(NewsNation) — Israel Defense Forces offensive and defensive units are “fully mobilized” against military targets in Iran, the IDF confirmed Friday night.
“In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” the organization said.
It did not say the exact target of the attacks, but two Israeli officials said the strikes are not targeting nuclear or oil facilities.
Israel informed senior White House officials of the attacks in the hours prior, sources told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.
Defense officials say the U.S. had no involvement in Israel’s operation, and President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed on the attacks.
“We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1. We would refer you to the Israeli government for more information on their operation,” National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett told NewsNation.
Explosions were heard in Iran’s Tehran and nearby Karaj, state media reported Friday. Iran’s state TV said multiple explosions were heard in the capital, but no origin was known.
A Tehran resident told The Associated Press that at least seven explosions could be heard, which rattled the surrounding area. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
“Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond. … We will do whatever necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel,” IDF’s statement read.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East this week to speak with leaders about a possible cease-fire, returning just hours before the IDF’s Friday strikes in Tehran.
Iranian-Israeli tensions
Israel and Iran have been bitter foes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israel considers Iran to be its greatest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, their support for anti-Israel militant groups and the country’s nuclear program.
Israel and Iran have been locked in a yearslong shadow war. A suspected Israeli assassination campaign has killed top Iranian nuclear scientists. Iranian nuclear installations have been hacked or sabotaged, all in mysterious attacks blamed on Israel. Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which later grew into the attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping through the Red Sea corridor.
But since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, the battle has increasingly moved into the open. Israel has recently turned its attention to Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza began. Throughout the year, a number of top Iranian military figures have been killed in Israeli strikes in Syria and Lebanon.
Israeli strikes killed 38 people in Gaza and three journalists in Lebanon on Friday morning. More than 42,000 Palestinians have died since the start of the war, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says.
NewsNation’s Ashley Soriano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
