Israel has launched air strikes on Iran, with blasts heard in the capital Tehran. Israel's military says the strikes were on Iranian military targets and all its planes have returned safely. Military bases in the west and south west of the Iranian capital were targeted, according to an Iranian news agency close to the country's Revolutionary Guards - Iranian state media says two soldiers were killed
The Israel Defense Forces say the strikes are in response to "months of continuous attacks" from Iran and after a barrage of Iranian missiles hit Israel on 1 October
The US was briefed on the strikes beforehand, but did not have any involvement in the operation, according to the Pentagon. The question now is whether Iran will respond.
Projectiles seen in sky over Tehran
Iran knows, if it strikes again Israel will hit back even harder
Civilian flights are taking off, as scheduled, says Iran’s aviation authority. Traffic is flowing normally says Iranian TV channels as they broadcast images from provinces now in the eyes of the world.
Iran’s attacks on “military centres” were "successfully intercepted” by the country’s air defences - is the official version of what happened in the early hours of the morning in three waves of Israeli attacks.
So far, they’ve only spoken of “limited damage” and the deaths of two Iranian soldiers.
After Israel’s first largely symbolic strike in April, Iran dismissed its significance and drew a line under it. This time, there may be an off ramp again.
Tehran will also need to assess how much damage was done to its air defences, knowing that if it strikes again, Israel will hit back - even harder.
The Islamic Republic, which doesn’t want to be drawn into an even more dangerous all-out war, will also weigh up the political cost - at home and in the region - of responding or not, before it decides on its next move.
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