Israel launches airstrikes on Iran targeting military sites

Jerusalem, June 23 (IANS) Israel's military said that it carried out a wave of air strikes against military sites in western Iran and the capital Tehran, targeting infrastructure critical to Iran's missile and intelligence-gathering capabilities.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said approximately 20 fighter jets struck multiple targets using over 30 munitions. The intelligence-based operation focused on the provinces of Kermanshah and Hamedan in western Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.

The targets included storage facilities, missile launching infrastructure, satellites, and military radar sites, the IDF said. Additionally, a surface-to-air missile launcher was hit in the vicinity of Tehran.

Iranian state television acknowledged explosions east of the capital, noting the area contains several military installations, including the sensitive Parchin military complex.

Separately, in the central Isfahan province, an Israeli drone strike killed three people in an ambulance, Iran's ISNA news agency reported. The governor of Najafabad county, Hamidreza Mohammadi Fesharaki, was quoted by the agency as saying the vehicle was transporting a patient when it was hit. He reportedly added that all occupants, including the driver, patient, and a companion, were killed.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel would press ahead with its operations. "Israel will continue to operate at full tilt in both Iran and Gaza," he said, vowing not to be "dragged into a war of attrition."

"We will not stop this historic operation before we achieve our goals," Netanyahu stated.

--IANS

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