Israel struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday, saying it was retaliating against Tehran's strikes on Israel this month, the latest attack in the escalating conflict between the heavily armed rivals.

 

The strikes have long been expected, and come as Israel mounts a major operation in northern Gaza and against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

 

Hours later the Israeli military said its strikes had been completed and its objectives achieved, but a semi-official Iranian news agency vowed a "proportional reaction" to Israeli moves against Tehran.

 

Iranian media reported multiple explosions over several hours in the capital and at nearby military bases, starting shortly after 2 am (2230 GMT on Friday).

 

Before dawn, Israel's public broadcaster said three waves of strikes had been completed and that the operation was over.

 

A senior US administration official said President Joe Biden encouraged Israel to design its attack against Iran in a way that would deter further escalation. World leaders have been urging the two sides to avoid a wider regional war, reported CNN.

 

US Defense Secretary Llyod Austin said the US is focused on preventing continued escalation in the Middle East after Israel’s strikes on Iran early Saturday.

 

Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant following the attack, and said in a Saturday post on X that the US military continues to have an enhanced presence in the region.

 

“I reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the United States to Israel’s security and right to self-defense,” Austin said of his call with Gallant. “I made it clear that the United States maintains an enhanced force posture to defend U.S. personnel, Israel, and partners across the region in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations and is determined to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict in the region.”

 

World leaders have been urging the two sides to avoid a wider regional war.

 

The French foreign ministry cautioned against any further escalation, writing in a statement: “France has learned of Israel’s announcement of strikes against military targets in Iran last night … France immediately urges the parties to refrain from any escalation or action likely to aggravate the context of the extreme tension prevailing in the region.”

 

Switzerland’s foreign ministry too called for restraint on both sides, writing on X: “Switzerland condemns the dangerous escalation of violence in the Middle East, including today’s Israel airstrikes in Iran. Hostilities must cease on all sides to avoid the worsening of the regional escalation.”

 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that Israel had said they “tried to minimize personal injury” during the attacks, adding that “this provides an opportunity to avoid further escalation.”

 

“My message to Iran is clear: Massive reactions of escalation must not continue. This must end now. Then there will be an opportunity for peaceful development in the Middle East,” Scholz continued in a post on X.

 

Meanwhile, Gaza’s health ministry says Israeli forces have detained male staff members during a raid at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north of the enclave, where the UN human rights chief says Israel is 'subjecting an entire population to bombing, siege and risk of starvation.'

 

Iran said its air defence system successfully countered Israel's attacks on military targets in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam with "limited damage" to some locations.

 

The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel's retaliation for a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on Oct. 1, in which around 200 missiles were fired at Israel and one person was killed in the West Bank.

 

Tensions between arch rivals Israel and Iran have escalated since Hamas, the Iran-backed Palestinian group based in Gaza, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas has been supported by Lebanon-based Hizbollah, also backed by Iran.

 

Fears that Iran and the US would be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel's intensifying assault on Hizbollah since last month, including airstrikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut and a ground operation, as well as its year-old war in Gaza.

 

"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," Israel's military said in a statement announcing the attack.