Israel-Iran October 2024

On 1 October 2024, Iran launched between 180 and 200 missiles against Israel in what it said was retaliation for the killing of the Hamas political leader, the leader of Hezbollah, and a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Hezbollah and Hamas, both proscribed by the UK as terrorist organisations, have long received significant support from Iran, including backing during their conflicts with Israel in 2023/24.

This is the second direct attack by Iran against Israel in 2024, following an attack in April 2024 that Iran said was in response to an attack on its consulate in Syria. The Commons Library briefing on the April 2024 attack provides more on the response to this earlier attack, including activity at the United Nations, and pre-existing and new sanctions targeting Iran.

The UK, alongside the United States, European partners and the G7 group condemned the Iranian attack in October 2024 as escalatory.

Israel said it would respond, and on 26 October 2024 it launched air strikes at Iran which it said targeted missile and drone manufacturing sites and aerial defences. Iran’s army said four soldiers and a civilian were killed. US President Joe Biden said he hoped Israel’s strike would be “the end” of the cycle of escalation. This briefing describes the Iranian and Israeli attacks and global response.

Why did Iran launch the October 2024 attack?

In July 2024 the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Iran. Iran accused Israel of carrying out an assassination and said it would respond. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. In September 2024 an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and a senior IRGC commander, Abbas Nilforoushan. Israel has confirmed it was responsible for Nasrallah’s death. Iran said the deaths would “not go unanswered”.

Following the missile attack on 1 October, Iran’s IRGC issued a statement saying it was a response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasallah and Abbas Nilforoushan. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Iran considered the issue “concluded” following its attack and any retaliation would be met “more powerfully”. He said if other states assisted Israel or allowed use of their airspace, Iran would consider them “legitimate targets”.

The US Department of Defense said that the October 2024 attack was “nearly twice the scope” of that in April and Iran “inten[ded] to cause destruction”.

Iran has long supported armed and terrorist groups across the Middle East to oppose Israel and extend its own influence. This includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. During the 2023/24 conflict, Iran has supported their attacks on Israel. Israel has launched military operations in both Gaza and Lebanon with the stated aims to “destroy Hamas’ governing and military capabilities and to bring the hostages home” and to halt Hezbollah’s attacks against northern Israel. The Commons Library research collection, Middle East instability in 2023/24, has more information on the region.

What did Israel and the United States say on the 1 October 2024 attack?

The Israeli Government stated most of the missiles were intercepted. Some civilian and military sites were hit, but without significant damage to Israeli forces or their capabilities. One Palestinian was killed in the occupied West Bank in the Iranian strike, and three in Jordan were reportedly injured.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and said Israel has an “obligation to respond”. Speaking on 6 October 2024, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said “at the moment, everything is on the table”. He also said that Iran’s attack was “aggressive but imprecise” and that “our attack will be deadly, precise and above all surprising”.

President Joe Biden said that the Israeli response should be “proportional” and he did not support strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities or strikes on its oil production. The US Department of Defense says that the direction of American discussions with Israel about its response were “inform[ed]” by American efforts on de-escalation and the prevention of a wider regional conflict.

Israel’s October 2024 attack on Iran

On 26 October 2024, Israel launched air strikes at locations near the Iranian capital, Tehran, and in the western province of Ilam and south-western Khuzestan. Iran’s army said four soldiers were killed in the attacks.

The Israel Defence Forces said it carried several waves of “precise and targeted” air strikes against Iranian missile and drone manufacturing sites and aerial defences. One component in the nuclear programme was targeted.

In a statement following the attacks, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the airstrikes as a “blatant violation of international law and the UN charter”. Iran urged the global community to end Israeli operations in Gaza and Lebanon. On 2 November 2024 the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, further threatened Israel and the United States with a “crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front [referring to the armed and terrorist groups Iran supports in the region, such as Hamas and Hezbollah]”.

What has been the UK response?

The UK already has RAF and other military assets in the Middle East region as part of Operation Shader (against Islamic State/Daesh) in Syria and Iraq. Additional UK forces have been deployed since 7 October 2023 to deter conflict in the region from escalating.

Following the Iranian missile attack on 1 October, the UK Ministry of Defence said that two RAF Typhoon fighter jets and a Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft had “played an important part in wider deterrence and efforts to prevent further escalation” but “they did not engage any [Iranian] targets”.

In a statement to the Commons on 7 October, the Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK’s involvement so far related to “Israel’s self-defence”, and this was support that the UK “would always be prepared to provide”.

The then Leader of the Opposition, Rishi Sunak, said “we stand unequivocally by Israel’s right to defend itself” and the Iranian attack was a “stark reminder of the existential threat” that Israel faces. Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Calum Miller tabled an early day motion stating that while Israel has the right to self-defence, “the best way” to keep its citizens safe and secure was “not to retaliate and risk a regional war”.

Following the Israeli strikes, the Prime Minister urged Iran not to respond. He said Israel had the right to self-defence and called for restraint. The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said Iran’s “escalatory”  attack reflected Iran’s “long history of malign […] activity”. He said that no UK troops were involved. The then Shadow Foreign Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, supported Israel’s right to defend itself and said “it has done so in a precise and targeted way”.

What new sanctions have been applied?

In his talks with the G7, President Biden suggested introducing further sanctions against Iran. The United States, European Union and United Kingdom apply a range of sanctions against Iran, including against the IRGC in its entirety, and against Iran’s missile and drone programmes. The US also has extensive sanctions against the Iranian economy, including its oil sector. Section 3 of the Library briefing, Israel-Iran April 2024, provides a summary.

Following the Iranian attack in October 2024, the US expanded its sanctions against Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors as a means to restrict Iranian government revenue. The UK has announced sanctions against members of the Iranian army, air force and IRGC intelligence, as well as two organisations. The UK applies 423 sanctions against Iran.