Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes Hit Israel

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the launch of the “True Promise III” operation in the late hours of Friday, with a series of missile strikes, which targeted dozens of military centers and air bases across the territories occupied by Israel.

The operation was launched in retaliation to Israel’s unprovoked aggression against Iran in the early hours of Friday, which killed over 70 people, including prominent military commanders and nuclear scientists, and injured hundreds of others.

Israel’s War Ministry and Ministry of National Security were reportedly hit in the Iranian attack. Footage also showed large fireballs lighting up the sky in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, after Iran’s missiles penetrated Israel’s defenses and exploded upon impact on their targets.

At least 60 people were injured, including two in critical condition, as a result of the Iranian missile strikes, according to Israeli health sources.

Shortly before launching the aerial attack on Israel, Iran reportedly downed two Israeli warplanes, and captured a female pilot, who was operating one of the fighter jets.

Axis of Resistance affirms support for Iran

Leaders of the Axis of Resistance across the West Asia region issued statements on Friday, condemning the Israeli aggression on Iran and declaring their support for their long-time ally.

Hamas

Abu Obaida, the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, described the offensive as a “cowardly Zionist aggression”, which was “primarily driven by Iran’s unwavering support for the Palestinian people and its strong backing of the resistance.”

The Palestinian resistance leader asserted Hamas’s full solidarity with Iran, emphasizing that “’Israel’ is delusional if it believes such strikes will weaken the resistance front or stabilize its fragile presence in the region.”

“This is yet another strategic miscalculation that will only accelerate the Zionist entity’s inevitable demise,” Abu Obaida asserted.

Hezbollah

For his part, Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, accused the United States of backing the “criminal Israeli assault” on Iran.

Qassem warned that the “aggression will have major consequences, and that “it will not pass without retaliation and accountability.” He also stressed that “Iran remains a beacon of dignity and resistance and will continue to be a leading force in defending the oppressed across the region and the world.”

The Lebanese leader voiced the group’s support for Iran saying: “Hezbollah, within its Islamic resistance and people, stands firmly with the Islamic Republic of Iran, its rights, its positions, and whatever steps it chooses to take in defense of itself. The criminal Israeli regime and its tyrannical backer, the United States, will reap nothing but disgrace and defeat.”

Ansar Allah

Meanwhile, Ansar Allah Political Bureau affirmed that Iran has “full and legitimate right to respond by all possible means” to “the brutal Israeli aggression.”

The Yemeni resistance movement expressed its support for “Iran’s full and legitimate right to defend itself and develop its nuclear program.” Moreover, the movement highlighted Iran’s role as the “only Islamic country that embraces the Palestinian cause and has not backed down from it despite all the challenges and threats it has faced and continues to face.”

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch