At least 30 Iranian military personnel killed in Israeli airstrikes
Synopsis
Meanwhile, Iraq lodged a UN complaint against Israel for using its airspace and urged both Iran and the US to avoid escalating regional tensions.
Tehran: Authorities in Iran's northwest said that Israeli air strikes since Friday had killed at least 30 military personnel in East Azerbaijan province, according to news agency ISNA. "Following the Zionist regime's aggression against this province since Friday morning, 30 military personnel and one Red Crescent member have been martyred in defence of the Islamic homeland, and 55 people have been injured," ISNA reported on Saturday, quoting East Azerbaijan provincial authorities.
Israel's defence minister had warned on Saturday that "Tehran will burn" and its residents pay dearly if Iran continues its missile strikes against Israeli civilians.
Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran early Friday, only days before Iran and the United States had been due to hold a sixth round of talks on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme. The operation -- dubbed "Rising Lion" -- has since killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, among other senior generals.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had Tehran in its sights after strikes on dozens of missile launchers and air defences in the area around the Iranian capital. "The way to Iran has been paved," the military's chief of staff and air force chief were quoted as saying in a statement. The military "is proceeding according to its operational plans, and (Israeli air force) fighters jets are set to resume striking targets in Tehran," it added.
Iraq lodges complaint against Israel over use of airspace
Baghdad on Friday lodged a complaint with the United Nations over Israel's use of its airspace to attack Iran. Iraq has also approached the Iranian and US governments in a bid to prevent being caught up in a regional escalation, officials said Saturday, as Washington's ally Israel and Iran traded blows. The government in Baghdad is a close ally of Tehran, but also a strategic partner of Iran's arch-foe the United States, which has some 2,500 troops in Iraq as part of an anti-jihadist coalition.
A senior Iraqi security official told AFP that Baghdad had asked Tehran not to strike US targets in its territory. "The request was made. They promised us positive things," the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
An Iraqi government official, also requesting anonymity, said "Iraq officially asked the United States not to allow Israeli aircraft to violate Iraqi airspace".
"The United States... is required to assume its responsibilities and prevent any violations that affect Iraq's security or endanger its stability," the government official said, citing Washington's role as the leader of the international coalition against the Islamic State group.
Before the current escalation, which began early Friday with a series of Israeli attacks on military and nuclear sites in Iran, Tehran had threatened to strike military bases hosting US forces in the region in the event of any conflict should nuclear talks with Washington fail.
Throughout the Gaza war, which began in October 2023 and has pitted Israel against Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, Tehran-aligned armed factions have launched dozens of rocket and drone attacks targeting US forces in Iraq and in neighbouring Syria.
Before the wave of attacks on Iran began, the United States on Wednesday announced it was reducing staffing at its Baghdad embassy, citing security reasons. Several pro-Iran groups in Iraq called on Friday for the accelerated departure of US forces from the country, with the powerful Kataeb Hezbollah warning of "additional wars in the region".
(With inputs from AFP)