Iran signals it will not retaliate immediately after Israel attack

Unlock the US Election Countdown newsletter for free

The stories that matter on money and politics in the race for the White House

Iran’s military has signalled that Tehran will not retaliate immediately after Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic republic, escalating the conflict between the regional foes and stoking fears of an all-out war in the Middle East.

Israeli forces launched three waves of attacks on Iran on Saturday, saying they had struck military facilities including missile manufacturing plants and air defence, in retaliation for the barrage Iran fired at Israel three weeks ago.

The attacks killed four soldiers, but Iran sought to play down the impact of the strikes and later on Saturday the General Staff of the Armed Forces said the Islamic republic “reserved its legal and legitimate right to respond at an appropriate time”.

Rather than vowing revenge, the statement said Iran’s emphasis was on supporting a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon where Israeli forces are fighting Hamas and Hizbollah respectively; the militant groups are backed by the republic. 

Israel launched the strikes in the early hours of Saturday in retaliation for an Iranian missile attack on October 1, but the foes appeared to want to avoid a full-blown war.

The Netanyahu government remained on the whole silent about the attack, including the prime minister, who banned his ministers from granting interviews on Saturday.

Even far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued a short statement backing the strikes but hoping it was just an opening gambit against Iran. Instead, the IDF was left to describe in vague terms the “precise strikes” on missile production sites and air defences, and issuing warnings of future attacks if Tehran retialated.

The US had pressed Israel to avoid striking Iran’s nuclear sites or oil facilities as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government prepared its response to the Iranian ballistic missile attack three weeks ago.  

After Israel declared the assault over, the Biden administration said Israel’s response should mark the end of the latest cycle of attacks between the foes. The US has conveyed this message directly and indirectly to Tehran, the official said.

If Iran responds, Washington will defend and support Israel and “there will be consequences”, the official added.

Iran’s foreign ministry called the strikes a “blatant violation of international law”, adding that the republic “considers it its right and duty to exercise legitimate self-defence against foreign acts of aggression”.  

But, like Iran’s armed forces, it did not threaten an imminent response.

On Saturday, in telephone conversations with his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that “Iran will not hesitate to respond decisively and proportionately to any violation of its territorial integrity,” but added that any response would come at “an appropriate time”.

Iran’s armed forces claimed in the statement that a “significant” number of Israeli missiles were intercepted, while those that did reach their targets caused only “limited damage” to radar systems, some of which have already been repaired.

Iran’s air defence headquarters said that Israel had targeted military bases in Tehran, the south-western province of Khuzestan and the western province of Ilam. 

Explosions were heard in Tehran and Iranians on social media described multiple blasts that rattled the capital. State media said that four soldiers had been killed.

Iranian state television minimised the impact of the strikes on daily life. In street interviews, residents either reported not hearing any explosions or downplayed the significance of the event.

The coverage — which often serves as an indicator of the Islamic republic’s messaging and strategic intentions — praised the country’s air defence systems, framing the incident as a victory for Iran and failure for Israel.

Arab states, including Iran’s traditional regional rivals the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, condemned Israel’s attack, underlining their fears of a regional escalation, with Riyadh describing it as a “violation of international laws”.