Iran launched a massive two-wave attack on Israel with at least 180 ballistic missiles on Oct. 1, 2024. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) invoked the right to self-defense under the U.N. charter following Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC Brig. Gen. Seyyed Abbas Nilforoushan.
The IRGC claimed that 90 percent of the missiles hit their targets. Israel’s air defenses were “more fragile than glass,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said. Iranians rallied on the evening of the attack and the following day in Tehran and in the provinces to show support for the military. Iranians launched fireworks and waved Hezbollah, Palestinian and Iranian flags.
But Israel and the United States said that most of the weapons were intercepted. And the missiles that did impact caused minor damage. Israel pledged to respond.
Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, warned against a counterstrike. Israel “should expect the widespread and comprehensive destruction of its infrastructure within the occupied Palestinian lands if it responds in kind.”
Operation True Promise 2 was Tehran’s second direct attack on its regional rival in five months. Iran carried out the first attack, Operation True Promise, on April 13-14 in retaliation for Israel’s April 1 airstrike on Iran’s diplomatic mission in Damascus that killed three Revolutionary Guards generals as well as other military officials. Iran launched 170 suicide drones, more than 120 ballistic missiles, and more than 30 cruise missiles. That operation was also a failure. Israel claimed that some 99 percent of the weapons were intercepted.
Iran’s militia allies across the Middle East hailed the assault on Israel. “We congratulate the heroic rocket launch carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran, on large areas of our occupied territories,” Hamas said in a statement. In Baghdad, supporters of Iran-backed militias, including Kataib Hezbollah, gathered in Tahrir Square to celebrate the attack. The following are comments by senior Iranian officials and Tehran’s allies in Gaza, Yemen and Iraq.
Iran
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Oct. 1, 2024: “The great Islamic Ummah and the noble, martyr-loving people of Iran have witnessed a period of restraint following the violation of Iran’s sovereignty through the assassination of the martyr and resistance leader, Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, by the Zionist regime.”
“Under our right to self-defense, enshrined in the UN Charter, and in response to escalating aggressions supported by the United States, which have resulted in massacres in Lebanon and Gaza, and the martyrdom of the great mujahid, leader of the resistance axis and honorable Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the martyrdom of the brave commander and senior advisor of the IRGC, Major General Seyyed Abbas Nilforoushan, we have carried out an extensive military operation.”
“We have targeted the heart of the occupied territories, and Israel's response will be met with crushing attacks.”
“If the Zionist regime responds militarily to this operation, which is in full accordance with international laws and Iran's legal rights, they will face subsequent devastating and destructive attacks.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian
Oct. 2, 2024: Israel’s air defenses were “more fragile than glass.”
“Iran does not seek war, yet it is not afraid of it either.”
“The latest retaliatory attack proved that Iran will never be joking about the honor and pride of its nation.”
“After the assassination of Martyr Haniyeh in Tehran, which was a clear violation of Iran's sovereignty and national security, the Western countries kept asking Tehran to exercise restraint, promising to immediately establish a ceasefire in Gaza.”
“We did not take any action hoping that the genocide of the oppressed and innocent people of Gaza would stop by the Zionist regime, but this criminal and bloodthirsty regime not only continued to kill innocent women and children, but also expanded the scope of its crimes to Lebanon and by exploding communication devices (pagers).”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
Earlier this evening, we exercised self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, targeting solely military & security sites in charge of genocide in #Gaza and #Lebanon.
We did so after exercising tremendous restraint for almost two months, to give space for a ceasefire in… pic.twitter.com/SJJrAhxIdN— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) October 1, 2024
Iranian Mission to the United Nations
Oct. 1, 2024: “Iran’s legal, rational, and legitimate response to the terrorist acts of the Zionist regime—which involved targeting Iranian nationals and interests and infringing upon the national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran—has been duly carried out. Should the Zionist regime dare to respond or commit further acts of malevolence, a subsequent and crushing response will ensue. Regional states and the Zionists’ supporters are advised to part ways with the regime.”
Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces
Oct. 2, 2024: “After Martyr Haniyeh’s assassination, Iran went through a tough period of self-restraint amid repeated requests by the Americans and Europeans, who would ask us to exercise self-restraint so they would establish a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.”
“However, after Seyed Hassan Nasrallah’s and (Brigadier) General (Abbas) Nilforoushan’s martyrdom, the situation was no longer tolerable.”
“If the Zionist regime, which has reached madness, was not controlled by the United States and Europe, and sought to either continue its atrocities or take action against our territorial integrity and sovereignty, tonight’s operation would be repeated with multiple magnitude and all of their infrastructures would be struck.”
Israel “should expect the widespread and comprehensive destruction of its infrastructure within the occupied Palestinian lands if it responds in kind.”
Outside interference by the United States or others would provoke “a powerful and regret-inducing response against their centers and interests across the region.”
Hamas
Oct. 1, 2024: “We congratulate the heroic rocket launch carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran, on large areas of our occupied territories, in response to the occupation’s continuing crimes against the peoples of the region, and in retaliation for the blood of our nation’s heroic martyrs.”
Hamas Ezzedine al Qassam Brigades Spokesman Abu Ubaidah
Oct. 1, 2024: “Today marks a pivotal moment in the history of the conflict, as the flames of the nation’s resistance converge in the skies over Palestine. Tel Aviv now faces the strikes of the Mujahidin from Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iran. This is a call to the entire nation, urging everyone to unite as a single arrow aimed at the liberation of Palestine.”
Houthis
Oct. 1, 2024: “We congratulate Iran on its operation, which targeted military objectives deep within occupied Palestine.”
Houthi Spokesperson Mohammad Abdulsalam
Oct. 1, 2024: “Deterring the Zionist entity and confronting it is the only way to reign it in and prevent it from escalating its barbaric crime against the Lebanese and Palestinian people and the rest of the region”.
Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee
Oct. 1, 2024: “If the Americans intervene in any hostile action against the Islamic Republic or if the Zionist enemy uses Iraqi airspace to carry out any bombing operations on its territory, then all American bases and interests in Iraq and the region will be our target.”