Israel has launched what it described as “precise and targeted” airstrikes on Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s barrage of missile strikes against Israel earlier this month.

It is the latest in a series of exchanges between Israel and Iran that have fueled fears of a full-scale regional war for months.

But while Iran says the attacks on military sites killed two soldiers, early indications are that the attacks were more limited than feared.

Here’s what we know.

How did the attacks develop?

Shortly after 02:00 local time (23:30 BST), Iranian media reported explosions in and around the capital Tehran.

Video uploaded to social media and verified by the BBC showed projectiles in the sky above the city, while residents in some areas reported hearing loud noises.

Around 02:30, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that they carried out “precise” strikes against “military targets” in Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant watched the operation from the IDF command and control center in Tel Aviv.

Shortly after 06:00, the IDF said the strikes had ended.

The White House described the strikes as an “exercise of self-defense.” A senior official said the US had been working with Israel to encourage a “targeted and proportionate” response.

What was the extent of the attacks?

The extent of the attacks – and the damage – remains unclear at this stage.

The IDF said targets including missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missiles and other military sites had been hit.

The Iranian military confirmed that two soldiers had died “fighting projectiles”.

Iranian authorities said locations in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces were targeted. The country’s air defenses said they had “successfully intercepted” the attacks, but that “some areas suffered limited damage”.

A senior US administration official said the attacks did not include Iranian oil infrastructure or nuclear facilities, targets of President Joe Biden. urged Israel not to strike.

Syrian state media also reported strikes on military sites in central and southern Syria, although Israel has not confirmed that it has struck the country.

Why did Israel attack Iran?

Iran is the main backer of a range of groups across the Middle East – often described as proxy groups – hostile to Israel, including Hamas and Hezbollah, with whom Israel is currently at war.

In April, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel, with about 300 missiles and drones, in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike. attack on an Iranian embassy compound in Syria that killed several top commanders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Israel responded with a “limited” attack on a missile defense system in the Iranian region of Isfahan.

Then, in July, Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in an air strike on Beirut. The following day, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Tehran. Iran blamed Israel, although Israel did not comment.

At the end of September, Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut and Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior Iranian official.

On October 1, Iran fired 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, which it said was a response to the deaths of Haniyeh and Nasrallah.

What happens next?

Early signs suggest this attack was not as serious as some had feared.

The US channel Axios reported that before the attacks, Israel sent a message to Iran that revealed some details of the attack and warned Tehran not to respond.

It could be a sign that Israel does not want to escalate the situation further – at least for now.

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

A senior US official said that “this should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran.”

The response in Iran has so far been limited.

A source quoted by Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency said: “Iran reserves its right to respond to any aggression and there is no doubt that Israel will receive a proportionate response to any action.”

How has the world reacted?

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Israel had the right to defend itself, but urged all sides to “show restraint” and urged Iran not to respond.

US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said Israel’s response “avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, in contrast to Iran’s attack on Israel which targeted Israel’s most populous city”.

But Washington’s goal, he added, is “to speed up diplomacy and reduce tensions in the Middle East region.”

Saudi Arabia condemned the attack and warned against any action that “threatens security and stability” in the region.

Egypt’s foreign ministry echoed those concerns, saying it was “gravely concerned” by the strikes.

Hamas described them as “a flagrant violation of Iranian sovereignty and an escalation that targets the security of the region and the security of its people”.

More on this story