US President Joe Biden hopes "this is the end" after Israel's revenge strikes on Iran today. Israel struck military bases and missile sites in several locations in Iran in response to a missile barrage earlier this month. 

"It looks like they didn't hit anything other than military targets," Biden said. "I hope that this is the end," he added.

The death toll in Israel's pre-dawn strikes on military bases in Iran on Saturday has risen to four, the Iranian army said, according to news agency AFP.

"Two more soldiers... have succumbed to their wounds and died," the official IRNA news agency reported, citing an army statement.

According to the Iranian military, the Israeli strikes on Tehran and other provinces today only damaged radar systems. 

"Thanks to the timely performance of the country's air defences, the attacks caused limited damage and a few radar systems were damaged," the armed forces general staff said in a statement on state television.

Iran warned on Saturday it would defend itself after Israeli air strikes killed at least two soldiers and further stoked fears of a full-scale regional 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.

Other countries, including many of Iran's neighbours, condemned Israel's strikes and some, such as Russia, urged both sides to show restraint and avoid what Moscow dubbed a "catastrophic scenario".

The Islamic republic 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. Read more.

Reacting to the ongoing developments in West Asia, after Israel's revenge strikes on Iran, India reiterated its call to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

"We are deeply concerned by the evolving escalation in West Asia and its ramifications for peace and stability in the region and beyond. We reiterate our call to all concerned to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. The ongoing hostilities are to nobody's benefit, even as innocent hostages and civilian populations continue to suffer. Our Missions in the region are in contact with the Indian community," said India in a statement. 

Our statement on developments in West Asia: https://t.co/hjpGpYVEsU pic.twitter.com/WZsLWtanZN

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) October 26, 2024

A Hezbollah-affiliated rescuer was killed in Israeli strikes on medical centre in Lebanon, said the country's health ministry. Five people were also injured in the attack, including three other Hezbollah-affiliated paramedics.

The death count of rescuers and paramedics killed in Lebanon since Hezbollah and Israel begar exchanging fire is now 164, said Lebanon health ministry. 

Hezbollah said it has fired rockets at five residential areas in northern Israel, as the Israeli army said the Iran-backed group fired about 80 projectiles across the border, according to news agency AFP.

In a series of statements, Hezbollah claimed "rocket salvos" on five residential areas in northern Israel, including the outskirts of Krayot near Haifa.

Hezbollah fired around 80 projectiles towards Israel just hours after the latter's air strikes in Iran, said Israel military. "As of 15:00 (12:00 GMT), approximately 80 projectiles that were fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation have crossed from Lebanon into Israel today," said the Israeli army in a statement.

Afghanistan's Taliban has called the Israeli strikes on Iran "an attempt to aggravate the violence in the region, which further complicates and intensifies the unfavourable situation in the region."

Hezbollah has claimed that it has fired several rockets at Israeli forces in South Lebanon. The Iran-backed group said that it has launched a "salvo of rockets" at Israeli soldiers neat Aita al-Shaab village where Hezbollah and Israel have been clashing for the past two weeks.

Hezbollah has claimed that it had launched drones against Israel's air base near Tel Aviv. This is Hezbollah's first claimed attack against the facility, according to news agency AFP. 

Iran says it has the 'duty' to defend itself after two Iranian soldiers were killed in Israel's revenge strikes. "Iran has the right and the duty to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression," Iran's foreign ministry said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Iran should not respond after Israel on Saturday launched strikes against the Islamic republic in retaliation for a missile barrage.

Israeli planes struck military bases, missile sites, and other systems in several regions. Iran said two soldiers died in the attacks.

The Israeli military said it intercepted two drones crossing into Israel from Lebanon on Saturday, hours after it attacked Iran.

"On the question of the strikes, I think we need to be clear that Israel does have the right to defend itself, but we are urging, and have been urging all sides to show restraint, and that is why I am very clear today, Iran should not be responding to this," Starmer said in Samoa, where he is attending a Commonwealth summit.

"We will continue to work with allies to de-escalate the situation across the region," Starmer said. 

Hamas, at war with Israel in Gaza, on Saturday said it strongly condemned Israeli strikes on military targets in Iran.

Iran said an Israeli attack targeted military sites in the Islamic Republic on Saturday, killing two soldiers, almost a month after Israel vowed to avenge a missile barrage that raised fears of a full-scale Middle East war.

The Israeli military said its retaliatory air strikes hit Iran's missile manufacturing facilities, missile installations and other systems in several regions. It warned Iran it would "pay a heavy price" if it responded.

Iran confirmed an Israeli attack had targeted military sites in Tehran province surrounding the capital, and other parts of the country, saying it caused "limited damage". The armed forces said later two soldiers were killed in the strikes.

Israel had vowed to retaliate against Iran for its October 1 barrage of 200 missiles, the second-ever direct attack by Iran on its arch-foe. Most of those missiles were intercepted but one person was killed.

The Israeli retaliation drew condemnation from Hamas and Saudi Arabia, which warned against further escalation.

Israel is already engaged in combat on two fronts, a full-on war against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon since last month, and in Gaza, where Israel has fought Palestinian Hamas militants for more than a year and the United Nations warned the "darkest moment" of that conflict was unfolding.

A video shared by the Iranian military showed the air defence system activate over the skies of Tehran as Israel struck military sites in the capital city, in retaliatory strikes. The military said hostile projectiles were shot down and the strikes caused "limited damage".

Watch as our air defense systems engage and shoot down multiple hostile projectiles over Tehran. pic.twitter.com/YFbhWHuuy8

— Iran Military (@IRIran_Military) October 26, 2024

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Iran should not respond to a wave of Israeli strikes, urging restraint on all sides. 

"I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I'm equally clear that we need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint. Iran should not respond," he said, speaking at a press conference in Samoa, where he has been attending a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Saudi Arabia condemned Israeli strikes on military targets in Iran, warning against any further expansion of the conflict in the Middle East. 

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its condemnation and denunciation" of the Israeli strikes and emphasised its "firm position rejecting escalation of the conflict in the region", which "threatens the security and the stability of countries and peoples" in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said on X.

The Israeli military said it intercepted a drone crossing into Israel from Lebanon on Saturday, hours after Israel struck several military targets inside Iran.

"Following the sirens that sounded between 08:39 (05:39 GMT) and 08:41 in the Upper Galilee area, the IAF (air force) intercepted a UAV that crossed into Israel from Lebanon," the military said in a statement.

The early morning strikes "caused limited damage", says Iran but Israel claims that it now has "wider freedom" to open in skies over Iran. The aftermath of the strikes resulted in a complete lockdown of the airspace in Iran, Syria and Iraq. 

As per FlightRadar24, an open-source flight tracking website, no aircraft is flying over the three countries. However, Iran has now announced that it will resume flights after the attacks.

The Israeli military said its strikes targeting Iran's air defences on Saturday had given it more freedom to operate in skies over Iran.

"Now, the state of Israel has wider freedom of action in the air over Iran as well," military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing.

The United States on Saturday urged Iran to stop attacking Israel to break the cycle of violence after Israel launched strikes against the Islamic republic in retaliation for a missile barrage.

"We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation," said US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett.

Iran's air defence forces confirmed Saturday that an Israeli attack targeted several military bases in Tehran and other cities, saying it "caused limited damage". 

"This fake regime (Israel) attacked parts of military centers in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces," it said in a statement, adding that the attack "caused limited damage" while being intercepted. 

Four weeks after Iran attacked Israel with a barrage of ballistic missiles to avenge the strikes on ally Hezbollah, the Jewish state responded at the time of its choosing. The tensions never simmered in the region and now Iran says it is ready to respond to the 'act of aggression'.

Iran is prepared to respond to any Israeli "aggression," Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing sources. "There is no doubt that Israel will face a proportional reaction for any action it takes," Tasnim quotes the sources as saying.

The Israeli army has warned Iran that it will "pay a heavy price" if it begins a new round of escalation.

Israel attacks Iran Live Updates: Israel's army says it struck Iran's surface-to-air missile arrays, aerial capabilities and missile manufacturing facilities. 

Israel says air strikes on military facilities in Iran have been completed. The Israeli strikes were in response to the October 1 missile attack, during which Iran fired approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.

Israeli strikes on military targets in Iran are "an exercise of self-defense" following Tehran's ballistic missile attack earlier this month, the United States said late Friday, adding it was informed ahead of the strikes.

White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said the "targeted strikes on military targets" are "an exercise of self-defence and in response to Iran's ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1."

A US defence official, speaking anonymously, said the United States was "informed beforehand, and there is no US involvement. "

The official did not say how far in advance the United States had been informed or what Israel had shared.

White House officials said in separate statements later that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been 

Syrian state news agency SANA said Israel conducted an air attack on Saturday from the occupied Golan Heights and Lebanon, targeting military positions in Syria.

Citing an unnamed military source, the agency said the attack at around 2:00 am (2300 GMT) had targeted positions in central and southern Syria.

The attack prompted Syria to activate its air defences, SANA said, as Israel announced it was launching "precision strikes" in neighbouring Iran.

Iran and Syria are allies in the so-called "axis of resistance" that also includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

"Our anti-aircraft defence is confronting hostile targets in the skies around Damascus," state news agency SANA reported on Telegram. 

The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, is currently commanding the strike on Iran from the Israeli Air Force underground command center in Camp Rabin (The Kirya) with the Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar. pic.twitter.com/HChm7XdTds

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2024

Iranian state TV said Saturday that the blasts heard around the capital were due to the "activation of the air defence system" against an Israeli attack. 

"The loud blasts heard around Tehran were related to the activation of the air defence system against the actions of Zionist regime which attacked three locations outside of Tehran city," state TV reported, citing officials of the Tehran province air defence. 

Israel Attacks Iran: New blasts were heard around the Iranian capital on Saturday, shortly after reports of earlier ones by journalists.

Continuous explosions and light trails were visible across the sky in central Tehran, according to AFP reporters.

Israel attacks Iran: Iraq suspended all air traffic Saturday at its airports until further notice after Israel launched air strikes against Iran.

"Due to regional tensions, Iraqi air traffic has been suspended until further notice to preserve the safety of civil aviation in Iraqi airspace," the country's transport minister said in a statement published by the official INA news agency.

The United States was notified by Israel ahead of its operation against targets in Iran, a U.S. official told Reuters on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official added there was no U.S. involvement in the Israeli operation.

Iran's state TV said Saturday that operations at Tehran's airports including Imam Khomeini International airport were "normal", after it reported several explosions around the capital.
"Operations at Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad Airport are normal and they continue to operate according to the schedule," the state TV presenter said, citing the chiefs of Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports

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 regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking… pic.twitter.com/OcHUy7nQvN

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 25, 2024

The Israeli military said it had "fully mobilised" its offensive and defensive capabilities as it carried out strikes on military targets in Iran on Saturday.
"Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilised," the military said in a statement. Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, in a separate statement, called on the people to be "alert and vigilant".