Second Wave: Israel Strikes Iran Nationwide; Hits near Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashhad

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a second wave of airstrikes against Iran early Saturday morning, as hits were reported across the entire breadth of the country.

As Breitbart News reported, the IDF announced earlier that it had begun attacks on Iranian military targets in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attacks and other attacks.

Explosions were initially reported near the Iranian capital city of Tehran. Iranian official sources reportedly denied that Israel had penetrated Iranian airspace, and claimed the explosions were the result of Iranian air defenses.

Iran relies on Russian S-300 and S-400 systems to defend its skies; it has an aging air force of U.S.-made fighters.

Sources reported that a second wave of attacks had begun, and Israel’s Army Radio confirmed that attacks on Iran were ongoing. Army Radio reported that strikes were reported throughout Iran — near Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashhad, and the northern region of the country, near the area known as Kurdistan.

According to Army Radio, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is personally overseeing the attack on Iran from the IDF’s underground headquarters, known as the “Kirya,” in Tel Aviv.

It was not immediately clear what the targets of the attack were, but they were said to be military in nature.

Iran would essentially be defenseless against Israel if the IDF were able to destroy its missile sites and air defenses.

Formerly, Iran used its terrorist proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen as deterrents — and, indeed Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel after the Israeli retaliation began. However, these proxies have been severely downgraded in their capabilities after a year of war, in which they attacked Israel and the IDF responded with devastating force.

Sirens were triggered in northern Israel early Saturday, apparently by drones fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon. No damage was reported.

Israel reportedly informed the White House before beginning the attack. American responses thus far have been muted, but the U.S. has indicated that Israel is acting in legitimate self-defense against Iran and its terrorist proxies.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.