Israel army says striking Iran missile launchers
Israel hits Iranian missile launchers near Tehran in long-range strikes after Iran's overnight barrage. Conflict escalates between Israel and Iran as both sides ignore global de-escalation calls.
Jerusalem, Undefined (AFP) - Israel's military said Saturday it was striking dozens of missile launchers in Iran, after Tehran fired multiple barrages in response to its strikes on military and nuclear facilities.
The Israeli air force "continues striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran", the military said in a statement.
It said that overnight the air force "struck dozens of targets, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the effort to damage the Iranian regime's aerial defense capabilities in the area of Tehran".
"For the first time since the beginning of the war, over 1,500 kilometres (well over 900 miles) from Israeli territory, the Israeli air force struck defense arrays in the area of Tehran."
Iran struck Israel with multiple missile barrages overnight, after a massive onslaught against its nuclear and military facilities on Friday killed key generals and nuclear scientists.
Israeli emergency services said two people were killed when a rocket hit a residential area early Saturday, as the two sides traded fire for a second day despite international calls for de-escalation.
The commanding officer of the Israeli air force, MG Tomer Bar, said the overnight strikes in the Tehran area carried "operational and national significance".
"We damaged -- and will continue to damage -- strategic sites and enemy sources of knowledge," he was quoted as saying in a military statement.
"Activities like these require complicated coordination and collaboration between different sources and capabilities in the force."
