.png)
Updated | Iranian soldiers confirmed dead after Israel launches 'precise and targeted strikes' inside Iran
According to official Iranian sources, two soldiers were killed when military bases to the south and west of the capital Tehran were attacked by IDF aircraft during the night
The strikes are believed to be retaliation for Iranian ballistic missile attacks earlier this month
Two Iranian soldiers have been confirmed to have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on targets inside Iran, as fears of further regional escalation continue to mount.
Earlier on Saturday, Israeli military aircraft carried out what Israel described as "precise and targeted strikes" on a number of targets in Iran during the night, prompting warnings against further escalation of the latest war in the Middle East.
International media reported that military bases west and south west of Tehran had been targeted by the IDF, with Iranian state media stating that no significant damage was inflicted.
The Iranian authorities later released a statement in the afternoon, confirming two casualties as having been caused by the strikes. "The army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in defending Iran’s security and protecting the people and Iran’s interests, sacrificed two of its fighters while countering projectiles from the criminal Zionist regime," it said.
In a statement this morning, the Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out air strikes on Iran which had hit manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran had fired at Israel in recent months .
"Simultaneously, the IDF struck surface-to-air missile arrays and additional Iranian aerial capabilities that were intended to restrict Israel's aerial freedom of operation in Iran," the statement reads.
Tel Aviv said that Iran's attacks on Israel in April and October, as well as its support for its proxies in the region, "undermine regional stability and security, and the global economy".
Widespread explosions were also reported in Iran’s long-time ally, Syria.
America's military leadership are reported as saying that it had been “made aware” of Israel’s plans to attack the sites but had not been involved. US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris had also both been briefed on the strikes. The US has urged Iran not to retaliate.
