The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported Monday that Israeli warplanes carried out precision strikes on Quds Force command centers in Tehran, a dramatic escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran.
The IDF said the operation was predicated on "accurate intelligence" and was intended to disable infrastructure used to plan attacks on Israel.
The Air Force bombed Quds Force headquarters in Tehran. Air Force warplanes bombed the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force and the Iranian army headquarters, guided by accurate intelligence orders from the Intelligence Department," the IDF wrote on a post on X.
"In these headquarters, Quds agents coordinated terrorist operations against Israel through the branches of the Iranian regime in the Middle East," the statement continued.
A companion graph posted by the Israeli military showed that ten sites were hit in the operation.
The Quds Force, a unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), is regularly blamed by Israel for leading foreign military operations and supporting regional proxy forces, including Lebanon's Hezbollah.
As a retaliation to the Israeli attack, Iran launched ballistic missiles into the heart of Israel, which killed at least four and injured dozens, according to reports.
The emergency service Magen David Adom said it took 87 people to hospitals. One woman with critical facial wounds and five others in moderate condition were among the injured. The other victims had minor injuries.
Casualties in Iran have also escalated. After four nights of successive bombardments by Israel, the Health Ministry of Iran declared that a minimum of 230 individuals had lost their lives, with civilians making up around 90 percent of victims.
Despite the mounting death toll, Iran has refused to engage in ceasefire discussions while active Israeli airstrikes continue. Reports suggest Tehran communicated to mediators in Qatar and Oman that meaningful negotiations could only commence after Iran completes its military response to the Israeli actions.
Israeli commanders assert that their attacks have inflicted devastating blows not just against Iranian military bases but also to the nation's nuclear capabilities. The government maintains that several top military commanders and nuclear experts were among those who died in the raids.
Late last night, Israeli troops attacked more than 80 locations in Tehran, expanding their campaign from military and nuclear targets to oil installations and government compounds.
On Sunday, Israel carried out airstrikes that destroyed two massive fuel storage facilities in Tehran and also hit Ahvaz, a city located in Khuzestan province, which is oil-rich.
Other key targets were the headquarters of Tehran's police and defense ministry and a sensitive defense facility in Isfahan.
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