Israel's Saturday strike on Iran designed for “minimal losses,” official says
Shafaq News/ Israel intended to conduct its strike on Iran with “minimal losses,” a source familiar with Israel's plans reported on Saturday, according to The Washington Post.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that this was a broader version of the response launched by Israel in April, when it executed a strike in central Iran that Iranian officials claimed caused no damage, following a barrage of missiles and drones launched by Tehran towards Israel.
“Ultimately, the attack was designed to minimize casualties and keep the impact to a level that would allow Iran to deny major damage and contain the situation,” he said. “We wanted to give the Iranians a chance not to escalate any further.”
These remarks come after three sources familiar with the matter told Axios that Israel communicated a warning to Iran on Friday ahead of its retaliatory airstrikes, urging the Iranian leadership not to respond to the military action. “The Israelis made it clear to the Iranians in advance what they are going to attack in general and what they are not going to attack,” one source stated.
The move was seen as an attempt to contain the ongoing exchange of attacks between the two nations and to prevent a broader escalation in the region.
Israeli and US officials confirmed to Axios that three waves of airstrikes occurred Saturday morning, targeting Iran's air defense systems in the first wave, followed by strikes on missile and drone bases, as well as weapons production sites in subsequent waves.
Iran’s state-run agency IRNA reported that facilities in Tehran, Khuzestan, and Ilam provinces were struck, causing "limited damage," while noting that Iranian air defenses intercepted parts of the assault. The Iranian army announced that two of its soldiers were killed in the airstrikes.
Israel confirmed that its airstrike on Iran has ended, warning it against retaliation, while characterizing its attack as retaliation for the ballistic missile assault launched by Iran on October 1.
Iran has maintained that it does not seek a full-scale war with Israel but has vowed to retaliate if attacked.
