US Vows 'Ironclad' Support For Israel, Warns Tehran Against Retaliation

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Israeli forces, early on Saturday, conducted “precise strikes on military targets in Iran", in retaliation for a ballistic missile assault by the latter on October 1. 

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin | Image/AP
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin | Image/AP

The United States on Sunday reaffirmed its ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and warned Tehran against responding to Israeli strikes on military sites in Iran. It also underscored the opportunities to dial down tensions in the region.

Israeli forces, early on Saturday, conducted ‘precise’ strikes on military targets in Iran, in retaliation for a ballistic missile attack by Tehran on October 1.

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    “Iran should not make the mistake of responding to Israel’s strikes, which should mark the end of this exchange," said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after speaking to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.

    “I emphasized that the United States is well-postured to defend U.S. forces and facilities across the region and made clear that Iran should not make the mistake of responding to Israel’s strikes, which should mark the end of this exchange," Austin added.

    Iran Warns To Defend Itself

    Iran warned on Saturday it would defend itself after Israeli air strikes killed at least four soldiers and further stoked fears of a full-scale war in the Middle East.

    Israel warned Iran would “pay a heavy price" if it responded to the strikes, and the United States, Germany and Britain demanded Tehran not escalate the conflict further.

    Iran insisted it had the “right and the duty" to defend itself, while its Lebanese ally Hezbollah said it had already launched rocket salvos targeting five residential areas in northern Israel.

    The Israeli army said 80 projectiles were fired across the border on Saturday.

    Hezbollah later issued evacuation warnings for more than a dozen named locations in Israel, while the Israeli army made similar warnings for two neighbourhoods in southern Beirut.

    Israel Hits Iranian Military Complex

    Commercial satellite imagery showed that Israeli airstrikes hit buildings during an attack on Saturday that Iran used for mixing solid fuel for ballistic missiles, according to separate assessments by two American researchers.

    The judgements were reached by David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector who heads the Institute for Science and International Security research group, and Decker Eveleth, an associate research analyst at CNA, a Washington think tank.

    They told Reuters separately that Israel struck Parchin, a massive military complex near Tehran. Israel also hit Khojir, according to Eveleth, a sprawling missile production site near Tehran.

    Iran Says 4 Soldiers Killed

    The Israeli forces confirmed that anti-aircraft fire echoed around Tehran and said it had hit Iranian missile factories and military facilities in several provinces.

    The “retaliatory strike has been completed and the mission was fulfilled", and Israeli aircraft “returned safely", an army spokesman said.

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      Iran confirmed Israel had targeted military sites around the capital and in other provinces, saying the raids caused “limited damage" but killed four soldiers.

      Iran’s armed forces general staff said only radar systems were damaged in the strikes and held back from any threat of immediate retaliation.

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