MONITORING (SW) – At least two waves of multiple explosions were heard in Iran’s capital Tehran and nearby military bases on Saturday, semi-official Iranian media said.
The Israeli military said early on Saturday it was conducting “precise strikes” on military targets in Iran in response to what it called “the continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against Israel”.
The attacks were downplayed by Iran’s state media in initial reports, which highlighted Iran’s air defences, reported ABC.
Iran state TV said at least six blasts were heard around the capital Tehran, but the scope of the attack was not immediately clear.
Iran’s semi-official Iranian Fars news agency said several military bases in the west and south-west of Tehran had been targeted by Israel.
Iranian state media reported that strong explosions were heard around Tehran and nearby Karaj, but said life continued as normal.
The Tasnim News Agency said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bases that were attacked were not damaged.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari posted a statement on X confirming the strikes.
“The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th — on seven fronts — including direct attacks from Iranian soil,” he said.
“Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond.
A US official said targets did not include energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities.
Iran’s aviation authority said it suspended all flights until further notice, after Israel announced it was conducting strikes in the country.
“Flights on all routes have been cancelled until further notice,” the spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Organisation said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Iran state TV said there has been no fires or explosions at the Tehran oil refinery.
State TV said the origin of the explosions “could be from the activation of Iran’s air defence system,” citing unnamed Iranian intelligence officials
