Several explosions were heard in Tehran, according to local media
West Jerusalem has launched its retaliatory strike against Tehran, the Israel Defense Forces has confirmed.
On October 1, Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the killings of the Hamas and Hezbollah leaders and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general. While the IDF has insisted that the majority of the projectiles were intercepted, Tehran claimed to have hit several Israeli military targets.
Israel has since threatened to deliver a “deadly, pinpoint accurate, and surprising” retaliation, without specifying any time frame.
Tehran has warned Israel against conducting any strikes, vowing a “decisive and regretful” response, should it do so.
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26 October 2024
01:43 GMT
New footage is circulating online purportedly showing Iranian air defenses air engaging incoming hostile targets.
Intense Air Defense Activity including Surface-to-Air Missiles and Anti-Aircraft Guns seen over Tehran, as Israeli Strikes against Iranian Military Targets continue. pic.twitter.com/weNWlKjL87
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 26, 2024
- 01:40 GMT
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, “tonight,” two defense officials told NBC. The reports did not specify whether the conversation took place before or after the Israeli raid against Iran.
- 01:36 GMT
More explosions were heard in Tehran, allegedly due to the “activation of air defense systems,” according to local media reports.
- 01:32 GMT
“Over 100” Israeli jets, including F-35s, were involved in the raids against targets some 2000 km away from the country’s borders, the Walla news agency has claimed.
- 01:20 GMT
Syrian air defenses reportedly intercepted several Israeli missiles over the southern and central parts of the country, according to a statement from the military cited by SANA.
“At approximately 02:00 [11pm GMT Friday], the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack with a salvo of missiles from the territory of Lebanon and the occupied Golan Heights, attacking a number of military positions in the southern and central regions,” the military source said, adding that air defense systems “responded to the enemy missiles and shot down several of them.”
- 01:14 GMT
Iran has closed its airspace until 9am local time, according to a notice issued by the civil aviation authority.
- 01:10 GMT
Footage has emerged showing Israeli military officials supervising the operation from an underground command-and-control center of the Israeli Air Force.
Additional Documentation of Israeli Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi and Commanding Officer of the IAF Major General Tomer Bar, at the Underground Command-and-Control Center of the Israeli Air Force during tonight’s Strikes on Iran. pic.twitter.com/tK0Tt6knIY
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 26, 2024
- 01:08 GMT
Iranian authorities have yet to confirm any damage or casualties following the Israeli raid, with local media warning that most of the footage circulating online is old and unrelated to the ongoing attack.
- 00:54 GMT
The situation in Tehran is “normal,” with no reports of fire or smoke, according to the Iranian state news agency Tasnim. There were no explosions at the Tehran refinery, and no incidents at Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports, which continue to operate normally, according to the agency.
- 00:46 GMT
US President Joe Biden, who is currently in Delaware, has been briefed on the Israeli attack and is closely following developments, but his advisers are not planning to convene in the Situation Room, a White House official told CNN.
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