Israel carried out airstrikes on the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday morning, targeting the country's nuclear program and raising the prospects of a full-scale war between the two Middle East rivals.
It was likely the largest attack Iran has faced since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, with strikes hitting multiple targets across the country.
The commander of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed in the attack, according to Iranian state television. Another senior guards official and two nuclear scientists were also killed.
Iranian state television has confirmed the death of General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces.
Israeli officials said the attack was necessary to prevent what they called an imminent threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons and warned of possible retaliation against Israeli civilians.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Israel would face “severe retaliation.”
In a statement carried by the state news agency IRNA, he said Israel “showed its evil and bloody hand by committing a crime in our beloved country, revealing its evil nature more than ever by attacking 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 of possible retaliation 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 installations, and also targeted senior officials overseeing Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal.
The strike comes as Israel warns it will not allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons, although it is unclear how close the country is to achieving that goal.
Mr Netanyahu, in a YouTube address, said 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 added, vowing to continue the attacks as long as it takes to “eliminate this threat.”
“This is a clear and present threat to the very existence of Israel.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the Israeli strike hit Iran's uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and said it was closely monitoring radiation levels.
The attack came amid rising tensions that have forced the US to recall some diplomats from Iraq and offer voluntary evacuation to 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 notified the US that it considered the strikes necessary for self-defense.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
