Israeli airstrikes hit military facilities in Iran

Israel unleashed a a series of dawn raids on Saturday against military facilities in Iran, claiming that its targets were facilities used to produce missiles fired at Israel and the locations of surface-to-air missiles.

The attack threatens to push their archenemies closer to total war spiral of violence in the Middle Eastwhere Iranian-backed militant groups – including Hamas in Gaza AND Hezbollah in Lebanon – they are already here in the war with Israel.

Lebanon’s health ministry says the total death toll last year was more than 2,600 dead and 12,200 injured. There is fighting in Lebanon drove 1.2 million people from their homesAccording to the United Nations Children’s Agency, including more than 400,000 children. Since fighting intensified in September, Israeli attacks have killed many members of Hezbollah’s top leadership.

More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive in Gaza, according to local health authorities, which do not distinguish between militants and civilians. The Israel-Hamas war it started after Hamas-led fighters, October 7, 2023, he punched holes in Israel’s security fence and forced his way in, killing about 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapping 250 others.

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Here are the latest:

EgyptAir cancels flights to Iraq and Jordan

CAIRO – Egypt’s flagship airliner canceled Saturday flights from Cairo to Baghdad and Erbil in Iraq and Amman in Jordan.

EgyptAir blames “current developments in the region” for the canceled flights.

The cancellation of the flights came hours after Israel carried out a series of dawn raids on military facilities in Iran.

Türkiye accuses Israel of pushing the Middle East to the brink of a bigger war

ISTANBUL – Türkiye has accused Israel of “bringing our region to the brink of a bigger war” following its attacks on Iran.

“Ending the terror created by Israel in the region has become a historic duty to establish international security and peace,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

He called on the international community to take “immediate action to enforce the law and stop Netanyahu’s government.”

Türkiye sharply criticizes Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, while expressing support for Hamas.

Israeli soldiers detain people in Gaza hospital, Palestinian health officials say

CAIRO – Israeli troops withdrew from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza after several people were detained inside for hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

The ministry said those detained included medical staff and patients, and the women were held separately “without water or food.” The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ministry said soldiers later withdrew from the hospital, leaving extensive destruction in their wake. Footage circulated online showing the courtyard being bulldozed and the wards destroyed.

According to Al-Awda Hospital, among those detained and taken away was Dr. Mohamed Obeid, head of the orthopedics department at nearby Al-Awda Hospital. His whereabouts are unknown.

The Israeli army launched an airstrike on a hospital in the Beit Lahiya area on Friday as part of a week-long ground offensive on northern Gaza.

Kamal Adwan is one of three hospitals in northern Gaza that remain largely inaccessible due to fighting.

Earlier this week, the hospital’s chief executive told The Associated Press that the facility was facing a “catastrophic” shortage of basic supplies and that ambulances could no longer serve the site.

Throughout the year-long war between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces stormed and bombed a number of hospitals, including the largest medical facility in the district, Shifa Hospital. Israel accuses Hamas of using medical facilities across Gaza for military purposes, which the militant group denies.

Egypt sees a ceasefire in Gaza as the only way to de-escalate tensions

CAIRO – Egypt said it is following with “great concern the rapid and serious escalation” in the region, including Israel’s attack on Iran, and warned of “serious confrontations” across the Middle East.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Gaza ceasefire agreement “is the only means of de-escalation” of tensions in the Middle East.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States are leading efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza that includes the release of hostages held by Hamas as well as Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

British Prime Minister calls for restraint

APIA, Samoa – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Iran should not respond to Israeli airstrikes and called on all parties to show restraint.

His remarks at a Commonwealth summit in Samoa came after Israel attacked Iran in a series of pre-dawn airstrikes on Saturday, which he said was in response to a barrage of ballistic missiles that the Islamic Republic fired at Israel earlier this month.

Starmer said Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression.

“This is an ongoing situation and we are obviously monitoring it closely with our partners,” Starmer said. “We must avoid further regional escalation and call on all parties to show restraint. Iran should not respond. We will continue to work with allies to de-escalate the situation across the region.”

Iran promises response to Israeli attacks

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli attacks on military bases and said Iran would respond.

A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attacks a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, in particular the prohibition of the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations.

The ministry emphasized Iran’s inherent right to self-defense, which is reflected in Art. 51 of the United Nations Charter, stating that it has an obligation to respond to foreign aggression.

The Israeli opposition leader believes the military should have hit Iran harder

JERUSALEM – Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid praised the military’s work but said Israel should have struck harder.

“The decision not to attack strategic and economic targets in Iran was wrong. We could and should have demanded a much higher price from Iran,” Lapid wrote in a post on X.

He said the air force’s actions demonstrated its operational capabilities and that Israel’s enemies know its army is strong and can attack anywhere.

Iranian army says 2 soldiers killed in Israeli bombing

TEHRAN, Iran – The Iranian army said two soldiers were killed in Israeli attacks.

The army’s statement was reported by the Arabic-language Al-Alam state television channel. The report was not detailed.

Iran says Israeli strikes targeted military bases in 3 provinces, causing ‘limited damage’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Early Saturday, Iran’s military said Israeli strikes in the country targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, causing “limited damage.”

The statement from Iran’s armed forces was read aloud on state television, which did not show any photos describing the destruction. Iran’s military claimed its air defenses limited the damage caused by the attacks, without providing additional evidence.

Israel said it carried out attacks on missile production facilities and other locations in the country.

Israel says it has ended attacks on Iran, including missile factories

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Israel said early Saturday it had ended attacks on Iran. The Israeli military issued a statement saying its planes “returned home safely.”

Its planes “struck missile production facilities that produced missiles that Iran has fired at the state of Israel over the past year,” the military said. “These rockets posed a direct and imminent threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”

He added that it “also hit surface-to-air missile systems and additional Iranian air capabilities that were intended to limit Israeli freedom of air operations in Iran.” It provided no damage assessment.

Iran admitted “limited damage” to military facilities.

Saturday’s airstrikes began on Iran ballistic missile retaliation attack on October 1, Israeli officials said. The attack, which Israel had been threatening for weeks, came as the Middle East came close to a regional war, more than a year after first attack by a Hamas militant on Israel. Israel has since launched a devastating ground offensive in the Gaza Strip and an invasion of neighboring Lebanon, targeting militants long armed and supported by Tehran.