The Latest: Iran launches retaliatory strikes on Israel, killing at least 3 people
Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes on Israel into Saturday morning, killing at least three people and wounding dozens, after a series of blistering Israeli attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear program and its armed forces.
Israel's assault used warplanes, as well as drones smuggled into the country in advance, to assault key facilities and kill top generals and scientists.
Israel said the barrage was necessary before Iran got any closer to building an atomic weapon, although experts and the U.S. government have assessed that Tehran was not actively working on such a weapon before the strikes. It also threw talks between the United States and Iran over an atomic accord into disarray days before the two sides were set to meet Sunday.
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Woman dies in missile strike in Tel Aviv, hospital says
A spokesperson for Beilinson Hospital in Tel Aviv said a woman was killed in an Iranian missile strike, bringing the total number of fatalities in the barrages from Iran to three.
The hospital also treated seven people who were wounded in the strike early Saturday. Israel's Fire and Rescue Services said a projectile hit a building in the city.
Israel's paramedic service says 2 people killed when missile hit central Israel
Israel's paramedic service Magen David Adom says an Iranian missile struck near homes in central Israel early Saturday morning, killing two people and injuring 19 others. Israel's Fire and Rescue service said four homes were severely damaged.
UN chief calls for escalation to stop, saying 'peace and diplomacy must prevail'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Iran to halt their attacks on one another, while calling for diplomacy.
'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail,' Guterres wrote on X on Saturday.
Iranian media reports a fire at Tehran's airport
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency is reporting a fire at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, posting a video on X of a column of smoke and orange flames rising from what the outlet said was the airport.
A handful of minor injuries reported from second wave of Iranian missiles
Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv said it has treated seven people hurt by the second Iranian barrage; six had light injuries and the seventh was moderately wounded.
Iran fires a second wave of missiles at Israel
Sirens and the boom of explosions, possibly from Israeli interceptors, could be heard in the sky over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Saturday.
AP journalists in Tel Aviv could see what appeared to be at least two Iranian missiles hit the ground, but there was no immediate word of casualties.
The Israeli military said another long-range Iranian missile attack was taking place and urged civilians, already rattled by the first wave of projectiles, to head to shelter. Around three dozen people were wounded by that first wave.
The Iranian outlet Nour News, which has close links with the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said a fresh wave was being launched.
Iranian air defenses are firing against Israeli attacks
The sound of explosions and Iranian air defense systems firing at targets was echoing across the center of the capital, Tehran, shortly after midnight on Saturday.
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The Guardian
40 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘You worry what's going to come next': Iranians brace themselves as war looms
Despite the strikes earlier in the day, Sahar* and her family decided to take a stroll in one of Tehran's parks on Friday night, the eve of Eid al-Ghadir, a major Shia holiday. But, instead of the usual festive fireworks, the sky was lit up by bright red anti-aircraft missiles streaking across the horizon. 'Seeing Iranian missiles over your heads worries you, you worry what's going to come next. Will it be a war, destruction?' said Sahar over the phone. She sent a video to the Guardian that shows people in the park hurriedly packing up and looking up as the crack of anti-aircraft munitions rings out overhead. Iranians are reeling as the country enters its second day of open war with Israel, the most intense exchange of fire in the two countries' histories, with a level of violence not seen in Iran since its war with Iraq in the 1980s. Fighting started when Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes across Iran on Friday morning, killing its country's top military leadership and hitting its nuclear facilities. Iran quickly responded with a barrage of missiles and drones, sparking a cycle of retaliatory violence between the two countries. In Iran, which has had much of its air defence systems crippled in the initial wave of Israeli airstrikes, the death toll continues to climb, with at least 138 people killed and more than 320 wounded. About 60 of the total, including 20 children, were killed in one Israeli attack on a housing complex in Tehran on Saturday, according to state media. At least three people were killed and dozens wounded in Israel by Iranian strikes over the last two days. The ferocity of Israel's strikes and the apparent ease with which it has decapitated Iran's military has left Iranians stunned, who grew up with an image of a military and security apparatus that was supposedly impregnable. In the first hours of Israel's attacks on Friday, Iran's military was caught flatfooted. Israeli jets flew across Iranian skies seemingly unchallenged, while drones reportedly planted weeks before sprung up from secret locations within the country itself. 'Israel's attacks came as a shock, with high-profile killings and the destruction it brought, and the fact that Tehran was attacked,' said Amin*, a local businessman from Sistan Baluchestan. The sudden assault provoked confusion in the country. Traffic on the capital's city's roads was light as people sheltered in their homes and bread lines grew long as people prepared themselves for further days of war. A resident of Tehran said that goods were in short supply at the shops and markets she visited as people stocked up on supplies. Internet coverage was intermittent, and most of the people the Guardian spoke to struggled to send voice notes and messages. 'We are panicking. Today, I had a flight for Mashhad from Sistan Baluchestan and it was cancelled. I am in a state of limbo,' Amin said. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has threateneding 'severe punishment' in revenge for the attacks. The country has sent repeated waves of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel since Friday, some of which havehit Tel Aviv. Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, in turn, warned Khameini that 'Tehran will burn' if it continues its attacks against Israel. There was a sense of satisfaction among some Iranians as they watched footage of Iranian missiles hitting Tel Aviv, and Iranian state TV played the footage on a loop. People in Tehran sat together watching jumbo screens, cheering as videos showed Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Israel. 'Many people are celebrating and happy for Iran's retaliation to Israeli aggression and are asking that Israel be taught a lesson. People in Iran hate Israel as we know it's a mad country ruining the region,' said Sahar. Analysts said that Iran's leadership had few good options in front of it as it decided what to do next in response to Israeli attacks. The network of proxies Iran had built up across the Middle East to defend itself over the last four decades has been conspicuously silent since Friday, offering words of support but little more. 'Iran is alone – unlike Israel, it doesn't have the backup of a superpower. But the problem is from Iran's perspective they see this as an existential peril. I don't think they see any exit ramps,' said Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group's Iran Project director. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said the US will support Israel in a military confrontation with Iran, and the US has warned Iran that there would be 'dire consequences' if it or any of its proxies targeted US citizens or bases in the region. Iran's leadership does not only fear a military defeat by Israel, but also internal unrest if its military and security apparatus is shaken. The Iranian government's popularity has waned in recent years and it faced nationwide protests in 2022 after the death of a girl arrested by police for not wearing a headscarf. On Saturday, a separatist Kurdish party – the Council of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), which has clashed with the Iranian government, issued a statement calling for the people of Iran to mobilise against the Iranian government. Iranian riot police pre-emptively deployed in Tehran amid calls from some student groups for protests, three students told the Guardian. 'The regime is trying to do two things in parallel: It is trying to play on Iranian's strong sense of nationalism … and it's trying to crack down internally and make sure there is no space for any organised opposition,' Vaez said. The Israeli attacks and the prospect of a wider war has had a rally-around-the-flag effect for some Iranians, even those who do not count themselves as nationalists. 'War brings destruction and that's the last thing anyone wants. But it's been imposed on Iran,' Amin said. * Names have been changed
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
More UK jets being sent to the Middle East as Starmer calls for calm
More RAF jets are being sent to the Middle East, Sir Keir Starmer has said after Iran threatened to target UK, French and US bases if the countries help stop strikes on Israel. The Prime Minister said further military assets are being deployed to provide 'contingency support' across the region amid escalating hostilities between the two long-time foes. Additional refuelling aircraft have been deployed from UK bases and more fast jets will be sent over, it is understood. The UK already has RAF jets in the Middle East as part of Operation Shader. Speaking to reporters travelling with him on a visit to Canada, Sir Keir declined to rule out intervening in the conflict entirely but made clear he would continue pressing for de-escalation and said the 'intense' developments over the weekend would be discussed in detail at the G7 summit. 'These are obviously operational decisions and the situation is ongoing and developing and therefore I'm not going to get into the precise details, but we are moving assets, we've already been moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support across the region. So that is happening,' he said. Sir Keir added: 'Our constant message is de-escalate, and therefore everything we're doing, all discussions we're having are to do with de-escalation.' Asked whether he would rule out UK involvement, he said: 'I'm not going to get in to that.' Britain last announced it had deployed fighter jets in the region in last year, when the Government said British aircraft had played a part in efforts to prevent further escalation. It comes after Iranian state media said Tehran had warned it would target US, UK and French bases in the region if the countries help Israel thwart Iran's strikes, according to reports on Saturday. Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israel overnight after a series of Israeli strikes on the heart of Tehran's nuclear programme and armed forces. Tehran's UN ambassador said 78 people had been killed and more than 320 wounded in Israel's attacks, while its response was said to have killed at least three and wounded dozens. A Cobra meeting of high-level ministers was convened on Friday afternoon to discuss the situation. The same is not expected on Saturday but Whitehall officials were expected to be meeting. The conflict was ignited by early morning Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear bases on Friday. Israel said the barrage was necessary before Iran got any closer to building a nuclear weapon, although experts and the US government have assessed that Tehran was not actively working on such a weapon. Iran retaliated with waves of drones and ballistic missiles, with explosions lighting up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Both the UK and the US have insisted they were not involved in the Israeli strikes and that the country acted unilaterally. Sir Keir would not be drawn on whether the UK was given notice of Israel's attack after reports that the country was not forewarned following the Government's decision to sanction two far-right Israeli ministers last week. 'In relation to Israel, I had a good and constructive discussion with Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday, and that included discussions about the safety and security of Israel, as you would expect, between two allies,' he said. Asked if Britain had been told in advance of Israeli's military plans, the Prime Minister said: 'I'm not going to go into what information we had at the time or since. 'But we discuss these things intensely with our allies. But I'm not going to get into precisely what we knew, because it's a constant flow of information between our allies, and between us and the US.'
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Israel's choice of targets lays groundwork for sustained war
Israeli jets struck at Iran's air defences, radars and missile systems to achieve air supremacy over Tehran, Israel has said. Surgical strikes from advanced bombers 'improved our aerial superiority and our freedom of activity in Iran', according to the Israeli air force. Satellite images emerging since the first wave of attacks supported some of Israel's account of the targets it hit. They showed key assets on the ground destroyed near major cities and around some Iranian nuclear sites, which were also targeted during the strikes. Analysis by war monitors in Washington DC showed Israel was targeting a wall of defensive systems placed along Iran's western border. With this layer of defence dismantled, Israeli fighter jets would have multiple windows through which to cross into Iranian air space and carry out sorties, with less risk of being shot down. It is a level of superiority in the air greater than Russia has been unable to achieve in three years of war in Ukraine. 'We have paved a path to Tehran,' Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, adding, in a warning to the Iranian regime: 'In the very near future, you will see Israeli planes, the Israeli air force, our pilots, over the skies of Tehran.'
