Israel admits damage to air bases following Iran's missile attack

Israel acknowledged on Wednesday that Iran's attack with dozens of ballistic missiles had caused damage in several air bases, Israeli media quoted the army as saying.

The army "acknowledges that some of its airbases were hit in last night’s Iranian missile attack on Israel," said a statement shared with local media. "The impacts damaged office buildings and other maintenance areas in the bases that do not impact the Israeli Air Force’s functioning."

It added that no "aircraft were damaged in the attack," and all of the missile impacts in the airbases are deemed by the military as “ineffective".

Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel on Tuesday night, which involved about 200 rockets, appeared to have done little damage despite the destruction the weapons can cause if they hit targets. Along with an attack on Israel by Iran in April, it is the largest ballistic missile attack in history.

The barrage was in retaliation to the killing of leadership of Iran's proxy groups, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and top Hamas negotiator Ismail Haniyeh, as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Abbas Nilforoushan.

Following the attack, the Middle East appeared to be on the brink of huge escalation as Israel pledged “powerful strikes” across the region in revenge, while Tehran threatened another retaliation if Israel responded to the attack. 

“This operation was carried out in defence of Iran’s interests and citizens," stressed Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who started in Doha a two-day trip on Wednesday.