En route to the strike on Iran
En route to the strike on IranIDF spokesperson

Two Iranian officials told The New York Times that among Iran's S-300 air defense system, located at the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran and intended to protect Tehran, was among the approximately 20 sites struck in Israel's retaliatory attack Friday night.

One of the officials is a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

According to the sources, at least three Revolutionary Guards bases were struck in Tehran, and the "secret" military base in Parchin was struck by one drone; two others were shot down.

An Israeli official confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the S-300s were targeted, adding, "The message is that we don’t want an escalation, but if Iran decides to escalate and attack Israel again," the removal of the S-300s increases Israel's "range of freedom of movement in the Iranian skies."

Elaph, a Saudi Arabian news site, reported that Israel struck a missile factory containing heavy fuel mixers used to power the Khaybar and Qassem ballistic missiles used in the October 1 strike. The site, which cited an informed source, added that the factory was completely destroyed and will take two years to repair.

The factory was considered the spine of Iran's missile development, and Israel has now put it completely out of use, the source added. Reports said that four buildings at Parchin were affected

The Israeli strike was unanimously approved Friday night in an hour-long phone vote held by the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet. Kan 11 reported that at least three Cabinet ministers were apprehensive about the intensity of the strike, but none of them voted against it.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry harshly condemned the strikes, calling it a "severe provocation" which threatens regional stability. A senior source promised that Iran will not ignore the strike, and Israel will receive an "appropriate response.

However, Iran has largely downplayed the severity of the strike, saying the damage was minimal and that the attack was a "weak" attempt at retaliation for the October 1 ballistic missile barrage.

The New York Times quoted analysts as noting that such statements could be attempts to allow the Iranian government an "exit ramp" if it decides not to respond and further escalate the situation.

The site noted that prior to the Israeli attack, Iranian officials clarified that Iran's response would depend on the "severity and scope" of Israel's strikes.

Omid Memarian, an Iran expert at DAWN, a Washington-based think tank that focuses on American foreign policy in the Middle East, told the Times, "The downplaying of the attacks by Israel, regardless of its scale or targets, indicates a deliberate effort to avoid escalating tensions and going to war. The Iranian regime knows it is at a significant disadvantage militarily."