New Delhi: The world was on tenterhooks ever since Iran targeted Israel with ballistic missiles early this month. A tit-for-tat was expected any time.
It finally happened, as Israel targeted military sites in Iran in the early hours of Saturday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that scores of its jets carried out three waves of strikes before dawn against missile factories and other sites.
Following the fresh hostilities in Middle East, the world is again worried about tensions escalating further, unless Iran decides not to reply in kind.
India, too, expressed concern on Saturday over the Israeli attacks on Iran, and called all parties concerned to ‘exercise restraint’.
“We are deeply concerned by the evolving escalation in West Asia and its ramifications for peace and stability in the region and beyond. We reiterate our call to all concerned to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
“The ongoing hostilities are to nobody’s benefit, even as innocent hostages and civilian populations continue to suffer. Our Missions in the region are in contact with the Indian community,” MEA stated.
Will Iran strike back?
Iran’s initial response was that its air defences successfully countered the Israeli attack, but two soldiers were killed and some locations suffered “limited damage.”
The Foreign ministry said Iran was “entitled and obligated” to defend itself.
However, the ministry added that it “recognises its responsibilities towards regional peace and security.”
That is seen as a more conciliatory statement compared to the ones after previous bouts of escalation, and hence analysts are seeing a ray of hope.
Reuters quoted two regional officials, who were briefed by government authorities in Tehran, as saying that a number of high-level meetings were held to discuss scope of Iran’s response. One official stated that the damage was “very minimal” and that “several Revolutionary Guard bases inside Tehran and near the capital were targeted as well.”
Iranian channels showed footage to convey minimal impact of Israeli strikes.
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