At least four Iranian soldiers were killed in the strikes carried out by Israel on Iran, media reports said.
In a statement on Saturday, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army said the two soldiers were martyred while defending the country’s security and preventing harm to the Iranian nation and interests.
Two others were injured while defending Iran’s airspace and later succumbed to their wounds, reported IRNA news agency.
The Israel Defense Forces on Friday said it conducted precise strikes on military targets in Iran.
“In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel—right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” the IDF said in a post on X.
“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,”the forces said.
The IDF said Israel has the right to respond.
“We will do whatever is necessary to defend the State of Israel and the people of Israel,” the IDF said.
Updating on the strike, the IDF said: ” I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel.”
Several explosions were reportedly heard around Tehran.
The UN Secretary-General on Saturday called for an immediate halt to all escalatory actions in the Middle East, following overnight attacks by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on targets in Iran.
Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN chief, said in a statement that António Guterres is “deeply alarmed” by the continued escalation across the region.
“All acts of escalation are condemnable and must stop,” the statement read.
The Secretary-General reiterated his urgent appeal to all parties to cease all military actions, including in Gaza and Lebanon, and to exert maximum efforts to prevent an all-out regional war.
He also called for a return to diplomacy.
According to media reports, explosions were heard in and near the Iranian capital, Tehran, at around 2:15 AM local time, followed by an announcement by the IDF that it had carried out strikes on military targets in the country.
The strikes reportedly ended about four hours later. The Iranian military said four of its soldiers were killed in the strikes overnight.
