US-controlled Iraqi Air Area Used By Israel To Attack Iran

Illustration of the F-16 fighter jet. (Unsplash-Guy Croisiaux)

JAKARTA - The Iranian military said Israeli fighter jets used US-controlled Iraqi airspace to launch long-range missiles to a number of Iranian military sites.

The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff said several long-range missiles with light warheads were fired from about 100 kilometers (62 miles) outside the Iranian border.

These missiles are aimed at radar systems in the border provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan, as well as around Iran's capital, Tehran.

The attack began at around 2.30 local time on Saturday, October 26, with Iran's air defense system successfully intercepting multiple missiles near Tehran that resulted in loud noise.

Iran's armed forces said that although most of the missiles were intercepted, some of them still caused "limited damage."

The number of victims who died as a result of this attack rose from two to four people, all of whom were soldiers, the statement said.

The armed forces said that the missile used in the attack carried a light warhead about a fifth of the size of the Iranian ballistic missile warhead.

"Thanks to our national air defense rapid response, only limited damage has occurred, with some of the affected radar systems," the statement read, quoted by Anadolu.

The Iranian military added that a number of systems had been repaired while others were still in the process of being corrected.

The statement denounced the Israeli attack as an "illegal and baseless" act, stressing that "large numbers of missiles have been tracked and intercepted," thus preventing the projectile from entering Iran's deeper airspace.

The Iranian armed forces affirmed "the right to take legitimate and appropriate action at the right time," while stressing the need for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon."

They accuse the US of playing a "central" role in supporting Israel's "criminal acts" that destabilize the region, and calling on the US to "restrict this illegal regime and avoid the involvement of itself and its allies in the puddle created by the colonial regime."

In a previous statement on Saturday 27 October, the White House stated that Israel's attack on Iran should end a direct exchange of fire between the two sides while warning Tehran of a "consecution" if it responds.

Iran's foreign ministry condemned Israeli airstrikes, called them "international law violations" and reiterated Iran's right to defend itself.

The ministry reaffirms Iran's obligation to fight foreign aggression under legitimate self-defense rights as stipulated in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Israel's direct attack on the Iranian military site follows a recent missile attack by Iran against Tel Aviv in retaliation for the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Abbas Nilforoushan.

Iran had previously warned that any Israeli attack would be faced with a stronger response.