Israel has completed what it called a retaliatory attack on military targets in Iran, said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) early Saturday morning.
The IDF launched "precise and targeted" air strikes on targets in several areas in Iran, in response to the attacks from Iran in recent months, it said in a statement.
The IDF statement was issued about three and a half hours after it announced the start of the operation.
Israeli aircraft struck missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missile arrays, and additional Iranian aerial capabilities, according to the statement.
Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that dozens of jets, including F35, F16 and F15, attacked 20 military targets in Iran.
The decision to attack Iran was made at a conference call of the Israeli security cabinet on Friday evening, according to local media. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant oversaw the operation from an underground facility in Tel Aviv.
The focus of Israeli strike was on military targets, excluding Iran's nuclear and energy facilities, U.S. media outlets reported, citing Israeli officials.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a video statement that the operation has foiled immediate threats to Israel, warning Iran against further response if there's a new round of escalation.
On Oct. 1, Iran fired approximately 180 missiles at Israeli targets, describing the action as retaliation for the assassinations of several leaders of regional resistance groups, among other grievances.
In Iran, eyewitnesses said early Saturday that big explosions were heard around the country's capital Tehran. Shortly afterward, Iranian state-run IRIB TV reported that Iran's air defense was engaged against Israeli strike attempts.
Although Iran has warned Israel not to take any risky actions, Israel still attacked some military centers in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces in the wee hours of Saturday morning, said the Iranian Defense Ministry.
The defense ministry said Iran's air defense headquarters had successfully countered the Israeli attack with "limited damage."
No military centers of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the west and south of Tehran were hit, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing well-informed sources.
Tasnim quoted an informed source saying that Iran is ready to retaliate Israeli aggression as announced earlier. There is no doubt that Israel will receive the appropriate response to any move (against Iran), the source was quoted as saying.
Israel says it has completed strikes on targets in Iran
China and the European Union (EU) have reiterated willingness to solve through dialog the dispute over the EU's anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles.
The two sides have decided to continue to make price commitment as the solution to the case, according to a statement released by China's Ministry of Commerce, after video talks on Friday between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and European Commission Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.
There are strong calls and high expectations from various sectors in China and Europe for the proper handling of the case, said Wang.
Since Sept. 20, China and the EU have been holding intensive negotiations regarding the price commitment, with some positive progress made in certain aspects, but big differences still exist on issues of core concern to the business communities in China and Europe, the minister said.
Wang noted that China will unswervingly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises. He also expressed the hope that both sides will continue to advance negotiations based on the previous stage of consultations and achieve substantive breakthroughs as soon as possible.
In the next stage of price commitment negotiations, consultations should be conducted based on mutual consideration of core concerns, and in accordance with the principles of pragmatism and balance, said Wang, adding that both the effectiveness of the agreement and the core interests of enterprises should be taken into account.
A bilateral communication mechanism should be established for the implementation and supervision of price commitment on the basis of mutual trust, he said.
The European side has put forward specific suggestions regarding the price commitment plan and proposed that technical teams from both sides engage in video consultations on this matter.
The Chinese side agreed to immediately start the next stage of negotiations and welcomed the European technical team to travel to China as soon as possible.
The two sides also exchanged views on the trade remedy investigations initiated by China against certain EU goods, such as brandy, pork and dairy products.
The Chinese side emphasized that these investigations were initiated at the request of domestic industries, in full compliance with the rules of the World Trade Organization, as well as Chinese laws and regulations.
China will continue to conduct the investigations in accordance with the law and regulations, and fully safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of all parties involved, according to the ministry.
China, EU reiterate willingness to solve EV dispute through dialog
