Two Iranian soldiers were killed in the Israeli attack on military sites across Iran, according to the army on Saturday, as Arab countries slammed Israel's retaliatory strikes amid concerns about escalation in the region.
The soldiers were killed in action, reported the Iranian Tasnim news agency, which is considered the mouthpiece of the country's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
They died in Israel's widely-anticipated retaliatory attack, during which it said it conducted "precise strikes" on military targets.
The targets included missile production facilities, ground-to-air missile systems and air defence systems, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said.
Iranian state media had reported explosions near the capital, Tehran, home to 15 to 20 million people. Early in the morning, explosions could also be heard in the city centre and anti-aircraft fire was visible.
Israel's strikes on Iranian targets are seen as retaliation for Iran's October 1 attack on Israel, in which it launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state.
Hagari warned Iran not to escalate further, saying if it did, Israel would be "obliged to respond."
But in Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the country is "entitled and obliged to defend itself" after the strikes.
Amid fears of an all-out war, several Arab countries criticized Israel's strikes.
Saudi Arabia said it condemns the military targeting of Iran and called the attack a "violation of its sovereignty and a violation of international law."
Last year, Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran, which supported opposing sides of the conflicts in Yemen and Syria, agreed in a China-brokered deal to restore ties after a rupture of seven years.
In a statement, the oil-rich monarchy urged all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and warned of the "consequences of continuing military conflicts" in the region.
Calling the attack a "blatant violation" of Iran's sovereignty, Qatar also voiced "extreme concern" over potential "dangerous" consequences and called for restraint.
Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been mediating for months between Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas movement in an attempt to clinch a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The United Arab Emirates and Oman, two other Gulf countries, condemned the Israeli attack too.
Iraq, home to Iran-aligned militias, also blasted the Israeli strikes and expressed solidarity with neighbouring Iran.
"Iraq has previously warned of the severe consequences resulting from the international community's silence on the brutal actions of the Zionist entity [Israel], including its attacks against our people in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and now this new aggression against Iran," a government spokesman said in an online statement.
Iran's new Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited several Arab countries just days ago, promoting diplomacy in the region.
European countries also urged restraint following the Israeli attack.
"Iran should not respond," said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a visit to Samoa. "We will continue to work with allies to de-escalate the situation in the region."
France also called for restraint after the attacks. "France urgently calls on the parties to refrain from any escalation and action that could worsen the extreme tension in the region," said a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
Meanwhile fighting continues in the region. Since the start of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, pro-Iranian militias in the region have claimed a spate of attacks on Israel.
Israel has been trying to push back the Shiite militia organization Hezbollah from its northern border, while continuing its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Detonation of Hezbollah depot causes false earthquake warning
The controlled detonation of an underground ammunition depot belonging to Hezbollah by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon triggered an earthquake warning in large parts of northern Israel on Saturday, according to media reports.
Israel's geological institute confirmed that the powerful explosion had caused faulty warning messages from the Israeli civil defence, according to a report by the Ynet news site.
"The warning system identified the explosion as an earthquake," the institute said.
Israeli media reported that the warning frightened many residents of northern Israel after months of missile alerts in the region due to Hezbollah attacks.
Similar reports came from those still living in Lebanese villages near the Israeli border. A resident of the southern Lebanese town of Marjayoun told dpa, "Our beds moved, the lamps swayed back and forth. The sounds were terrifying."
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