The United States urged Iran on Saturday to stop attacking Israel to break the cycle of violence after Israel launched strikes against the Islamic republic in retaliation for a missile barrage.
"We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation," US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.
The Israeli military conducted air strikes against Iran on Saturday, hitting military bases and missile sites, and other systems in several regions.
"Their response was an exercise in self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets, contrary to Iran's attack against Israel that targeted Israel's most populous city," he added.
Stressing that the United States did not participate in the operation, he said "it is our aim to accelerate diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region".
A senior administration official said President Joe Biden and his national security team have worked with the "Israelis over recent weeks to encourage Israel to conduct a response that was targeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm".
"And that appears to have been precisely what transpired this evening," the official told reporters.
President Biden had encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "to design a response that served to deter further attacks against Israel while reducing risks of further escalation, and that is our objective".
The Israeli military said its strikes hit Iran's missile manufacturing facilities, missile arrays and other systems in several regions.
Iran confirmed an Israeli attack had targeted military sites in the capital Tehran and other parts of the country, but said it had caused "limited damage".
Israel had vowed to hit back at Iran for its October 1 missile strike, the second-ever direct attack by the Islamic republic on its arch-foe.
The rapid escalation of violence has heightened fears across the region and beyond of a wider war, pitting Israel against Iran and the allies it dubs the "axis of resistance" on multiple fronts.
"Based on intelligence, IAF (air force) aircraft struck missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the State of Israel over the last year," Israel's military said in a statement.
"Simultaneously, the IDF (military) struck surface-to-air missile arrays and additional Iranian aerial capabilities," the army said, adding that the "retaliatory strike has been completed and the mission was fulfilled".
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