Tehran (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Iran’s strikes on Israel will continue, with targets expected to broaden to include U.S. bases in the region in the coming days, according to Iran’s Fars news agency, which cited senior Iranian military officials on Saturday.
Israel and Iran are escalating tensions, with both sides targeting each other on Saturday after Israel launched its largest air strike ever against its long-time adversary in an effort to block its nuclear ambitions.
“This confrontation will not end with last night’s limited actions, and Iran’s strikes will continue, and this action will be very painful and regrettable for the aggressors,” Fars reported, citing senior military officials. They were quoted saying that the war would “spread in the coming days to all areas occupied by this (Israeli) regime and American bases in the region.”
How did Iran retaliate to Israel’s strikes?
On Saturday, Tehran launched more airstrikes, following two waves on Friday night, according to Fars. One of the strikes hit Tel Aviv, Israel’s business center, before dawn, and the blasts were reportedly heard as far as Jerusalem.
These were in response to Israel’s strikes on Iran early Friday, targeting commanders, nuclear scientists, military sites, and nuclear facilities. Iran denies that its uranium enrichment efforts are part of a secret weapons program.
Israel was hit by air raid sirens in cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, prompting residents to seek shelter as waves of Iranian missiles flew across the sky and Israeli interceptors took to the air to meet them.
Two people were killed and dozens injured in Israel when a missile struck near their homes, according to the country’s ambulance service. Rescue teams were combing through the rubble of apartment buildings that were destroyed in Rishon Lezion, a city just outside Tel Aviv.
What destruction was caused by Israel’s strikes on Iran?
On the other hand, Israeli strikes before dawn on Friday targeted over 100 locations in Iran, including nuclear facilities and missile sites, and killed several senior military officials and scientists. Tehran called this a declaration of war.
Friday’s Israeli airstrikes mainly targeted the mostly underground uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. According to International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi, the above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran’s main nuclear facility in Natanz was destroyed. However, Grossi reported that the level of radioactivity outside the plant remained unchanged.
