Israel Responds to Iranian Missile Attacks, Targeting Military Sites

Latest Developments

After nearly a month of warning Iran’s rulers that it would strike at a time of its choosing following Iran’s ballistic missile attack targeting Israel on October 1, Israeli fighter jets carried out several strikes on military targets across Iran in the early hours of October 26. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that among the targets struck by the Israel Air Force (IAF) were “missile manufacturing facilities” and “Iran’s surface-to-air missile arrays and Iranian aerial capabilities that were intended to restrict Israel’s aerial freedom of operation in Iran.” The statement highlighted Iran’s ongoing direct and indirect attacks using numerous proxies across seven fronts, including from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Shia militias in Iraq, and numerous small terrorist groups in the West Bank.

A U.S. official told the New York Times that Israel alerted the Biden administration ahead of the strikes. Officials from the administration had been consulting with Israel in recent weeks.

The attack came in three waves of airstrikes from the IAF, Axios reported, with the first wave targeting Iran’s air defenses and the following two targeting “missile and drone bases” along with weapons production sites. Hagari stressed that after the strikes, Israel “now has broader aerial freedom of operation in Iran.”

Syria’s state-controlled news agency SANA reported Israeli missiles targeting military sites in central and southern Syria, which Syria claimed to have repelled, but these remain unconfirmed.

In a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin “reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the United States to Israel’s security and right to self-defense” while making it “clear that the United States maintains an enhanced force posture” in the region. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said, “Congress stands resolutely behind Israel as our ally strikes in self-defense. The world should know we will fully support Israel if Iran continues its violence.”

Iran International reported that at least four Iranian Army soldiers were killed in the attack. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it would use “all material and spiritual capabilities of the Iranian nation to defend its vital security interests.” The October 27 attack was a response to the two barrages of missiles and drones launched by Iran against Israel, first on April 13-14 and again on October 1.

Expert Analysis

“Overnight, Israel encircled Khamenei in a ring of fire, dismantling important capabilities. For the first time in decades, Hezbollah’s retaliation was not a factor in Israel’s decision — only the Biden-Harris administration held Israel back. Another U.S. administration may not. It reinforces my belief: if tiny Israel can achieve this, imagine the impact the U.S. could have with our vast capabilities if we only had the will. Having demonstrated that it can operate at will in the skies over Khamenei’s regime, Israel must now prepare for a potential Iranian nuclear weapons breakout. The lame duck period between November 5 and January 20 that follows the U.S. presidential election could be especially dangerous.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Iran may be thinking twice about its strategy toward Israel. Over the last year, the regime has witnessed Israel deliver significant setbacks to Hamas and Hezbollah. Moreover, Tehran’s efforts to assert the strength of the so-called Axis of Resistance through two separate strikes on the Jewish State not only failed to achieve their intended impact but invited a significant air assault on Iranian soil by the Israeli military. While Israeli strikes in Iran appear to have been successful, it’s unclear if the strikes dissuaded the regime from launching further action against Israel in the future.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Israel continues to prove that it can successfully escalate in deed rather than in word against the Islamic Republic. While we await the results of official and open-source battle damage assessments about the strikes against some 20 military sites across the country, the ability of Israel to conduct an hours-long campaign against these sites essentially uncontested means that the regime has an exposed soft underbelly it can’t defend, and that Israel can creatively and safely reach. Time will tell if Tehran is deterred, but regime media bragging about the success of their air defenses against a minimal Israeli strike is more likely than not a way for the regime to save face and spin a loss as a win.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD Senior Fellow

Related Analysis

“Multi-front drone threats against Israel increase,” by Seth J. Frantzman

“Awaiting Israel’s strike, Tehran pushes propaganda to cushion the blow,” by Behnam Ben Taleblu

“Iran’s multi-front battle: How Tehran is feeding an octopus war against Israel,” by Seth J. Frantzman

“Israel Vows Retaliation Against Tehran Regime,” FDD Flash Brief