Israel admits Iran hit military targets

Defence affairs - reporting telegraph

Israel has admitted Iranian missiles struck military targets for the first time since open warfare broke out between the two countries five days ago.

A military official refused to comment on what was hit, but emphasised that the capabilities of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were not damaged in Tehran’s latest aerial onslaught.

The fourth night of Israel’s war with Iran had been quieter until Iran launched a barrage of some 20 missiles just before daybreak that resulted in multiple direct hits in the centre of the country.

Sirens were triggered across Israel as some Iranian missiles evaded the shield of Israel’s missile defence system, triggering a series of huge explosions in the central city of Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they hit the headquarters of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, adding that a base was on fire. They also claimed to have struck Israel’s military intelligence centre.

The claims have not been verified and journalists were not allowed close to the impact site, which authorities reported belongs to the military.

Israeli censorship rules do not allow reporters within the country to identify strikes on military and other sensitive facilities.

Footage showed smoke billowing from a tall building, while elsewhere in the city a parking lot was hit, injuring five people and causing a bus to explode.

During Iran’s ballistic missile barrage on Israel in October, an area close to the Mossad headquarters was hit, but media organisations were prevented from publishing the exact locations targeted.

In an update, the IDF emphasised the “strict” censorship guidelines around strikes on Israel, citing fears that such coverage could give the enemy an advantage.

“In Gaza and now here in Israel the press should be doing more to challenge these rules,” said one veteran media operator. “We are not seeing the full story.”

Iran has so far launched around 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, targeting civilian and military sites, the Israeli military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said on Tuesday morning.

He added that the fall-off in the number of missiles fired showed Israel is succeeding in damaging Iran’s ability to launch them.

The escalating violence between the two countries does not show signs of abating, despite world leaders urging restraint on both sides.

Israel has said it will continue with “Operation Rising Lion” until Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme is dismantled, with strikes expected to increase in the coming days.

Overnight, Israel’s military said it killed Ali Shamdani, Iran’s wartime chief of staff, just four days after Israel killed his predecessor in a strike on Tehran.

It also said it struck dozens of targets linked to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes overnight after claiming to have control of its airspace following the knocking out of its air defences.

A military official said Iran’s military leadership is now “on the run”, leaving Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, increasingly isolated amid reports he was moved to an underground bunker last Friday.

Most analysts say that Israel has by far had the upper hand, with military and intelligence functions that are significantly more sophisticated than those of the Iranians.

On Monday, Israel claimed to have destroyed one-third of Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launchers, and Iran’s interceptor supplies are reported to be running thin as Israel targets its stockpiles.

However, there is no doubt that Iran has managed to take a toll of its own, and analysts believe the country is holding its most advanced weaponry back in preparation for a sustained conflict.