They had boasted of Israeli “weakness” but when the cruise missiles first struck just after 2.15am on Saturday, the Iranians appeared completely unprepared.
As the regime scrambled aircraft and sought to stop the Israeli onslaught with outdated air defences, it was only a few minutes before plumes of smoke were rising around Tehran.
In a humiliating admission, Iran acknowledged that its capital had been struck during a swift four-hour IDF operation, which saw key nuclear and oil targets overlooked by Israel, under pressure from the US to avoid an escalation of the Middle East conflicts.
After weeks of speculation, leaks and fierce battles against Iran’s proxies on its borders, Israel finally launched its retaliation against Tehran’s missile barrage last month.
Codenamed “Days of Repentance”, Israel declared the “mission completed” after bombing strategic military targets across the Islamic Republic and triggering panic in Iranian cities by the time fighter jets returned home.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, had promised Iran “would pay for it” after launching a barrage of 180 missiles and drones which rained down on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Oct 1.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, he sat in a war room wearing a black puffer jacket and blue shirt as the order was given to fire the first missiles towards Tehran, southern Khuzestan and western Ilam provinces.
Flanking him were Yoav Gallant, the defence minister, and generals at the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) headquarters in Kirya, Tel Aviv, as fighter jets targeted the factories and storage facilities used to make the weapons launched 1,500km (932 miles) in the other direction three weeks ago.
At one point, Maj Gen Herzi Halevi, commanding the mission, was seen looking tense, as Gen Tomer Bar, the air force commander, gave instructions on a military phone, as the first wave against Iranian air defences had been completed.
As the first of the missiles fired by supersonic F-35 stealth fighters struck, Iran tried to downplay the impact of the attack as videos emerged showing an apocalyptic Tehran skyline.
US and Israeli officials claimed that three waves of strikes took place, first targeting the country’s air defence systems.
The screech of ballistic missiles descending towards the ground before crashing into their targets was followed by orange flashes in the sky and a firework-like sound, as Iran attempted to shoot down incoming rockets with what was left of its air defence system.
Dozens of Israeli fighter jets, supported by refuellers and spy planes, then returned with two more waves targeting the bases and factories of drones and missiles which could be used in a repeat of Iran’s last attack against Israel.
In Khuzestan, the grey cloudy skies were lit up as missiles exploded at Dezful Military Airport and a nearby surface-to-air missile site.
Smoke was seen rising from an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) airbase near the town of Khojir, while scrambled Iranian aircraft which were reportedly heard over Tehran made no impact.
In desperation, some Iranian forces resorted to primitive measures, attempting in vain to use anti-aircraft guns to target long-range missiles.
Explosions were also reported at Isfahan, home to a military base and a missile production factory, as well as Mashhad, where an Iranian airfield is located.
Among the other targets reportedly hit was the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and the Russian S-300 air defence of Imam Khomeini International Airport near Tehran.
One of several Israeli drones also struck the secretive Parchin military base on the outskirts of the capital, with the other autonomous aircraft shot down.
Four Iranian soldiers were killed during the strikes including an officer equivalent to the rank of major.
While the Iranian military command urged citizens to maintain “unity and calm” during the crisis, drivers were queuing for fuel before sunrise.
Long after the last Israeli planes had returned home, Iranian airspace was closed until 9am.
In what it had told allies was preventing further escalation, Israel appeared to have stopped short of hitting nuclear facilities and oil refineries which would have devastated Iran, instead focusing on thwarting “immediate threats to the State of Israel”.
Israel is said to have been ready to attack for days, despite some details of the planning being leaked from the US.
According to some reports, they waited until Saturday morning because of the weather.
‘End of direct conflict’
Nevertheless, the surprisingly limited nature of the attack was perhaps intended to give Tehran an off-ramp, a hope acknowledged by the White House which briefed that this “should be the end of direct conflict” between the two countries.
What Iran thinks about that remains unclear. In the lead-up to the attack, Gen Hossein Salami had warned Israel not to “repeat your mistake” and said it would respond “painfully”, adding: “We do know the enemy’s (Israel) weakness”.
However, it is Iran that is now left dangerously vulnerable if it chooses to launch another salvo against Israel, with a number of its air defences dismantled and missile launch sites decimated.
Iran’s national air defence headquarters initially said that its “integrated air defence system successfully intercepted and countered this aggressive action”.
But it then confirmed hits on “military centres” in Tehran, southern Khuzestan, and western Ilam provinces.
The headquarters described the Israeli operation as “criminal and illegal”, adding: “Despite previous warnings… to refrain from any adventurous actions, this illegitimate regime carried out a provocative attack.”
Whether the tit-for-tat continues between the two states, who do not share a border, now lies with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, and how the country will respond.
‘A heavy price’
Sources told Tasnim, the IRGC-affiliated news agency, that “Iran is prepared to respond to any act of aggression by Israel” but as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem woke up to the news of the strike, Israel issued a further warning to Tehran.
Lt Col Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said: “If the regime in Iran makes the mistake and starts a new round of escalation – we will be obliged to respond.
“Our message is clear: anyone who threatens the state of Israel and strives to drag the region into a wider escalation will pay a heavy price.”
State television in Iran started a coordinated effort on Saturday to project normalcy across the country following the Israeli strikes, with channels airing live scenes from various cities to demonstrate business as usual.
But the display of calm was repeatedly interrupted by pundits demanding a forceful response.
“They have officially directly attacked Iran and it should have an appropriate response to make it balance,” one analyst said on state television.
The IDF’s focus for now will return to its year-long war in Gaza against Iran-backed Hamas and the battle against Hezbollah in Lebanon following the recent ground invasion.
Within hours of the retaliation, Hezbollah has continued its daily rocket fire over the Lebanon border launching more than 80 missiles towards Israel.
Israelis will hope the sirens no longer sound for a direct attack by the terror group’s backer, Iran.
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