Iran and Israel's first direct strikes on each other, in April and October 2024

On April 13, Iran launched its attack. Israel said more than 300 drones and missiles had been fired at it and that 99% were intercepted with help from its allies.^[4] The United States and Britain imposed new sanctions on Iran, after the attack.^[9] On April 19, Iran fired air defenses as explosions were heard near a major air base by the city of Isfahan,^[10] in an apparent Israeli attack.^[10] Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later dismissed discussion of how many of Iran's projectiles had reached their targets.^[5]

Iran vowed revenge on Israel at the end of July after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, an attack that raised questions about Israeli infiltration of Iran's security services.^[11] Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a guided-missile submarine and an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East as Israel braced for Iranian retaliation.^[12] In late September, a US official said the Biden administration feared another Iranian attack following Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and was working with Israel on defenses.^[13]

On October 1, Iran fired roughly 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, which the United States helped to fend off.^[6] President Joe Biden opposed an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites.^[13] The Pentagon said it would send an advanced anti-missile system, known as THAAD, and US troops to operate it in Israel.^[14] Israel reportedly assured the United States that it would not strike Iran's nuclear or oil facilities.^[6] Meanwhile, classified US documents describing Israel's preparations for a strike appeared on the Telegram messaging app,^[15] and the Justice Department later charged a man who had worked for the CIA overseas with leaking them.^[16]

On October 26, Israel carried out what it called precise strikes on military targets in Iran.^[7] Satellite photos showed damage at a secretive base southeast of Tehran that experts had linked to Iran's onetime nuclear weapons program and at another base tied to its ballistic missile program.^[17] Khamenei then threatened Israel and the United States with "a crushing response."^[18]