Israel launches strikes in Iran, says it is targeting nuclear, military sites
Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran.
An Israeli military official said that the Israeli Air Force targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, without identifying them. The official spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation.
Air-raid sirens preventatively rang out in Israel.
The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more advanced ones.
Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn't want — though officials there have repeatedly warned it could.
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US Sen. Reed calls Israel's strike 'a reckless escalation'
U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the Israeli strike 'a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence.'
'These strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces,' he said. Reed added: 'I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control.'
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Dozens of commercial flights over Iran as attack begins
Dozens of commercial airliners were in Iranian airspace as the strikes took place, according to flight tracking websites.
More than an hour after the Israeli attack, some were still making their way out of Iranian airspace, but some abruptly altered course to more quickly exit the area.
Many nations' jets already did not overfly Iran because of regional tensions.
Scope of attack remains unclear
The extent of Israel's strikes remained unclear early Friday.
Explosions could be heard across Tehran, Iran's capital city. There were some images circulating of damaged residential buildings.
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Iranian state television also was being careful in how they described the assault, suggesting that some areas outside of Tehran that had also been hit.
Netanyahu says strikes respond to threat to Israel's survival
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address on YouTube that the country launched 'a targeted military operation roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival.'
He added that the attacks will continue 'for as many days at it takes to remove this threat.'
Israel closed its airspace in anticipation of Iranian retaliation.
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that attacks were expected.
'In the wake of the state of Israel's preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately,' he said in a statement.
The statement added that Katz 'signed a special order declaring an emergency situation in the home front.'
'It is essential to listen to instructions from the home front command and authorities to stay in protected areas,' it said
Rubio says Israel took 'unilateral action'
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took 'unilateral action against Iran' and that Israel advised the U.S. that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defense, while warning Iran not to target U.S. forces in retaliation.
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In a statement, he said: 'Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.'
Israeli official says Air Force is targeting nuclear and military sits
An Israeli military official says that his country targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, without identifying them.
The official spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation.
The Israeli official said Iran poses three threats to state of Israel: First, he alleged that the Iranian government is advancing a 'secret program' to develop nuclear weapons. The U.S. intelligence community assesses that Iran is not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon.
Second, the Israeli official said, Iran has thousands of ballistic missiles. Finally, he said Iran has been distributing weapons and arms to proxy groups across the region like Hezbollah and Hamas.
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