ACTIVISTS have slammed the claim by Israel that its latest attack on Iran was a retaliation for a missile barrage against it earlier this month.

Israel launched an attack against military targets in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces of Iran on Saturday, killing four military air defence personnel.

The Israeli military said its aircraft targeted facilities that Iran used to make the missiles fired at Israel as well as surface-to-air missile sites.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately said today that Israel’s strikes “severely harmed” Iran and that the barrage “achieved all its goals.”

There was no indication that Iran’s oil or nuclear sites were struck. The US had urged Israel to avoid hitting them. 

Iran insisted the strikes caused only “limited damage,” and Iranian media downplayed the attack. 

The moves suggested at least for now that both countries are trying to avoid a more serious escalation.

But the attacks still risk spiralling violence in the Middle East which already engulfs Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as regular bombing of Yemen and Syria.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today that the Israeli attack “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed,” stopping short of calling for an immediate retaliatory strike. 

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has “no limits” in defending its interests and called for the UN security council to condemn Israel for the attacks.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, that “Iran should not make the mistake of responding to Israel’s strikes, which should mark the end of this exchange,” according to Major General Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The pair reportedly spoke on Friday and Saturday.

But activists have slammed the notion that Israel was acting in retaliation.

US-based Journalist Danny Haiphong said “Israel was conducting another act of aggression of several this year which have continuously violated Iran’s sovereignty.“

US-Iranian academic and political analyst Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi argued that Israel had already “carried out many provocations [before] Iran decided that it must respond after its embassy was bombed in Damascus.”

Professor Marandi also accused the US of being complicit in the attack on Iran because the “US controls Iraqi airspace,” used by Israeli fighter planes.