Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike

Couple walking in Tehran after Israeli strike — The strike was "part of a cycle of retaliation that has alarmed world leaders"

(Image credit: Fatemeh Bahrami / Anadolu via Getty Images)

What happened

Israel carried out an airstrike inside Iran early Friday, U.S., Israeli and Iranian officials said. The limited attack was "intended to signal to Iran that Israel had the ability to strike inside the country" after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend, said The Washington Post, citing Israeli officials. Iranian officials said Israel hit a military air base near Isfahan, The New York Times said, though "the scale and method of the attack were unclear."

Who said what

Iranian Gen. Siavash Mihandoust said the blasts heard in Isfahan were "air defense firing at a suspicious object," and there was no "damage or incident" in the city or its nearby nuclear facility. Iranian cyberspace command spokesperson Hossein Dalirian claimed there was "no air attack from outside" Iran's borders. The U.S. was given advance notice of an attack but "didn't endorse this response," a U.S. official told CNN. Israel's military declined to comment.

The commentary

Friday's strike was "part of a cycle of retaliation that has alarmed world leaders," but it "produced a largely muted response" from Iran and Israel, the Times said. "Israel can do elegant military maneuvers that are not noisy or cause significant military damage but which deliver the message Israel wants," analyst Dana Weiss said on Israel's Channel 12.

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What next?

It depends on "whether that is the end of Israel's attack and whether Iran now decides to attack back," the BBC's Frank Gardner said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.