Israel launches retaliatory attacks against Iran

Israel began launching retaliatory attacks against Iran on Friday night, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed, which is in direct response to Iran's assault on Israel earlier this month.

The attack is an escalation of the tensions in the Middle East, which have been heightened since Hamas attacked Israel last year. The attack comes after Iran launched 180 missiles towards Israel on Oct. 1, that were mostly intercepted with the help of the United States.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant previously vowed to deliver a "precise and deadly" response to the attack, per Fox News.

Israel has launched two waves of missiles over a period of two hours. The attacks hit military targets in Iran, along with Iran's capital city of Tehran, which was hit in both rounds. It did not target nuclear sites, the Associated Press reported.

"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," the IDF posted to X. "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.

"Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond," it continued. "Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized. We will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel." 

Iran is expected to respond militarily, but Israeli and United States officials reportedly hope it will be a limited response, according to Axios.

The United States said that it is not participating in the strike. "We would refer you to the Israeli government for more information on their operation,” said Sean Savett, White House National Security Council spokesperson told CNN.

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have all been briefed on the Israeli attacks. Austin has also spoken with Gallant. 

Syrian Air Defenses said it has also confronted “hostile targets" near Damascus on Friday night, per state media. Iraq, and Iran have closed their airspace due to security concerns.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.