Why has Israel attacked Iran?

An Israeli rocket has deed Iran, US officials person told nan BBC's partner CBS News - an onslaught that is wide seen arsenic its consequence to Iran's rocket and drone onslaught connected Israel.

Iran's ain nonstop onslaught connected Israel - its first ever - was successful move retaliation for an Israeli onslaught connected nan Iranian consulate successful nan Syrian superior Damascus, which killed elder subject commanders.

Previously Israel and Iran had been engaged successful a years-long protector warfare - attacking each other's assets without admitting responsibility.

Those attacks person ratcheted up considerably during nan existent warfare successful Gaza sparked by nan Palestinian group Hamas's battle connected adjacent Israeli communities past October.

The 2 countries were friends until nan 1979 Islamic gyration successful Iran, which brought successful a authorities that has utilized opposing Israel arsenic a cardinal portion of its ideology.

Iran does not recognise Israel's correct to beryllium and seeks its eradication. The country's ultimate leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has antecedently called Israel a "cancerous tumour" that "will undoubtedly beryllium uprooted and destroyed".

Israel believes that Iran poses an existential threat arsenic evidenced by Tehran's rhetoric, its build-up of proxy forces successful nan region including nan Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah that are sworn to Israel's destruction, and its backing and arming of Palestinian groups including Hamas.

It besides accuses Iran of secretly trying to create atomic weapons, though Iran denies seeking to build a atomic bomb.

The 1 April aerial onslaught connected an Iranian consulate building successful nan Syrian superior Damascus killed 13 people. Iran said it was a usurpation of its sovereignty.

Those killed included Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi - a elder commandant successful nan Quds force, nan overseas branch of Iran's elite Republican Guards (IRGC). He had been a cardinal fig successful nan Iranian cognition to limb nan Lebanese Shia equipped group Hezbollah.

The consulate onslaught follows a shape of aerial strikes against Iranian targets wide attributed to Israel. Several elder IRGC commanders person been killed successful aerial strikes successful Syria successful caller months.

The IRGC channels arms and equipment, including precocious precision missiles, done Syria to Hezbollah. Israel is trying to extremity these deliveries, arsenic good arsenic seeking to forestall Iran from strengthening its subject beingness successful Syria.

Iran launched much than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel, nan Israeli subject said. The onslaught included 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles and astatine slightest 110 ballistic missiles.

Some 99% of nan incoming barrage was intercepted either extracurricular Israeli airspace aliases complete nan state itself, Israel said. Israel and countries including nan US, UK, France and Jordan intercepted drones and cruise missiles while its three-trier umbrella of rocket defence systems intercepted ballistic missiles.

Nevertheless, 2 US officials told CBS news that 5 ballistic missiles evaded aerial defences and impacted connected Israeli territory. Four landed successful nan Nevatim aerial guidelines successful nan Negev godforsaken successful confederate Israel - wherever nan country's F-35 combatant jets are based - which nan officials said was Iran's superior target. The Israeli subject said nan guidelines had been "lightly hit".

Tom Fletcher, a overseas argumentation advisor to respective UK premier ministers and a erstwhile UK ambassador to Lebanon, said "Iran did telegraph these attacks successful beforehand which made them easier to deter".

Sanam Vakil from nan Chatham House deliberation vessel said: "The strikes were surely calibrated, directed to subject installations pinch nan purpose of not inflicting excessively overmuch harm aliases hurting anyone."

US officials person confirmed to nan BBC's partner CBS News that an Israeli onslaught targeted Iran successful nan early hours of Friday.

It is unclear what type of weapons were utilized and wherever they were launched from. US sources said a rocket was progressive successful nan attack, while Iran said it had progressive mini drones.

Iran's Fars news agency said explosions were heard adjacent an service guidelines and aerial defence systems were activated.

Hossein Dalirian, a spokesperson for Iran's National Centre of Cyberspace, said location was "no aerial onslaught from extracurricular borders". He said Israel had "only made a grounded and humiliating effort to alert quadcopters [drones] and nan quadcopters person besides been changeable down".

Isfahan state is simply a ample area successful nan centre of Iran which takes its sanction from its largest city. The region is location to important Iranian subject infrastructure, including a ample airbase, a awesome rocket accumulation analyzable and respective atomic facilities.

Iran is overmuch bigger than Israel geographically and has a organization of astir 90 million, astir 10 times arsenic large arsenic Israel's - but this does not construe into greater subject power.

Iran has invested heavy successful missiles and drones. It has a immense arsenal of its own, but has besides been supplying important amounts to its proxies - nan Houthis successful Yemen and Hezbollah successful Lebanon.

What it lacks is modern aerial defence systems and combatant jets. Russia is believed to beryllium co-operating pinch Iran to amended those, including by providing Su-35 combatant jets, successful return for nan subject support Tehran has fixed Moscow successful its warfare connected Ukraine.

By contrast, Israel has 1 of nan astir precocious aerial forces successful nan world. According to nan IISS subject equilibrium report, Israel has astatine slightest 14 squadrons of jets - including F-15s, F-16s and nan latest F-35 stealth jet.

Israel besides has acquisition of conducting strikes heavy wrong dispute territory. The shortest region betwixt Iran and Israel is astir 1,000km (620 miles).

Israel is assumed to person its ain atomic weapons but maintains an charismatic argumentation of deliberate ambiguity.

Iran does not person atomic weapons and besides denies it is attempting to usage its civilian atomic programme to go a atomic equipped state.

Last twelvemonth nan world atomic watchdog recovered uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity - very adjacent to weapons people - astatine Iran's underground Fordo site. Iran said "unintended fluctuations" successful enrichment levels whitethorn person occurred.

Iran has been openly enriching uranium to 60% purity for much than 2 years successful breach of a 2015 atomic woody pinch world powers.

However that woody has been adjacent to illness since US President Donald Trump pulled retired unilaterally and reinstated crippling sanctions connected Iran successful 2018. Israel had opposed nan atomic woody successful nan first place.

Iran has built up a web of friends and proxy forces successful nan Middle East that it says shape portion of an "axis of resistance" challenging US and Israeli interests successful nan region. It supports them to varying degrees.

Syria is Iran's astir important ally. Iran, on pinch Russia, helped nan Syrian authorities of Bashar al-Assad past nan country's decade-long civilian war.

Iran's narration pinch Russia is besides becoming progressively significant. In December nan Russian overseas ministry said nan countries would velocity up activity connected a "major caller interstate agreement".

Iran has provided Russia pinch Shahed onslaught drones. In February, Reuters quoted sources arsenic saying Iran had besides provided ballistic missiles. Iran denied nan report. Meanwhile Iran says Russia plans to supply Iran pinch much precocious aircraft.

Of nan equipped groups that Iran backs, Hezbollah successful Lebanon is nan astir powerful. It has been trading cross-border occurrence pinch Israel connected an almost regular ground since warfare erupted betwixt Israel and Hamas. Tens of thousands of civilians connected some sides of nan separator person been forced to time off their homes.

Iran backs respective Shia militia successful Iraq which person attacked US bases successful Iraq, Syria and Jordan pinch rocket fire. The US retaliated aft 3 of its soldiers were killed astatine a subject outpost successful Jordan.

In Yemen, Iran provides support to nan Houthi movement, which controls nan astir populated areas of nan country. The Houthis person fired missiles and drones astatine Israel and person besides been attacking commercialized shipping adjacent its shores, sinking astatine slightest 1 vessel. The US and UK person struck Houthi targets successful response.

Iran besides provides weapons and training to Palestinian equipped groups including Hamas, which attacked Israel connected 7 October past year. However, Iran denies immoderate domiciled successful nan 7 October onslaught itself.