Israel launched `pre-emptive' strikes on Iran early Saturday, with multiple explosions reported across Tehran, sharply escalating tensions between the two regional rivals.
An Israeli military spokesperson said the country had “launched a pre-emptive strike against Iran to remove threats to the state of Israel”, without immediately providing details on the targets.
Blasts were heard in several parts of the Iranian capital in the early hours, according to local reports. There was no immediate confirmation from Tehran on the extent of the damage or casualties.
In anticipation of retaliatory action, Israel closed its airspace and declared a nationwide state of emergency. Authorities warned of possible Iranian drone and missile strikes in response to the attack.
The strikes mark a significant escalation in the long-running shadow conflict between the two countries and raise fears of a wider regional confrontation.
The Israeli strikes happen amid diplomatic efforts between US and Iranian officials for a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear programme and avert a war, and negotiations were expected to continue next week.
Iran had made concessions in the talks, although US President Donald Trump - who had previously threatened to attack Iran to put pressure on its leaders to accept a deal - said yesterday he was not “thrilled” with the way the discussions were going.
It is not immediately unclear if the US military was involved in the initial attacks, and what the targets were.
Trump has ordered the largest US military build-up in the Middle East since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but has done little to explain why there could be the need to take military action now. Iran, meanwhile, has vowed to respond to an attack with force.
The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said the “pre-emptive strike” was to “remove threats against the State of Israel”. Last June, Israel launched an attack on Iran, leading to the 12-Day War. The US eventually joined Israel in the conflict, targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Recently, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had warned of what they described as a threat posed to his country by Iran’s ballistic missiles, and expressed his opposition to a deal that focused only on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran had rejected discussing limits its ballistic missile programme as well as ending its support for proxies in the region, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen, saying those demands were a breach of its sovereignty.
