A second day of Israeli strikes on Iran targeted a major airport in the capital, Tehran, and sought to weaken air defenses around the city, the military said on Saturday. Iran fired at least three waves of ballistic missiles at Israel, sending residents rushing to bomb shelters.
Israel attacked the Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran overnight between Friday and Saturday, according to Iranian state news media. The airport is used for both military and civilian purposes and IRNA, the state news agency, said a hangar for military jets there was targeted.
Video filmed by a witness in Tehran and verified by The New York Times showed thick black smoke billowing from the part of airport where military hangars are located.
Dozens of Israeli warplanes struck sites in Tehran overnight, including surface-to-air missile systems, as part of an effort to weaken the capital’s aerial defenses, the Israeli military said.
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, told reporters, “Tehran is no longer immune.” He said dozens of Israeli fighter jets had flown over the Iranian capital for more than two hours overnight alongside drones now stationed there on a standing basis, showing that the Israeli military had achieved “freedom of action.”
“This is the deepest we have ever operated in Iran,” General Defrin said.
An Iranian missile struck homes south of Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest metropolitan area, killing two people, according to Israeli authorities.
These attacks followed the launch of Israel’s shock assault on Iran on Friday, which began with a surprise, predawn attack on an array of targets connected to the country’s nuclear program and military.
Iran later responded with waves of ballistic missiles and drones that sent Israelis scrambling for reinforced shelters. Israel has conducted roughly 150 strikes on Iran over two days, an Israeli military official said on Saturday afternoon, while Iranian forces have fired roughly 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli territory, in addition to scores of drones.
At least four top Iranian military figures have been killed by Israel. The Israeli military also said on Saturday that it had killed nine senior scientists and experts in the country’s nuclear program.
Iran said on Friday that at least 78 people had been killed and more than 300 wounded in the Israeli attacks. An updated figure was not yet available by Saturday.
An Iranian missile landed overnight in a residential area of Rishon LeZion, a city south of Tel Aviv, killing two Israelis and wounding 19, according to the Israeli authorities.
One of those killed was Yisrael Aloni, a 73-year-old man, said Moria Malka, a city spokeswoman. The identity of the second person killed, a woman, has not been made public.
Malachy Browne and Adam Rasgon contributed reporting.
Aaron Boxerman is a Times reporter covering Israel and Gaza. He is based in Jerusalem.
Qasim Nauman is a Times editor in Seoul, covering breaking news from around the world.
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