Israel attacks Iran LIVE updates: Explosions rumble in Tel Aviv as Iranian missiles strike in retaliation for attacks on nuclear sites
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5.50am
Watch: Benjamin Netanyahu makes video address
By Lachlan Abbott
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just posted a video on social media in which he attempted to directly address the Iranian people.
'We are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history, Operation Rising Lion,' he said.
'The Islamic regime, which has oppressed you for almost 50 years, threatens to destroy my country, the State of Israel.
'The objective of Israel's operation is to thwart the Islamic regime's nuclear and ballistic missile threat to us. As we achieve our objective we are also clearing the path for your objective, which is freedom.'
Netanyahu claimed Israel had 'taken out' Iran's most significant nuclear enrichment facility and a 'large portion' of its ballistic missiles.
'More is on the way,' he said. 'The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them.'
5.35am
Iranian missiles hit Israel
Air raid sirens have sounded across Israel as Iranian missiles struck the country in retaliation for deadly Israeli attacks on nuclear sites and military leaders.
The rumble of explosions could be heard throughout Jerusalem on Friday, and Israeli TV stations showed plumes of smoke rising in Tel Aviv after an apparent missile strike.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran 'crossed red lines' by firing missiles at civilian population centres and vowed it would pay a 'very heavy price'.
The US military helped shoot down missiles that were headed toward Israel, two American officials told Reuters.
Reuters
5.25am
Welcome to our live coverage
By Lachlan Abbott
Good morning.
I'm Lachlan Abbott, and I'll be with you today as the world braces for the possibility of all-out war in the Middle East after Israel's major strike on Iran yesterday.
Already, a lot has happened while Australia slept. It is now just past 10pm in Tel Aviv. Here is what we know so far:
Iran has launched a barrage of missiles at Israel in retaliation for deadly Israeli attacks on nuclear sites and military leaders.
Explosions have just been heard in Jerusalem and Israeli TV stations showed plumes of smoke rising in Tel Aviv.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a recorded message to the nation that Israel 'started the war' and the Islamic Republic would 'not allow them to escape safely from this great crime'.
US President Donald Trump urged Iran to quickly reach an agreement on curbing its nuclear program, telling followers on social media he tried to make a deal earlier but Iranian leaders 'just couldn't get it done'. He added: 'They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!'
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Israel has pounded Iran for a second day and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its campaign will intensify dramatically, while Tehran has called off nuclear talks that Washington had held out as the only way to halt the bombing. A day after Israel wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command with a surprise attack on its old foe, it appeared to have hit Iran's oil and gas industry for the first time, with Iranian state media reporting a blaze at a gas field. Netanyahu said Israel's strikes had set back Iran's nuclear program possibly by years and rejected international calls for restraint. "We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days," he said in a video message. In Tehran, Iranian authorities said around 60 people, including 29 children, were killed in an attack on a housing complex, with more strikes reported across the country. 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With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, and urging Iran's people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said. Tehran warned Israel's allies that their military bases in the region would come under fire too if they helped shoot down Iranian missiles. However, 20 months of war in Gaza and a conflict in Lebanon last year have decimated Tehran's strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reducing its options for retaliation. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Iran, Israel's two days of strikes destroyed residential apartment buildings, killing families and neighbours as apparent collateral damage in strikes targeting scientists and senior officials in their beds. Iran said 78 people had been killed on the first day and scores more on the second day, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children. State TV broadcast pictures of a building flattened into debris and the facade of several upper storeys lying sideways in the street, while slabs of concrete dangled from a neighbouring building. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehrabad airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon. 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But host Oman confirmed on Saturday that the next round of talks had been scrapped. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said holding talks was unjustifiable while Israel's "barbarous" attacks were ongoing. In the first apparent attack to hit Iran's energy infrastructure, Iranian media reported a fire on Saturday after Israel bombed the South Pars gas field in southern Bushehr province. With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, and urging Iran's people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said. Tehran warned Israel's allies that their military bases in the region would come under fire too if they helped shoot down Iranian missiles. However, 20 months of war in Gaza and a conflict in Lebanon last year have decimated Tehran's strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reducing its options for retaliation. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Iran, Israel's two days of strikes destroyed residential apartment buildings, killing families and neighbours as apparent collateral damage in strikes targeting scientists and senior officials in their beds. Iran said 78 people had been killed on the first day and scores more on the second day, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children. State TV broadcast pictures of a building flattened into debris and the facade of several upper storeys lying sideways in the street, while slabs of concrete dangled from a neighbouring building. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehrabad airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon. A military official said Israel had "eliminated the highest commanders of their military leadership" and had killed nine nuclear scientists who were "main sources of knowledge, main forces driving forward the (nuclear) program". Israel has pounded Iran for a second day and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its campaign will intensify dramatically, while Tehran has called off nuclear talks that Washington had held out as the only way to halt the bombing. A day after Israel wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command with a surprise attack on its old foe, it appeared to have hit Iran's oil and gas industry for the first time, with Iranian state media reporting a blaze at a gas field. Netanyahu said Israel's strikes had set back Iran's nuclear program possibly by years and rejected international calls for restraint. "We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days," he said in a video message. In Tehran, Iranian authorities said around 60 people, including 29 children, were killed in an attack on a housing complex, with more strikes reported across the country. Israel said it had attacked more than 150 targets. Iran had launched its own retaliatory missile volley on Friday night, killing at least three people in Israel. Air raid sirens sent Israelis into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them. US President Donald Trump has lauded Israel's strikes and warned Iran of much worse to come. He said it was not too late to halt the Israeli campaign, but only if Tehran quickly accepted a sharp downgrading of its nuclear program at talks with Washington due to be held on Sunday. But host Oman confirmed on Saturday that the next round of talks had been scrapped. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said holding talks was unjustifiable while Israel's "barbarous" attacks were ongoing. In the first apparent attack to hit Iran's energy infrastructure, Iranian media reported a fire on Saturday after Israel bombed the South Pars gas field in southern Bushehr province. With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, and urging Iran's people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said. Tehran warned Israel's allies that their military bases in the region would come under fire too if they helped shoot down Iranian missiles. However, 20 months of war in Gaza and a conflict in Lebanon last year have decimated Tehran's strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reducing its options for retaliation. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Iran, Israel's two days of strikes destroyed residential apartment buildings, killing families and neighbours as apparent collateral damage in strikes targeting scientists and senior officials in their beds. Iran said 78 people had been killed on the first day and scores more on the second day, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children. State TV broadcast pictures of a building flattened into debris and the facade of several upper storeys lying sideways in the street, while slabs of concrete dangled from a neighbouring building. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehrabad airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon. A military official said Israel had "eliminated the highest commanders of their military leadership" and had killed nine nuclear scientists who were "main sources of knowledge, main forces driving forward the (nuclear) program". Israel has pounded Iran for a second day and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its campaign will intensify dramatically, while Tehran has called off nuclear talks that Washington had held out as the only way to halt the bombing. A day after Israel wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command with a surprise attack on its old foe, it appeared to have hit Iran's oil and gas industry for the first time, with Iranian state media reporting a blaze at a gas field. Netanyahu said Israel's strikes had set back Iran's nuclear program possibly by years and rejected international calls for restraint. "We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days," he said in a video message. In Tehran, Iranian authorities said around 60 people, including 29 children, were killed in an attack on a housing complex, with more strikes reported across the country. Israel said it had attacked more than 150 targets. Iran had launched its own retaliatory missile volley on Friday night, killing at least three people in Israel. Air raid sirens sent Israelis into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them. US President Donald Trump has lauded Israel's strikes and warned Iran of much worse to come. He said it was not too late to halt the Israeli campaign, but only if Tehran quickly accepted a sharp downgrading of its nuclear program at talks with Washington due to be held on Sunday. But host Oman confirmed on Saturday that the next round of talks had been scrapped. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said holding talks was unjustifiable while Israel's "barbarous" attacks were ongoing. In the first apparent attack to hit Iran's energy infrastructure, Iranian media reported a fire on Saturday after Israel bombed the South Pars gas field in southern Bushehr province. With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, and urging Iran's people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said. Tehran warned Israel's allies that their military bases in the region would come under fire too if they helped shoot down Iranian missiles. However, 20 months of war in Gaza and a conflict in Lebanon last year have decimated Tehran's strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reducing its options for retaliation. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Iran, Israel's two days of strikes destroyed residential apartment buildings, killing families and neighbours as apparent collateral damage in strikes targeting scientists and senior officials in their beds. Iran said 78 people had been killed on the first day and scores more on the second day, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children. State TV broadcast pictures of a building flattened into debris and the facade of several upper storeys lying sideways in the street, while slabs of concrete dangled from a neighbouring building. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehrabad airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon. A military official said Israel had "eliminated the highest commanders of their military leadership" and had killed nine nuclear scientists who were "main sources of knowledge, main forces driving forward the (nuclear) program".
