Hamas has branded Israels overnight attack on Iran an escalation after Tehran said it was entitled to defend itself following the strikes on military facilities.
We strongly condemn the Zionist regimes aggression against Iran which targeted military sites in several provinces, the governing group in Gaza said today.
This is a clear violation of Irans sovereignty and an escalation aimed at undermining regional security and the security of its people.
Israel carried out three waves of attacks on air defences and sites housing and producing missiles and drones in the early hours of Saturday morning, causing limited damage according to Iran and crucially avoiding key oil fields and nuclear facilities that could have provoked a sharp response from Iran.
But the foreign ministry in Tehran insisted it was entitled and obligated to defend itself against external aggressive acts after the attack, and Israel was roundly criticised by neighbours.
Turkey was among the loudest voices condemning Israels strikes and calling for an end to what it said was Israels terror in the region. The foreign ministry said that Israel had brought our regional to the brink of greater war in a statement today.
Smoke billows from a fire south-west of Tehran amid the Israeli attack on October 26
Benjamin Netanyahu in the command center of the defense ministry in Tel Aviv on October 24
Smoke billows over Tehran amid Israeli attacks on the city overnight
Israel hit Iran with three waves of attack in the early morning hours Saturday
Turkeys statement said it called on the international community to take steps to restrain the Israeli government and ensure that international law is respected.
Saudi Arabia echoed the condemnation of the attack, also deeming it a violation of international law.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its condemnation and denunciation of the military targeting of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is a violation of its sovereignty and a violation of international laws and norms, it said in a statement.
Egypts foreign ministry said it was following with grave concern the accelerating escalation and said it condemns all actions that threaten the security and stability of the region.
Keir Starmer also weighed in, urging restraint and de-escalation.
I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression, he said.
Im equally clear that we need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint. Iran should not respond.
A Biden administration official said that the US was fully prepared to defend Israel should Iran retaliate, but as far as were concerned, this direct exchange, this should be the end of it.
One senior US official insisted the US was not involved in the operation. Another source told The Telegraph Israel had conducted a calculated attack in close coordination with the US.
Crucially, Israel heeded American pleas to avoid striking strategic oil field or nuclear sites within Iran in its attack.
Iranian officials, under condition of anonymity, had previously told the New York Times that Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had told his armed forces to prepare several responses to be implemented depending on the severity of Israels strike.
The Ayatollah allegedly ordered that a heavy response with as many as 1,000 missiles should be carried out if Iran hits energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities, or assassinates senior officials, the officials said.
But this morning Iran reported that its air defences had successfully countered the attack, with limited damage to some sites.
Two soldiers were killed in the attack, it said.
Regional officials briefed by Tehran told Reuters that high-level meetings were being held in the capital to determine how Iran should respond.
One official stated that the damage was very minimal and that several Revolutionary Guard bases inside Tehran and near the capital were targeted as well.
Iranian news sites aired footage of passengers at Tehrans Mehrabad Airport, seemingly meant to show there was little impact.
Local media had reported blasts over several hours in the capital and at nearby military bases.
A semi-official Iranian news agency vowed a proportional reaction to the Israeli strikes.
But Israels military, signalling it did not expect an immediate Iranian response, said there was no change to public safety restrictions across the country.
Israel also issued a stern ultimatum to Iran should it decide to retaliate.
Our message is clear: All those who threaten the state of Israel and seek to drag the region into a wider escalation will pay a heavy price, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari warned in a video posted to X.
We demonstrated today that we have both the capability and the resolve to act decisively, and we are prepared on offense and defense, to defend the state of Israel and the people of Israel.
Iran has maintained that it does not seek escalation, but has sent out persistent warnings to Israel that it will not last long as it presses on with operations in Lebanon and Gaza.
IDF Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari warned Israel would be obligated to respond, if Iran were to strike back for its attack on Saturday morning
Commercial flights around Irans airspace as shown on Flightradar24 on October 26
IDF forces had earlier announced on social media it was conducting precise strikes on military targets in Tehran in response to what it called the continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against Israel.
Several hours later, the Israeli military announced that it has completed its strikes on the Iranian capital, saying: Our planes have safely returned home. The retaliatory strike has been completed and the mission was fulfilled.
Israel hit Iran with three waves of attack on Saturday morning. The first focused on Iranian air defense systems, while the second and third focused on missile and drone bases as well as production sites, according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid.
The strikes hit roughly 20 sites over the course of the night, according to the New York Times.
Iranian officials later said those strikes caused only limited damage, claiming the attack has been successfully intercepted and countered by Irans integrated air defense system, its state-run news agency IRNA reported.
It had earlier said that several loud explosions that were heard across the city were related to the countrys air defense systems.
The National Air Defense Headquarters went on to say the Israeli strikes were a provocative attack, but made no mention of a possible response, just saying, The scope of this incident is currently under investigation, NBC News reports.
A correspondent for Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen had also reported explosions on the outskirts of Diyala and Salah al-Din in Iraq, the outlet posted to X, while others claimed there were explosions in Damascus, Syria as well.
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Roummane on October 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah
Iranian launched projectiles being intercepted by Israel above Jerusalem on October 1
People take cover on the side of a road as a siren sounds warning of incoming missiles on Oct 1
The Israeli strikes hit roughly 20 sites over the course of the night
Iranian officials said those strikes caused only limited damage, claiming the attack has been successfully intercepted and countered
The Israeli strikes came in retaliation for Irans attack on October 1, in which around 200 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel - in Irans second direct attack on Israel in six months.
While many of the missiles were shot down, dozens managed to strike the Nevatim airbase, demonstrating that Iran could at least partially penetrate Israels sophisticated air defence systems at some of the countrys most highly protected sites.
The strikes causes limited damage but represented the largest Iranian attack on Israel in its history.
Iran claimed the October 1 strikes were in response to an Israeli attack that killed IRGC operations commander Brig-Gen Abbas Nilforoushan and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon.
An Israeli military statement said afterwards that Israel has the right and the duty to respond.
The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since Oct. 7 - on seven fronts - including direct attacks from Iranian soil, it said.
Amid the attack Hagari called on the people to be alert and vigilant.
Soon after, communities in northern Israel were told to take shelter amid an alert of a drone from Lebanon.
The Home Front Command issued an alert for a hostile aircraft intrusion around the northern city of Nahariya and other parts of Galilee.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were in a bunker at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahus office said.
The Isreali Prime Ministers Office has released an image of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and military officials at the IDFs underground HQ amid the strikes on Iran
A missile is launched during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in the south of Iran, in this handout image obtained on January 19, 2024
Israels Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, on Oct. 1
U.S. President Joe Biden had also warned that Washington, Israels main backer and supplier of arms, would not support a strike on Tehrans nuclear sites and has said Israel should consider alternatives to attacking Irans oil fields.
According to Fox News, the White House was notified shortly before Israel conducted the strikes, however officials have said the US was not involved in the operation.
A senior White House official later revealed that Biden worked directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to design a response that served to deter further acts against Israel while reducing risk of further escalation.
The official also claimed the White House worked with the Israelis over recent weeks to encourage Israel to conduct a response that was targeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm.
It came as state news agency SANA reported that Syrian air defences intercepted hostile targets near Damascus, as Israel said it was launching strikes in Iran.
Our anti-aircraft defense is confronting hostile targets in the skies around Damascus, SANA said on Telegram after reporting sounds of explosions in the vicinity of the Syrian capital.
International flights began diverting around western Iran as news of the strikes broke, flight-tracking data showed.
Iran later announced it has closed its airspace until 8:30am Israel time - for more than four hours.