Iran launches wave of missiles at Israel in revenge strike as smoke billows over Tel Aviv after Ayatollah's threat
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ALL OUT WAR Iran launches wave of missiles at Israel in revenge strike as smoke billows over Tel Aviv after Ayatollah's threat
IRAN'S much-anticipated retaliation kicked off with two waves of "hundreds" of ballistic missiles launched into Israel on Friday night, the IDF confirmed.
Israeli skies lit up with flaming debris as its missile defence systems snapped into action, and smoke could be seen rising from Tel Aviv.
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Israeli air defence systems did battle in the skies
Credit: AP
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Smoke rises after a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel
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Israeli Prime Minister said the strikes continue in an address to his nation
Credit: AFP
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A building in Tehran hit in an Israeli strike on the Iranian capital early in the morning
Credit: AFP
Iran's counter-attack arrived around an hour after the Supreme Leader warned that Israel would not "escape unscathed", and that his country would land "heavy blows".
As missiles stormed across the Middle East, an Iranian spokesperson said: 'A few minutes ago, the decisive response to the Zionist Regime's brutal attack began with the firing of hundreds of ballistic missiles at the occupied territories."
Iran's war machine appears to be in ruins - but the world is now holding its breath to see how far a wounded Tehran will go in striking back.
Following Israel's ferocious blitz, which killed top generals, destroyed nuclear facilities, and shattered missile bases, Iran has vowed revenge.
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Yet with its key infrastructure crippled and much of its military leadership wiped out, questions now swirl over what capabilities remain and whether it can deliver the blow it's promised.
Israel, with its unmatched air force, powerful missile defences, and intelligence reach, has shown its ability to hit Iran at its core.
Iran, while weakened, still commands regional proxy networks like Hezbollah and the Houthis - forces that could be unleashed in asymmetric retaliation.
As the dust settles, the big question now is what's next? And can the next move avoid pulling the region into a full-scale war?
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Earlier today, Donald Trump warned that even more brutal Israeli strikes are coming for Iran, urging Tehran to 'make a deal before it is too late'.
Writing on Truth Social on Friday, the US president revealed he had issued Iran a two-month ultimatum that has now expired.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to speak with Trump, Vladimir Putin, and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer later today, according to the Israeli PM's office.
It comes after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as a "declaration of war" in a letter to the UN as crowds gathered in Tehran for anti-Israeli protests.
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Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian also vowed a powerful response to Israel's airstrikes, saying the country will 'strongly take action' in retaliation.
Iran's Nournews reports that 78 people were killed and 329 others injured in Israeli attacks on Tehran, according to Reuters.
The country remains under attack after Israeli commandos spearheaded an incredible blitz on its nuclear sites by building a secret drone base deep inside enemy territory.
Elite troops smuggled kamikaze drones and precision weapons into Iran in one of the most audacious military operations ever attempted.
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Their mission - planned for years and backed by intelligence - paved the way for 200 Israeli warjets to blast 100 targets across the rogue Islamist nation.
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Commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami also died
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People attend an anti-Israeli protest in Tehran following the Israeli strikes on Iran
Credit: Reuters
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Which Iranian military chiefs and scientists have been killed?
ISRAEL has dealt a major blow to Iran's command chain - wiping out several of its top brass.
Key nuclear scientists have also been eliminated in Israel's overnight strikes.
Those killed include:
Generals Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri , chief of staff of the armed forces and the second-highest commander after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
, chief of staff of the armed forces and the second-highest commander after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Gen. Hossein Salami , commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Gen. Gholamali Rashid , deputy commander in chief of the armed forces
, deputy commander in chief of the armed forces Ali Shamkhan , key adviser and confidant of Khamenei
, key adviser and confidant of Khamenei Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Forces
Nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi , the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Dr Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, theoretical physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran
Israeli commanders said the overnight raids were the start of up to two weeks of action intended to wipe out Iran's atom threat.
The Middle East now stands on the brink of all-out war after Israel targeted Tehran's nuclear facilities, killed top military and scientific figures in a lightning offensive dubbed Operation Rising Lion.
Israel appears to have defied urges for restraint - including from US President Donald Trump - and said they were responding to the imminent danger that Tehran would obtain a nuclear weapon.
Iran have vowed vengeance, already begun to blame the US, and launched at least 100 drones towards Israel.
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The strikes came just days before Iran was due to meet with the US for another round of nuclear talks to try and strike a deal.
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The first strikes hit Tehran in the early hours of Friday
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People pick through rubbled buildings in Nobonyad Square in Tehran following Israeli airstrikes
Credit: Getty
In a ferocious show of force, around 200 Israeli fighter jets roared across Iranian skies early Friday.
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The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said they used 330 munitions on 100 targets, including uranium enrichment plants and key command centres.
Major strikes have taken place on Iran's military bases, the homes of top officials and nuclear sites such as the uranium enrichment base at Natanz .
And the heads of Iran's armed forces - Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami and Iranian chief of state Mohammad Bagheri - have both been killed.
At least two nuclear scientists - Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi - have also been killed, says Iranian state TV.
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The National
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