Iran says damage is ‘limited’ as Israel ends airstrikes; experts warn of the risk of a full-scale regional war

Israel began attacks on military facilities in Iran at the beginning of October 26, 2024. Photo: VCG

Israeli night attacks on military facilities in Iran have captured global attention, raising concerns about the escalation of the conflict and the possibility of a full-scale regional war. Chinese observers said further conflict would not benefit anyone involved because neither the US, Israel nor Iran were prepared for a full-scale war.

After three waves of attacks, Israel announced that airstrikes on military facilities in Iran had ended.

Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Saturday that the objectives of the night operation against Iran had been successfully achieved. “The retaliation has been completed and its goals achieved,” Hagari announced during a press conference, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Shortly after Israel ended its overnight operation against Iran, the Iranian military confirmed that Israeli strikes targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, causing “limited damage,” according to Iran’s National Air Defense Command.

A spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said flights resumed at 9 a.m. local time, and a spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Education announced that schools across the country would be open on Saturday and said “educational activities are continuing as normal,” according to Iran International News .

“The country’s integrated air defense system successfully intercepted and countered these hostile actions, although limited damage was reported in selected locations,” a statement from Iran’s National Air Defense Command said, adding that “the scope of the incident remains under thorough investigation.”

On October 1, Iran fired approximately 180 missiles at Israeli targets. Tehran said the strikes were in retaliation for, among other things, the killings of several leaders of regional resistance groups. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had made a “grave mistake” and vowed retaliation, Xinhua reported.

The US is trying to convince Israel to control the scale of retaliation so that the Middle East conflict does not affect electoral prospects. Israel’s targeted and restrained attacks on Iran both temper Israel’s desire for revenge and prevent it from provoking Iran too much, Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at the Shanghai University of International Studies, told the Global Times.

Israel received significant benefits from the US, including security guarantees related to the THAAD system. At the same time, Israel’s main goal is to deter Iran through targeted actions, Liu said.

Echoing Liu, Li Weijian, a research fellow at the Institute of Foreign Policy Studies of the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that Israeli retaliation is more likely to be symbolic. Li said neither the US, Israel nor Iran were prepared for a full-scale war.

Judging by what can be seen in the news, Israel carried out the attacks carefully, carefully considering the location, timing and different scales to avoid touching Iran’s energy and nuclear facilities, Li said.

Li said that beneath the surface of a year of fierce war in Gaza, Israel is also grappling with many difficult economic and domestic issues, relying heavily on the U.S. to provide military support and equipment.

Meanwhile, Iran’s current president is taking a pragmatic approach, seeking to improve relations with the West, reversing the hardline policies that Li says have contributed to international isolation.

However, Chinese observers maintain the risk of future conflict.

“If strike scenarios such as today continue, we could see the potential re-emergence of conflicts and larger crises. The question of how the conflict will be managed in the future and how to avoid further escalation is something the United States, Israel and Iran must consider,” Liu stressed.