TEL AVIV, Israel – Israel attacked Iran with a series of airstrikes before dawn on Saturday in what it said was a response to the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired at Israel earlier this month.

The Israeli military said its aircraft targeted facilities Iran used to make missiles fired at Israel as well as surface-to-air missiles. There was no immediate indication that oil or missile sites were hit — strikes that would have marked a much more serious escalation — and Israel offered no immediate damage assessment.

Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital Tehran, although the Islamic Republic insisted they caused only “limited damage” and Iranian state media downplayed the attacks.

Still, the strikes risk pushing the arch-enemies closer to all-out war at a time of spiraling violence across the Middle East, where Iranian-backed militant groups — including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — are already at war with Israel.

“Iran attacked Israel twice, including in places that threatened civilians, and has paid the price for it,” said Israeli military spokesman Adm. Daniel Hagari in a video statement.

“We are focused on our war targets in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. It is Iran that continues to push for a broader regional escalation.”

Pictures and video released by Israel showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a casual black jacket, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meeting with military advisers and others in a conference room at a military command and control center at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv.

The attacks filled the air for hours until sunrise in Iran. They marked the first time Israel’s military has openly attacked Iran, which has not faced a sustained barrage from a foreign enemy since its 1980s war with Iraq.

It came as part of Israel’s “duty to respond” to attacks on it by “Iran and its proxies in the region,” Hagari said.

“The Israeli Defense Forces have accomplished their mission,” Hagari said. “Should the regime in Iran make the mistake of starting another round of escalation, we will be obliged to respond.”

The US warned of further retaliation, suggesting the overnight attacks should end the direct fire between Israel and Iran.

Nuclear plants and oil installations were all seen as possible targets for Israel’s response to Iran’s October 1 attack, before US President Joe Biden’s administration won assurances from Israel in mid-October that it would not hit such targets, which would be a more serious escalation. .

Iran’s military said the attacks targeted military bases in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces, without going further.

Iran’s state media acknowledged explosions that could be heard in Tehran, saying some of the sounds came from air defense systems around the city. But beyond a brief reference, Iranian state television for hours offered no other details.

Iran’s move to quickly downplay the attack could offer a path for the country not to respond, preventing further escalation.

Iran fired a wave of missiles and drones at Israel in April after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Syria on an Iranian diplomatic post. The missiles and drones caused minimal damage, and Israel – under pressure from Western countries to show restraint – responded with a limited strike that it did not openly claim.

Dozens were killed and thousands injured in September when pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded during two days of attacks attributed to Israel. A massive Israeli airstrike the following week outside Beirut killed Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders.

On October 1, Iran fired at least 180 missiles into Israel in retaliation, sending Israelis scurrying into shelters but causing only minimal damage and a few injuries.

Netanyahu immediately said Iran had “made a big mistake”.

Israel then increased the pressure on Hezbollah by launching a ground invasion in southern Lebanon. More than a million Lebanese have been displaced and the death toll has risen sharply as the airstrikes hit in and around Beirut.

Israel and Iran have been bitter enemies since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Israel considers Iran its greatest threat, citing its leaders’ calls for Israel’s destruction, its support for anti-Israel militant groups, and its nuclear program.

During their years-long shadow war, a suspected Israeli assassination campaign has killed top Iranian nuclear scientists and Iranian nuclear facilities have been hacked or sabotaged, all in mysterious attacks blamed on Israel.

Meanwhile, Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on shipping in the Middle East in recent years, which later grew into attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against shipping through the Red Sea corridor.

The shadow war has increasingly moved into the light since October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other militants attacked Israel. They killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages to Gaza. In response, Israel launched a devastating air and ground offensive against Hamas, and Netanyahu has vowed to keep fighting until all the hostages are freed. About 100 remain and about a third are believed to be dead.

More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants but say more than half of the dead have been women and children.