Iran’s state media reported several explosions around Tehran, with Iranian state television confirming “strong explosions” heard across the capital, though the cause of the blasts was unspecified.
Israel had vowed retaliation after Iran’s missile attack on October 1. Since the October 7, 2023, attack by Iran-backed Hamas, Israel has engaged in intensified operations in Gaza and expanded its focus to Lebanon, seeking to secure its northern border amid repeated cross-border aggression from Iran-backed Hezbollah. “Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized,” the Israeli military said, while spokesman Daniel Hagari urged citizens to remain “alert and vigilant.”
The United States described Israel’s strikes as “an exercise of self-defense,” citing Iran’s ballistic missile assault on Israel earlier in the month. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett stated the strikes were a direct response to that aggression. Syrian state news agency SANA also reported that Syrian air defenses intercepted “hostile targets” near Damascus, with explosions heard around the Syrian capital, though the source of these blasts remains unclear.
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