Israel launches missile strikes on Iran, US officials say

Iran has been bracing for reprisal by Israel all week. World leaders from the Middle East to the U.S. urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint in the face of the Iranian attacks, but the Israeli leader and other top officials said the country would have little choice but to respond.

Tehran has routinely accused Israel of attacks and sabotage activities targeting its nuclear and military sites in the past, including in Isfahan, home to some of its key nuclear enrichment and missile facilities. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes but Israel and allies accuse it of seeking to develop atomic weapons.

Any missile or drone strike on Iranian soil, no matter the target, would be a significant move for Israel. But it wouldn’t necessarily be the first attack in Iran by Israel. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israeli forces destroyed a drone base in Iran in 2022 under his orders.

In an interview with CNN on Thursday night Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned against retaliation for the weekend assault. “In case the Israeli regime embarks on adventurism again and takes action against the interests of Iran, the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level,” he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement before the strikes were reported.

The two men discussed “regional threats and Iran’s destabilizing actions in the Middle East,” Ryder said. The statement didn’t say if Gallant gave Austin any warning of the strikes.

(Ethan Bronner contributed to this report.)

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