JERUSALEM, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military said on Monday it had completed a large-scale strike on strategic air defense systems in Iran, amid the most serious escalation between the two countries since an April ceasefire.
Dozens of Israeli Air Force warplanes took part in the attack, the military said, adding the strikes targeted defense systems that had been "dismantled" during the U.S.-Israeli attack launched on Feb. 28 and had recently been redeployed across Iran as part of Tehran's efforts to restore its detection and defense capabilities.
The escalation came amid U.S.-Iran talks and followed Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday that killed at least two people. Iran responded with a barrage of missiles, and Israel retaliated early Monday with strikes targeting sites in western and central Iran. ■
