Israel army says struck Iran's missile manufacturing facilities

By AFP - Oct 26,2024 - Last updated at Oct 26,2024

A man walks past a mural painting of Iranian flags in a street in Tehran on October 26, 2024. Residents of Tehran awoke and went about their business as planned on October 26 after their sleep was troubled by Israeli strikes that triggered blasts that echoed across the city (AFP Photo)

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said on Saturday it had completed its air attack on Iran, saying it hit the Islamic republic's missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missile arrays and other aerial capabilities across several areas of the country.

"Based on intelligence, IAF (air force) aircraft struck missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the State of Israel over the last year," the military said in a statement.

Israeli strikes on military targets in Iran are "an exercise of self-defense" following Tehran's ballistic missile attack earlier this month, the United States said late Friday, adding it was informed ahead of the strikes.

White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the "targeted strikes on military targets" are "an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran's ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1."

The United States was "informed beforehand and there is no US involvement," a US defense official told AFP, under the condition of anonymity.

The official did not say how far in advance the United States had been informed or what had been shared by Israel.

The Iranian army said two soldiers were killed in Israeli air strikes on military installations in the Islamic republic on Saturday, according to a statement carried by state television.

"The army of the Islamic Republic of Iran lost two of its fighters during the night when they faced projectiles from the criminal Zionist regime in defence of its territory," the statement said.

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