Iran has also said that they still reserve the right to respond with appropriate measures if officials decide to do so. ‘Iranian officials have warned that Tehran’s reciprocal response to any Israeli action will be harsh, proportional and well-calculated,’ Tasnim noted.

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AUTHOR COMMENTARY

Once again, like clockwork, news of the strikes broke after the markets closed for the weekend. How many times do we see this, how many times have we seen this this year alone? It’s a game, and like always, MONEY is at the root of it. Nothing can be done to upset the markets too much unless that was the desired outcome to stimulate a sharp pullback.

As far as I am concerned, this was a nothingburger; nothing more than overhyped news as usual. Western media kept ginning up that there was going to be some massive attack in the wake, but this is apparently all we are going to get for now. It’s not even being blasted that heavily as we would think that it would in Western media headlines, so that tells you how insignificant this will probably be.

Listen, as a general rule and word of advice: don’t get your news and advice from a lot of these ‘Christian’ end-times prophecy sites; they love to sensationalize and overhype everything to the fullest degree, especially when it comes to anything concerning Israel, and are incredibly short-sighted, biased and dishonest most of the time.

Having said that, this is not to say that the war in the Middle East won’t eventually get really serious as I do think that it will at some point in the not-so distant future.

Mark 13:7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. [8] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

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[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).

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