Israel launched attacks on Iran's capital Tehran on Friday morning, targeting the country's nuclear program and raising the risk of all-out war between the two Middle East rivals.
It appeared to be the biggest attack Iran has faced since its war with Iraq in the 1980s, with strikes targeting several targets across the country.
The leader of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has been killed, according to Iranian state television. Another senior guardsman and two nuclear scientists were also reported dead.
Iranian television also confirmed the death of General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces.
Israeli leaders said the attack was necessary to prevent what they called an imminent threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons and warned of the possibility of retaliation against Israeli citizens.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Israel would face “severe punishment.”
In a statement carried by the state news agency IRNA, he said Israel “has opened its evil and bloody hand to commit crime in our beloved country, demonstrating its maliciousness more than ever by targeting residential areas.”
In Washington, the Trump administration, which had previously warned Israel against attacking amid ongoing talks, said it had no role in the attack and warned Iran against retaliating against American interests or personnel.
The strike hit several sites in the capital, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said targeted both nuclear and military facilities, and targeted those responsible for Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal.
The attack comes as Israel warns it will not allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons, although it remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that goal.
Mr Netanyahu said in a YouTube address that the attacks would continue “for as many days as it takes to eliminate this threat”.
“It could take a year. It could happen in a matter of months,” he said, vowing to continue the attacks until “this threat is eliminated.”
“This is a clear and present threat to the very existence of Israel.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that an Israeli strike hit Iran's uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, saying it was closely monitoring radiation levels.
The strike came amid rising tensions that have prompted the United States to recall some diplomats from Iraq and offer voluntary evacuation for the families of American service members in the Middle East.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel had taken “unilateral action against Iran” and that Israel had advised the US it believed the strikes were necessary for self-defense.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
