Live updates: Explosions heard over Jerusalem as Israel and Iran trade deadly missile attacks

CNN

2 days ago

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Title: New wave of Iranian missiles as morning breaks in Tel Aviv and Tehran. Here's what to know
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It's been just over 24 hours since Israel launched a massive two-pronged attack against Iran, aimed at destroying the country's nuclear sites and decapitating its military leadership in Tehran.
Iran, which vowed a 'crushing response' to the attack, launched several waves of deadly strikes against locations across Israel overnight into Saturday, with both sides reporting deaths and multiple injuries.
Sirens sounded in Israel into Saturday morning and explosions were reported in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Tehran, as the escalating conflict risks pulling the Middle East into a wider war.
Here's what you need to know:
Overnight strikes: Iranian forces launched several waves of missiles toward Israel overnight into Saturday. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted Israeli military centers and air bases in missile strikes on Friday. Meanwhile, Tehran's air defense system was active into early Saturday following another round of Israeli attacks, Iranian state media reported.
Interceptions and damage: The Israeli military claimed that it intercepted some from the latest wave of Iranian missiles, but there are reports of people trapped beneath wreckage of buildings, as well as homes destroyed or damaged. Emergency crews were responding to fallen projectiles. Loud explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Deaths and injuries: Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least two people, Israeli authorities said. One person was killed and more than 20 wounded after an Iranian rocket hit near homes in Rishon Lezion, just south of Tel Aviv. And one woman was killed when a weapon fragment fell in Ramat Gan, also near Tel Aviv. Israel's envoy to the US earlier said about 40 people had been injured. In Iran, at least 78 people were killed in the Israeli strikes, including senior military officials, Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said Friday. More than 320 people were injured, most of them civilians, he added.
Air force bases targeted in Iran: The Israeli military said it struck two Iranian air force bases – used for missile and drone operations – on Friday. They include the Hamadan air base in western Iran the Tabriz air base, a surface-to-surface missile launch site, in the northwest of the country.
Warnings of more to come: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said late Friday that Iran had 'crossed red lines' by firing at civilian population centers and vowed it would pay a 'very heavy price.' Iran said it would intensify its attacks on Israel and target the regional bases of any country that tries to defend it. Netanyahu warned Iran on Friday that 'more is on the way.'
Nuclear talks: A sixth round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran was due to kick off on Sunday. US President Donald Trump told Reuters that Washington's talks with Iran are still planned, although he isn't sure they will go ahead. Trump told NBC News that Iran 'may have another opportunity' to strike a nuclear deal, and implied that Iranians are reaching out to him.
How we got here: Early Friday, Israel launched a wave of unprecedented strikes on Iran, hitting key sites in the nation's nuclear program as well as residential areas in the capital Tehran and killing some of the country's highest-ranking military leaders. Israel had repeatedly pushed for a military option to stop Iran's nuclear program. It said Friday that Tehran had been advancing a 'secret program to assemble a nuclear weapon,' and was closer than ever to being able to obtain one. Iran has repeatedly insisted it isn't building a bomb and that its nuclear program is for energy purposes.
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Title: One dead and more than 20 wounded after rocket hits central Israel
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One person has died and more than 20 were wounded after an Iranian rocket hit near homes in Rishon Lezion, just south of Tel Aviv, Israel's emergency services said.
A large number of paramedics were sent to the scene, where they found extensive damage and a number of people trapped under rubble.
'This is a difficult and complex scene and we are still continuing to scan and ensure that there are no additional victims inside the buildings,' said Rami Musher, deputy director of the Ayalon region's emergency services.
A video from the Reuters news agency showed the damaged roof of a home and dozens of rescue workers and military personnel at the site.
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Title: CNN team in southern Israel observes smoking rocket downed during latest assault from Iran
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A smoldering rocket came down on a highway in southern Israel near a CNN team that was watching live intercepts of Iranian aerial strikes in the early hours of Saturday.
'There were a lot of loud explosions and impacts, and you can see here, this missile right behind me lying in the road – it's still smoking,' CNN's Nic Robertson said from the scene. 'This was from the latest salvo of the Iranian missiles intercepted.'
'It's not clear if this was an intercept missile or one of the Iranian missiles,' Robertson added.
Iran has launched multiple strikes over Israel in recent hours, with Israeli military forces working to repel the assault and air raid sirens blaring across the country.
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Title: Explosions heard over Jerusalem amid new wave of Iranian missiles
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Explosions have been heard in the skies above Jerusalem as a new wave of Iranian missiles heads toward Israel.
'An additional barrage of missiles was launched toward the State of Israel,' the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
The IDF earlier warned of a new series of strikes and said its defenses were operating.
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Title: Rare footage released by Israeli spy agency Mossad unveils the sophisticated intelligence operation in Iran
Content: Rare footage released by Israeli spy agency Mossad unveils the sophisticated intelligence operation behind Israel's recent unprecedented attack on Iran. CNN Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance takes a look into this significant breakthrough as well as what sort of retaliation could be in store.
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Title: What to know about the Iranian leaders killed in Israeli strikes
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Iran's highest-ranking military officer, the head of its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps and its air force and a former national security chief have all been killed in Israel's unprecedented Operation Rising Lion.
Here's what you need to know about them:
Major General Hossein Salami: As the head of the secretive Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), he was one of the most powerful men in Iran, overseeing its most potent military arm and reporting directly to its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Salami had headed the secretive and IRGC since 2019, according to a US sanctions docket. He was at the helm of the IRGC when Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in April and October last year, in the first direct strikes by Iran on Israeli territory.
Major General Mohammad Bagheri: Since 2016 Mohammad Bagheri had served as the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, which IISS estimated could call on more than 500,000 active personnel. The General Staff is 'the most senior military body in Iran, which implements policy and monitors and coordinates activities within the armed forces', according to a US Treasury document laying out sanctions against Bagheri in 2019.
Ali Shamkhani: A close aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he represented Tehran at talks which sealed a landmark agreement to restore diplomatic ties with foe Saudi Arabia. Shamkhani served as the country's top national security official for a decade from 2013, and before that served in a number of important roles, including in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the ministry of defense. He had been a rising star of Iranian diplomacy, well known in foreign-policy circles in Washington and Europe.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh: The death of this commander of the IRGC's Air Force is a major blow to Tehran. Hajizadeh headed the country's missile program, which was involved in defending the country's air space and carrying out attacks overseas. He was the mastermind of Iran's previous attack on Israel in April 2024 as well as the missile attack on a US base in Iraq in 2020.
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Title: How Israel's campaign to wipe out Iran's nuclear program unfolded
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Israel launched a wave of unprecedented strikes on Iran shortly before sunrise Friday morning, hitting key sites in the nation's nuclear program as well as residential areas in upscale neighborhoods of Tehran and killing some of the country's highest-ranking military leaders.
CNN analyzed satellite imagery and dozens of videos shared on social media to understand how the wide-ranging operation unfolded across the country. Here's a timeline:
Pre-dawn: The first reports of explosions in Tehran came at around 3:30 a.m. local time Friday. Strikes also hit the Natanz nuclear facility, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of Tehran.
4:14 a.m.: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced it had used jets to strike 'dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran.' The statement came at 3:44 a.m. in Israel, which is 30 minutes behind Iran's time zone.
4:35 a.m.: Within minutes, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that the US was 'not involved' in Israel's strikes and that Israel's actions were 'unilateral.' 'Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,' Rubio said in a statement on X, anticipating a potential Iranian response.
5:17 a.m.: Netanyahu gave a televised address, saying that Israel had acted to 'roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival.' He said the operation would continue for as long as it takes 'to remove these threats.' Netanyahu claimed Iran had produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine nuclear weapons. 'Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months,' Netanyahu said. 'This is a clear and present danger to Israel's survival.'
8:35 a.m.: The Israeli military said it had killed three of the most senior men in Iran's military and its nuclear program. While Friday's strikes appeared extremely targeted, there have also been reports of civilian casualties.
8:48 a.m.: The IDF said that Iran had launched more than 100 drones towards Israeli territory, and that Israel's air defenses were preparing to intercept them.
Around midday: Early afternoon, Iranian media reported that Israel had launched a fresh strike on the northwestern city of Tabriz. Tamsin news agency said the Tabriz Airport had come under 'heavy Israeli attack.'
Read CNN's full timeline of attacks and communications from key stakeholders
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Title: What you need to know about Iran's nuclear program
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After decades of threats, Israel on Friday launched an audacious attack on Iran, targeting its nuclear sites, scientists and military leaders. But international assessments, including by the US intelligence community, say that Iran's nuclear program isn't currently weaponized. Tehran has also repeatedly insisted it isn't building a bomb.
Here's what you need to know about Iran's nuclear program:
Origin: The US launched a nuclear program with Iran in 1957. Back then, the Western-friendly monarch – the Shah – ruled Iran and the two countries were still friends. With backing from the US, Iran started developing its nuclear power program in the 1970s. But the US pulled its support when the Shah was overthrown during the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Since the revolution, which transformed Iran into an Islamic Republic, Western nations have worried the country could use its nuclear program to produce atomic weapons using highly enriched uranium.
Iran's position: Tehran has maintained that it does not seek to build nuclear weapons. It is a party to the UN's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), under which it has pledged not to develop a bomb. It has spent decades developing its nuclear program and sees it as a source of national pride and sovereignty. It maintains the program is solely for peaceful energy purposes and plans to build additional nuclear power plants to meet domestic energy needs and free up more oil for export.
Why is the program so controversial: Nuclear plants require a fuel called uranium – and according to the UN nuclear watchdog, no other country has the kind of uranium that Iran currently does without also having a nuclear weapons program. That has fueled suspicions that Iran isn't being fully transparent about its intentions. Tehran has used its stockpile of weapons-grade uranium as a bargaining chip in talks with the United States, repeatedly saying it would get rid of it if US-led sanctions are lifted.
Read CNN's full analysis on Iran's nuclear program.
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Title: Iran-Israel strikes add uncertainty to US effort to reach a nuclear deal with Tehran
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The United States and Iran have been engaged for weeks in talks on a potential nuclear deal.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports on how the latest fighting between Israel and Iran has only added to the uncertainty surrounding those talks:
The nuclear deal between the US and Iran could be in jeopardy following Israel's attack on Iran. CNN's Kaitlan Collins has the details.