Biden hopes Israeli Iran strike marks end of escalation

Iran has played down Israel's overnight air attack against Iranian military targets, saying it caused only limited damage, as US President Joe Biden called for a halt to escalation that has raised fears of an all-out conflagration in the Middle East.

Scores of Israeli jets completed three waves of strikes before dawn against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran, Israel's military said.

Iran condemned the Israeli raid and its foreign ministry said Iran was "entitled and obligated" to defend itself.

But it added that it "recognises its responsibilities towards regional peace and security," a more conciliatory statement than after previous bouts of escalation.

Iran's military said the Israeli warplanes used "very light warheads" to target border radar systems in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and around Tehran.

"Enemy planes were prevented from entering the country's airspace... and the attack caused limited damage," Iran's military joint staff said in a statement.

David Albright, a former UN nuclear weapons inspector, said low resolution commercial satellite imagery appeared to show that one Israeli strike hit the sprawling Parchin military complex near Tehran, damaging three buildings, including two where solid fuel was mixed for ballistic missile engines.

Joe Biden said the strikes appeared to have only hit military targets and added that he hoped they were "the end".

Vice President Kamala Harris, who hopes to succeed Mr Biden by winning the 5 November US presidential election, said it was "the strong perspective of the United States that there must be de-escalation."

Iran says US complicit in attack

Israeli warplanes attacked Iran from Iraqi airspace, Iran's mission to the UN said, blaming the United States for what it called its complicity.

"Iraqi airspace is under the occupation, command and control of the U.S. military. Conclusion: The U.S. complicity in this crime is certain," the Iran UN mission said in a post on X.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog hailed the US as a "true ally" of Israel when it comes to mutual cooperation, in remarks that followed the strikes on Iran.

Applauding Israel's strikes on Iran, Mr Herzog said: "I especially wish to thank our great friend the USA for being a true ally, and for the overt and covert cooperation," he said in a statement without elaborating.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had chosen the targets it attacked in Iran based on its national interests, not according to what was dictated by the US.

Mr Netanyahu's office issued the statement in response to what it referred to as a "completely false" local television report that Israel had avoided striking Iranian gas and oil facilities because of US pressure.

"Israel chose in advance the attack targets according to its national interests and not according to American dictates. So it was, and so it will be," his office said.

Iran determined to defend itself

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran is determined to defend itself after Israeli warplanes struck military bases and missile sites in several Iranian provinces, killing four soldiers.

Israel struck military sites in Iran this morning, saying it was retaliating against Tehran's missile attack on Israel this month, the latest clash in the escalating conflict between the heavily armed rivals.

Hours later the Israeli military said it had completed the strikes and achieved its objectives, warning Iran not to respond.

Iran said its air defences had successfully countered the attack but four soldiers were killed and some locations suffered "limited damage".

A semi-official Iranian news agency vowed a "proportional reaction" to the Israeli moves against Tehran.

Iranian media reported multiple explosions over several hours in the capital and at nearby military bases, starting shortly after 2am local time.

"I think we've shown that our determination to defend ourselves knows no limits," Mr Araghchi said in an interview with the official website of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The minister's comments were the first by a senior Iranian official since the pre-dawn strikes.

Before dawn, Israel's public broadcaster said three waves of strikes had been completed and that the operation was over.

Iran said its air defence system successfully countered Israel's attacks on military targets in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam.

The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel's retaliation for a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on 1 October, in which it fired around 200 missiles at Israel, killing one person in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Tensions between arch rivals Israel and Iran have escalated since Hamas, the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group based in Gaza, attacked Israel on 7 October, 2023. Hamas has been supported by Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants, also backed by Iran.

Fears that Iran and the US would be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel's intensifying assault on Hezbollah since last month, including airstrikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut and a ground operation, as well as its year-old war in Gaza.

"In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – right now the Israel Defence Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran," Israel's military said in a statement announcing the attack.

'Obligated to respond'

Israel's military said it had struck missile manufacturing facilities and surface-to-air missile arrays, adding its planes had safely returned home.

"If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond," the military said.

Targets did not include energy infrastructure or Iran's nuclear facilities, a US official said.

US President Joe Biden had warned that Washington, Israel's main backer and supplier of arms, would not support a strike on Tehran's nuclear sites and had said Israel should consider alternatives to attacking Iran's oil fields.

Iranian authorities have repeatedly warned Israel against any attack.

"Iran reserves the right to respond to any aggression, and there is no doubt that Israel will face a proportional reaction for any action it takes," the semi-official Tasnim news agency said, citing sources.

A senior Biden official said Israel's "targeted and proportional strikes" should be the end of direct exchange of fire between the two countries, but the US was fully prepared to once again defend Israel if Iran should choose to respond.