Israel launches retaliatory strikes against Iran
Bita Ghaffari in Tehran, James Shotter in Jerusalem and Henry Foy – The Financial Times Feb 19, 2024
Israel launched strikes against Iran early on Friday morning, Israeli and western officials said, in what appeared to be limited retaliatory action for last week’s drone and missile attack by Tehran.
Iran’s air defences shot at incoming targets and explosions were reported near the cities of Isfahan, in central Iran, and Tabriz in the north-west, local authorities and media said. Iranian state media played down the damage from the attacks and Iran lifted flight restrictions imposed overnight.
Three western officials confirmed the strike on Iran had been launched by Israel. The country notified the US of its intention to carry out strikes in Iran on Thursday evening, giving its closest ally a few hours’ official notice, an Israeli official said.
The warning did not include details of the attack, but made clear that Israel intended to avoid Tehran and its vicinity and was focused on a specific military programme or facility related to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the official said.
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani also said on Friday that the US had been informed at “the last minute” ahead of the strike.
Separately, Syria’s Sana state news agency reported that Israeli missiles had targeted air defence positions in its southern region, citing a military source.
A person familiar with the matter said the strike in Iran had hit a military target involved in the large-scale Iranian attack on Israel a week ago, and that they were not aware of any casualties.
The person said that “some targets” had also been hit in southern Syria. “Geographically it shows that Israel can get to wherever it wants in Iran,” the person said. “That was part of the message.”
Isfahan houses both an Iranian military air base and an important site in Iran’s nuclear programme, which Tehran insists is purely peaceful but which the west fears could put the Islamic republic on the threshold of weapons capacity.
The Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, reported that the air base and nuclear facility near the city were safe and dismissed reports of any attack from outside the country.
Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iran’s top army commander, was quoted by state media as saying that air defence batteries in Isfahan had shot at a few airborne objects, leaving no damage. He said experts were conducting further investigations and their findings would be announced in due course.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, said it could “confirm that there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites” but called for “extreme restraint”.
A senior EU official described Friday’s strike as “a very limited attack”, with “no human consequences or huge damage”.
They added: “Of all the options, it is clear that this is a very minor action on the side of Israel.”
Oil prices jumped in the immediate aftermath of the strikes before giving up their gains as traders bet against further escalation. Brent crude was down 0.6 per cent on the day at $86.57 a barrel, having earlier climbed above $90. Stock markets fell, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index down 0.4 per cent.
At a press conference, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that “Israel absolutely has the right to self defence”. But he added: “Significant escalation is not in anyone’s interest. What we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region.”
In accordance with Israel’s long-held policy of ambiguity regarding its operations against Iran, spokespeople for the government and military declined to comment. But in contacts with allies before the strike, Israel had indicated that, while it reserved the right to respond to Iran’s attack, it was not seeking escalation, according to a western diplomat.
Tally Gotliv, an Israeli lawmaker from the ruling Likud party, wrote on X that Israelis should have their “head . . . held high with pride” over its strength, adding: “May we regain our power of deterrence.”
In a more cryptic post, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right minister for national security, who had called for a “crushing attack” against Iran, wrote on X: “Weak!”
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi made no mention of the Israeli attack in a nationwide televised speech on Friday, but hailed last week’s strike on Israel as an indication of his own country’s military prowess.
Tension has been high in the Middle East over possible Israeli retaliation after Iran fired more than 300 armed drones and missiles at the Jewish state last weekend, the first time Tehran has targeted the country directly from its own soil. Iran said the strike was a response to an attack on its embassy in Damascus that killed senior military commanders, which Tehran blamed on Israel.
Deraa24, a Syrian opposition news website, added that Israeli jets had hit a military battalion near the town of Qarfa in the country’s southern Deraa province. A vehicle carrying missiles linked to the battalion was also struck, it said.
Additional reporting by Mehul Srivastava in London, Felicia Schwartz in Capri, Raya Jalabi in Beirut, Neri Zilber in Tel Aviv and Philip Stafford in London.
Maybe get off on a holiday of sorts ASAP.
What was the joke at the time…Late summer ’39,
“Hang on Hitler, Lets have our holidays 1st”.
There’ll be no response from Turkey, Saudi, Egypt in support of their ‘brethren’,
It is after all, a FULL ON PANTOMIME.
The Yuk-Kay has it’s part to play -pending- after many rehearsals.
the definition of madness is said to be doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different rusult
Ever since the jews took over palestine by the gun in 1948 it has fallen out with all its neighbours
every single one
why cant they learn to get on with them ?
Because they are mad
BTW i was not good at maths at school
but i have been doing some sums
and do you realise if carl Jones has twice as much sense
he would make a good half wit
Iran must respond as it threatened to or it will be bombed again and again. If this is war then Israel started it. I think Iran’s best option is to leave the zio-state an unviable entity or else it faces continuous harm. If the US assisted this attack then as promised Iran must attack all its bases in the region, see how eagerly it wants war then when it will take it days to fly in materiel and weeks even months to ship in troops.
The US and Israel won’t stop until they’re stopped. Now stop them.
The sheik speaks of israeli terroriosm
2 hours ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNpeH1X359E
Criminal tamudic cult occupiers of Palestine go to where you originated from. DNA data indicates that you are not semites. In fact 97.3 % of askenazi jews are non semitic and originated as from Turkey among some other surrounding tribal nations. Stop being evil and live in peace with others.
“so as not to escalate a potentially explosive situation”
So as not to get their asses kicked.
Gosh so many stabbings in london just now
several each day
i bet these migrants are delighted we got rid of our police force
as Starmer says ” money had to be found for the migrants “
There is no real ‘news’ in the media nowadays despite all devices .. in the old days you were fully briefed about ops during breakfast including footage ..
Israel is crowing about a fake attack. Staged to make Israelis everywhere feel brave. Israel needs time to get US assets in place.
Israel is definitely the protagonist in this. Does that mean the US is not required to come to their aid when there attacked? Although I wouldn’t mind a war coming to the US as long as the enemy only killed government employees, rich people and people that park in the left lane.
“US officials say”…
I don’t give a shit what these official assholes have to say about anything whatsoever!
“CNN says”…
Who gives a fuck what CNN says?!!!
ASSOCIATED PRESSTITUTES, ROUTERS, NY Slimes, Brainwashington Bost, etc., can write whatever the hell they want; I don’t give a flying duck!
Asses to asses and lust to lust.
https://grizzom.blogspot.com/
Like usual…..mad dog Israel couldn’t resist the temptation to escalate a war with Iran which Israel started.
IMHO…Iran has war – gamed a potent strategic response to this latest kosher attack and send a good message to IsraHell that will humiliate it and their Allies like USA etc.
Go Iran Go…..!!!
@phillis costa
better send them to their african brothers !
there is a renaisance of old tribal canibalism
culture .
Drama to cover operations .. no real ‘operation’ against Iran by Israel took place ..
de-kike your life, neighbourhood & country…UK not JUK
let Iran & elsewhere take care of themselves
At this very moment in history, all US/NATO/Zion have that can count is their Mass Media power and their nukes, nothing else.