Israel strikes Iran: Israel carried out what it described as "precise strikes" on military targets in Iran, saying it was responding to "months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran" – an Israeli response had been widely anticipated after Iran’s ballistic missile attack on 1 October.

Iran's response: Iran said the attacks on its military bases were successfully countered and there was "limited damage". The Iranian army said two of its soldiers were killed, according to Iran's state media agency IRNA. Responding to the Israeli attack, the Iranian foreign ministry said Iran is "entitled and obliged to defend itself".

International response: Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates and Qatar condemned the strikes, and warned against escalation. The White House said it understood Israel's strikes were an "exercise of self-defence", and a senior administration official urged Iran not to retaliate.

Following further developments in the last few hours, we'll now be bringing you some updates on Israel's conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Iranian defence bases hit by air strikes, as videos slow to emergepublished at 12:12 British Summer Time 26 October 2024

12:12 BST 26 October 2024

By Daniele Palumbo

Following the Israeli air strikes overnight, BBC Verify has been analysing social media footage out of Iran.

Although it’s difficult to confirm the location of night-time footage posted on social media, we’ve confirmed one video showing black smoke rising from a location that we have identified as a defence ministry base east of Tehran.

The distinctive terrain seen in the video closely matches that alongside the Damavand Road, one of the main access road to Teheran from East.

We’ve also confirmed that photographs of flames and heavy black smoke is rising from the Hazrat Amir air defence base south of Tehran, by identifying a bridge, train track and high tower in the area of the base.

BBC Verify will continue to monitor and verify material from Iran through the day.

According to Iranian state media, Israel's strikes overnight hit military bases in Tehran as well as sites in the western province of Ilam and south-western Khuzestan.

Israel says its "precise and targeted strikes" on Iranian military sites overnight were "in different areas" but has not confirmed the locations.

Iran's air defence forces said in a statement that the attacks had been successfully countered with "limited damage" in some locations.

Jiyar Gol
BBC Persian correspondent

Before today’s attack, Israeli media reported that Israel, through a third party, had sent a message to Iran urging it not to retaliate.

The 1 October attacks by Iran on Israel, and Israel's strikes today on Iran, suggest that neither country seeks a full-scale war, with both taking steps to minimise casualties. Iran's oil and nuclear facilities, for instance, were deliberately avoided in the strikes.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed the targets included missile production sites, surface-to-air missile locations, and air defence systems, adding that "Israel now has greater air manoeuvrability over Iran". The focus, it seems, is more on demonstrating military reach than on inflicting severe damage.

Iranian state media claims Israel is exaggerating the scale of today strikes on sensitive sites. In April, the Iranian government denied an attack targeting Iranian air defences near Isfahan, but last week, Gen. Jafari, former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, admitted it took place, though he minimised its impact.

In the coming days, many in Israel and Iran will be holding their breath to see if Iran retaliates – whether Iran will refrain from responding, as it did following the Isfahan incident, or choose a different course of action.

We can bring you reaction now from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt to Israel's strikes on Iran overnight.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) says it condemns Israel's strikes on Iran and stresses the importance of "exercising utmost self-restraint and judgment to mitigate risks and prevent the expansion of the scale of conflict".

Saudi Arabia also condemns the strikes, describing it as a violation of "international laws and norms", and urged "all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and reduce escalation".

Qatar expresses its "strong condemnation" of the Israeli strikes, also describing it as a "clear breach" of international law and urging "all concerned parties to exercise restraint".

Egypt says it is deeply concerned with escalation in the Middle East, including the Israeli strikes on Iran, and condemns all measures that threaten regional security and stability.

Iran has said it is "entitled and obliged to defend itself" after Israel launched retaliatory air strikes against the country overnight.

In a statement, the Iranian foreign ministry condemns Israel's attack and describes it as a "clear violation" of international law.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran considers itself entitled and obliged to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression," it says, citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

Civilian flights are taking off, as scheduled, says Iran’s aviation authority. Traffic is flowing normally says Iranian TV channels as they broadcast images from provinces now in the eyes of the world.

Israel’s attacks on “military centres” were "successfully intercepted” by the country’s air defences - is the official version of what happened in the early hours of the morning in three waves of Israeli attacks.

So far, they’ve only spoken of “limited damage” and the deaths of two Iranian soldiers.

After Israel’s first largely symbolic strike in April, Iran dismissed its significance and drew a line under it. This time, there may be an off ramp again.

Tehran will also need to assess how much damage was done to its air defences, knowing that if it strikes again, Israel will hit back - even harder.

The Islamic Republic, which doesn’t want to be drawn into an even more dangerous all-out war, will also weigh up the political cost - at home and in the region - of responding or not, before it decides on its next move.

Video of strikes in Tehran, verifiedpublished at 09:58 British Summer Time 26 October 2024

09:58 BST 26 October 2024

By Daniele Palumbo

Following the Israeli air attacks against targets in Iran, several videos from Iranian cities have started to emerge.

BBC Verify is analysing social media activity and it is verifying and investigating the many videos that are being published online.

Much of the content shared online out of Iran showing the effect of the Israeli strikes is hard to verify as it’s filmed at night and it’s hard to make out landmarks.

However, we were able to geolocate this video filmed from a neighbourhood north of the capital, Tehran.

Flashes can be seen in the night sky, along with audible explosions. We’ve been able to locate the video by identifying the towers of the ASP Shopping Centre just in front of the camera position. There’s also a taller building to the right of the image with a strip of lights at the top, which we’ve confirmed to be the Tehran International Tower.

The person filming is located on an upper floor of a residential tower behind the shopping centre, on the slope of a hill giving a clear sight of Iranian air defences in action over Tehran.

BBC Verify will continue to gather further content from Iran through the day.

Hamas, the Iranian-backed armed group and political movement in Gaza, says it condemns "in the strongest terms" the Israeli strikes on military sites in Iran overnight.

In a statement, the group says the attacks are a "blatant violation of Iranian sovereignty" and an "escalation targeting the security of the region".

The statement also says Iran "succeeded in nullifying" the impact of the Israeli strikes, and that Hamas "appreciate" Iran's support of the Palestinian people and their cause.

The Iranian army says two of its soldiers have been killed in Israeli air strikes overnight, Iranian state media reports.

Iran's state media agency IRNA cites a statement from the army, saying: "The army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in defending Iran's security and protecting the people and Iran's interests, sacrificed two of its fighters while countering projectiles from the criminal Zionist regime."

We reported earlier on Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying Iran should not respond to Israeli strikes, at the start of a press conference he held in Samoa.

Now, a Number 10 spokesman has said the Government supports "Israel's right to self-defence and to protect itself in line", so long as it adheres to "international humanitarian law".

"Further escalation is in no one's interest," the statement said.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us, here's the latest:

• Israel says it has completed "precise and targeted strikes" in Iran overnight, targeting military bases in the west and south west of Tehran - according to an Iranian news agency
• Iranian state media say the attacks haven't caused any real damage - as BBC Persian reporter Bahman Kalbasi explains this is historically a typical response from Iran after such attacks
• US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have both been briefed on the strikes, the Pentagon says the US was made aware of Israel's plans but had no involvement
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Iran should not respond to Israeli strikes, speaking at a press conference in Samoa
• Blasts were also reported in Syria, according to state TV. Israel's military have not commented

Jeremy Bowen
International Editor, reporting from Jerusalem

The Israeli strikes were expected. Since Iran’s ballistic missile attack on 1 October Israel had said they were coming. The question now is whether Iran will respond.

President Biden had told Israel not to hit Iran’s nuclear, oil and gas installations. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on this occasion has taken his advice.

The Americans hope that only attacking military targets might persuade Iran not to launch another round of strikes at Israel.

It’s hard to stop successive rounds of strikes and counter strikes when the countries concerned believe they will be seen as weak, and deterred, if they don’t respond. That is how wars escalate and get worse.

On 1 October Iran was hitting back after Israel’s attacks on its allies – especially Hezbollah in Lebanon. Now Israel says it’s responding to months of continuous attacks from Iran – not just the ballistic missiles, but also from Iran’s allies and proxies.

Israel is also carrying out a major offensive in northern Gaza. The UN human rights chief Volker Turk has called it the darkest moment of Gaza’s war – with the Israeli military subjecting an entire population to bombing, siege and the risk of starvation.

It’s impossible for an outsider to know whether the timing of Israel’s attacks on Iran was designed to draw international attention away from northern Gaza. But it might have been part of the calculation.

Iran should not respond to Israeli strikes, Sir Keir Starmer says.

Speaking at a press conference in Samoa, the Prime Minister said: "I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression and I am equally clear that we need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint.

"Iran should not respond. We will continue to work with allies to de-escalate the situation across the region."

More now from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari, who announced the strikes as they were taking place overnight.

In a new statement, Hagari says Iran has "paid the price" for its recent attacks on Israel.

He says Israel carried out "precise and targeted strikes on targets in different areas in Iran". These targets included missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missile arrays and other aerial capabilities, he says.

He says Israel selected these sites from a "broad target bank", and that it would be able to "select additional targets from it and strike them if required".

"This is a clear message - those who threaten the State of Israel will pay a heavy price," he adds.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Everyone in the region knew an Israeli response was coming. But there was an expectation, amongst some governments at least, that Israel would wait until after the US presidential election.

America’s Gulf Arab allies have every reason to be nervous, especially this morning as they await to see how Iran will respond.

The US has military bases up and down the Arabian side of the Gulf, with the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet operating out of a strategic port in Bahrain.

The US has put out the message that it was not involved in this attack on Iran, but having deployed around 100 military personnel to Israel to crew its Thaad air defence system the US may now find itself involved in helping to defend Israel against any possible Iranian retaliation.

Meanwhile Gulf Arab governments, keen to stay out of this conflict, have recently told Iran that they would not allow their countries to be used in an Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic.

Memories in Saudi Arabia are still raw of how easily an Iran-backed militia in Iraq was able to inflict severe damage on its petrochemical installations in a single drone and missile attack in 2019.

Chris Mason
Political editor

Hello from Samoa – where we are waiting for the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s closing news conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit. The news conference is delayed – but is expected in the next hour.

I am told government officials have been up through the night assessing Israel’s airstrikes on Iran. We expect Sir Keir to offer his public reaction in his opening remarks in his news conference.

Government sources tell me early indications suggest Israel’s response has taken account of arguments made to them by both the UK and the US – to show restraint.

Israel doesn’t appear to have targeted Iran’s leadership, nuclear sites or oil and gas installations.

Nonetheless there is a keen awareness in London and Washington that anything like this in the Middle East risks things getting worse.

We're hearing now that Iran is set to resume flights after the Israeli attacks on several military sites around the country.

Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation announced that flights will return to normal from 09:00 local time (06:30 BST).

Earlier, we reported that Iran had closed its airspace.

Sebastian Usher
Middle East regional editor

Videos from Iran show bright objects moving across the sky above Tehran as explosions can be heard.

The Iranian media confirmed that Israel had targeted the west of Tehran, but has so far played down the impact. In all, Israel says it carried out three waves of strikes.

In Syria, the state news agency said there'd also been widespread strikes by Israel - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has long relied on Iranian military support to stay in power.

The Pentagon moved quickly to say that it had been informed beforehand by Israel and that there was no US involvement in the operation. A US official has said the targets did not include energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities - targets the Biden administration had urged Israel not to attack.

It's now up to the Iranian leadership to decide how to respond. The semi-official Tasnim news agency has said there's no doubt Israel will face what it called a "proportional reaction". The Israeli military has already said that if Iran were to make what it called the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, it would be obligated to retaliate.