Iran issues veiled threats following Israeli strikes that left 2 soldiers dead — as Hezbollah fires rockets at IDF in Lebanon

Iran issued veiled threats but did not immediately respond to pre-dawn Israeli airstrikes that left two soldiers dead -– as Hezbollah fired more rockets at Israeli positions in southern Lebanon.

“Iran has the right and duty to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Saturday. A semi-official Iranian news agency vowed a “proportional reaction” to the Israeli strikes.

The hardline response came hours after Israel launched a retaliatory strike against Iran, weeks after Tehran’s own missile barrage on the Jewish state.

Despite the fiery statement, sources told the Times of Israel that there was no immediate response from Iran in the works.

The Israeli Air Force carried out “precise strikes” on strategic military targets, including drone and ballistic missile manufacturing and launch sites, as well as air defense systems, the Times of Israel reported.

One of the targets was a Russian-made S-300 air defense of Imam Khomeini International Airport, according to The New York Times.

On Saturday afternoon, the IDF released a video and photos of F-15 and F-16 fighter jets en route to carry out the strikes, the Times of Israel reported.

The images showed four female navigators with their faces obscured as they prepared to take off.

The navigators were a small part of the larger operations, which reportedly included dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes.

The wave of strikes also hit missile and drone manufacturing sites that were used in Iran’s direct attacks on Israel on April 14 and Oct. 1, the Times of Israel said.

Relations between Israel and Iran have grown increasingly tense in the 12 months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, which spawned the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran backs both terror organizations in their fights against Israel.

Iran claimed its air defenses successfully countered the Israeli strikes. The state news agency Tasnim said two soldiers were killed and some locations suffered “limited damage.”

The first reports of explosions near Tehran came around 2:15 a.m. local time.

The Israel Defense Forces released a statement confirming its attack in response to “months of continuous attacks from the Iranian regime against the State of Israel.”

The strikes were designed to minimize casualties and to prevent Tehran from claiming any major damage, The Washington Post.

Israel notified the US before striking, but Washington was not involved in the operation, a US official told Reuters.

The US distanced itself from the strikes against Iran in its statement on the mission, but added that it urged Iran to “cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.”

Other regimes in the Middle East condemned Israel’s actions, citing anxieties over escalation in the region.

Saudi Arabia – which had been inching towards better relations with Israel before the war – condemned the bombardment as a violation of Iranian sovereignty and international law.

The Taliban in Afghanistan accused Israel of attempting to “aggravate violence…which further complicates and intensifies the unfavorable situation in the region.”

Also on Saturday, Hezbollah fired rockets on Israeli forces near the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon. 

The terror group said it also launched drones against an Israeli air base south of Tel Aviv.

By mid-afternoon local time, Hezbollah had also fired about 80 rockets at northern Israel, according to an IDF tally.

• Three Lebanese journalists from Al-Manar TV and Al Mayadeen TV were killed Friday in an Israeli airstrike on a building known to be housing reporters, witnesses told the BBC.
• On Saturday, Israel shared images of four truck-mounted rocket launchers it seized during operations in Lebanon this week.
• Israel continued to bombard the Gaza Strip over the weekend, including an onslaught in Gaza City.
• Israel forces also reportedly withdrew from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza following a counter-terror operation Friday.

With Post wires