Iran says it has the right to defend itself after Israel kills its soldiers

Did Israel heed US warnings about Iranian attacks?Published date: 03:37 British Summer Time 26 October

26 October 03:37 UTC

Sebastian Usher
Middle East regional editor

Iranian state media acknowledged that there were explosions in and around the capital Tehran. However, it is not yet clear what exactly the targets were and whether they were successfully hit by Israel.

News sites close to the Revolutionary Guard reported that some military bases were targeted. But at least for now, Iranian media is downplaying this impact.

It is likely that the true nature of what happened will gradually leak out from Iranian officials. Israel may move more quickly to disclose details of its attack, but this may depend on whether it carries out another wave of attacks.

The Pentagon gave a briefing that the US was informed of Israel’s plans in advance and that there was no US intervention in the operation. This makes sense for Washington’s efforts to prevent the conflict between Israel and Iran from escalating into a conflict that could come closer to all-out war. The United States will also wait for the dust to settle to see whether Israel’s goals are limited to military targets or go beyond that and include facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear program. This could trigger another major reaction from Tehran.

For now—based on the limited evidence available—Israel may have heeded Washington’s warnings and reined in some of its more ambitious plans to inflict maximum pain on Iranian officials.