Iran says it has a ‘right to self-defense’ after Israel attack, as U.S. urges end to missile exchanges

The strikes drew condemnation from other nations in the Middle East. Qatar and Saudi Arabia called the attack a “flagrant violation of Iran’s sovereignty,” while Iraq accused Israel of continuing its “aggressive policies.”Jordan, one of the U.S.’ closest allies in the region, called the strikes a “dangerous escalation” that “threatens the stability of the region.”

The IDF said the strikes were in response to “months of continuous attacks” from Iran and its allies in the region, the latest in a tit-for-tat cycle of response and retaliation that has been going on for months.

On Oct. 1, Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel which it said it was a retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, as well as the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in September, alongside a senior commander of the Iranian revolutionary guard. That barrage caused little damage to the country.

The assassinations aimed to weaken the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah, with whom Israel has been engaged in heavy warfare in Gaza and Lebanon since October 2023.

They came after a tense exchange between Israel and Iran in April, that began when Israel bombed an Iranian consular compound in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing commanders and advisers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran responded to that attack with a drone and missile barrage on Israel that was at the time unprecedented. Israel retaliated with a limited strike on Iran which caused little damage.

Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war for decades, that prior to last year has mostly been fought with covert attacks or via Iran’s proxies, which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen and forces in Syria and Iraq.

U.S. defense officials told NBC News that Israel had told their American counterparts about Saturday’s strikes ahead of time, but that the U.S. was not involved in the attack.

While Iran had previously promised to retaliate to any form of Israeli aggression, some believe the apparently limited nature of Israel’s attack could potentially serve as an end to direct conflict between the two nations.

Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum of Tel Aviv University Dayan Center at, told NBC News on Saturday that Israel has given Iran a reason “not to respond” in a way that escalates tensions further, adding that Israel has already shown its air defenses can handle an attack, while the presence of American troops would also serve as a deterrence.

“It seems right now, at least, they have more reason not to respond in a very tough manner,” he said, before expressing caution that it was too early to tell the full extent of Israel’s strikes.

Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow with Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Program, echoed Milshtein’s cautious optimism.

“The fact that Iran is downplaying the attack and what’s been hit is good news,” he told NBC News on the phone. “By them being dismissive about the damage, it gives them space to say ‘that’s done, scores are settled.'”

Mekelberg added that the end of any direct conflict with Iran, alongside the killings of leaders in the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups, could create space to move from military action “to the diplomatic, political sphere.”

“Whether Israel and Iran will think like this is a different matter,” he added.