How Israel's pre-dawn assault on Iran unfolded, moment by moment
It was fast, targeted and deadly. In a split second, a quiet pre-dawn Tehran erupted into a furious inferno.
Israel attacked several locations across Iran, including the capital, targeting nuclear sites, including its main enrichment facility, ballistic missile and other military capabilities, and commanders and nuclear scientists.
Here's how it unfolded, moment by moment (note: all times in AEST).
June 12
Trump withdraws US officials from the Middle East
The White House ordered the departure of all non-essential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad.
It also gave non-essential officials in its Bahrain and Kuwait embassies the authorisation to leave if they so wished.
This came as US intelligence indicated Israel had been preparing to strike Iran while the Trump administration struggled to make progress on a nuclear deal with Iran.
'They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens,' Trump said.
June 13
US President Donald Trump warns an Israeli strike 'could very well happen' if Iran doesn't reach a deal over its nuclear weapons capabilities.
'I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen,' Trump tells reporters at the White House.
Israel attacks Iran at 3.30am local time, with explosions booming across Tehran.
People in the city wake to blasts, which damage residential buildings.
Smoke is seen rising from Tehran's western neighbourhood of Chitgar.
'Dozens' of nuclear and military targets hit
An Israeli military official confirms 'dozens' of sites across Iran were targeted, including the country's Natanz nuclear complex, with footage on Iranian state TV showing black smoke rising from the facility.
The deaths
Iranian state TV reports that the chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, was killed in the strikes, along with the commander-in-chief of Iran's army, General Mohammad Bagheri, and another top-ranking commander, General Gholamali Rashid.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, survived but Ali Shamkhani, a top political, military and nuclear adviser to Khamenei was reportedly 'critically injured' in the strikes.
Six nuclear scientists, including Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, were also reportedly killed.
Iranian TV reported children were among the dead in the affected residential areas.
The Israel Defence Forces shares news of the successful 'first stage' of its offensive on X.
'Dozens of IAF [sraeli Air Force] jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran,' it posts.
'Today, Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon.'
11am: US not involved, avoids both endorsing and condemning strikes
The United States declines to endorse Israel's strikes against Iran, noting in an official statement that it was aware of, but not involved in, the operation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers the first official US response to the attack, saying Israel 'advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence'.
Later, Trump calls an emergency security meeting set for 11am Friday (1am AEST) and tells Fox News 'Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb'.
11.19am: Netanyahu speaks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the strikes were aimed at hurting Iran's nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile factories and other military capabilities.
'This operation will take as long as is needed to complete the task of fending off the threat of annihilation against us,' he says in a recorded video message.
'As prime minister, I have made it clear time and again Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation to develop the means to achieve their goal.'
He says Israel has successfully 'struck at the heart' of Iran's nuclear weaponisation program by targeting 'their main enrichment facility'.
1.23pm 'Sworn enemies' to expect retaliation, says Tehran
Israel will receive a 'harsh punishment' in response to the strikes, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tells Iranian state TV.
He says Israel has 'unleashed its wicked and bloody' hand in a crime against Iran that reveals its 'vile nature'.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards later release a statement, seen by Reuters, which says Israel 'will pay a heavy price' for killing their chief, Salami.
The statement claims Israel's strikes were done with the knowledge and support of the 'wicked rulers in the White House' and the 'terrorist US regime'.
'Iran's sworn enemies should expect a decisive retaliation', it says.
3.01pm: Iran launches 100-drone assault on Israel
Israel's chief army spokesman, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, says: 'In the last few hours, Iran has launched more than 100 drones toward Israel, and all the defence systems are acting to intercept the threats.'
A short time later, neighbouring Jordan says its air force and defence systems intercepted several missiles and drones that had entered its airspace for fear they would fall in its territory.
Defrin says the strikes are continuing.
How has Australia reacted?
Speaking from Fiji, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government wants the conflict solved 'through dialogue'.
'We, of course, are very conscious of the threat [that] Iran becoming a nuclear state would represent to peace and security in the region as well,' he says.
Speaking to reporters minutes after the strikes were first reported, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was 'alarmed' by the attack.
'We call on all parties to refrain from actions and rhetoric that will further exacerbate tensions,' Wong said.
What becomes of the US and Iran's nuclear negotiations?
A key mediator in Iran's nuclear talks with the US says Israel's attack 'threatens to eliminate diplomatic solutions and undermine security and stability of the region'.
Oman was due to host the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and other key officials for a sixth round of nuclear deal talks with Iran on Sunday.
After the strikes, Trump says he's hoping to get 'back to the negotiating table', according to Fox News.
When asked in the hours before the attack how any strikes would impact the nuclear talks, Trump said: 'I think it would blow it' before reconsidering and saying, it 'might help it actually, but it also could blow it'.
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The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
Israel-Iran: How Donald Trump decided to back Israel's attacks on Iran
The first act of 'Les Misérables' had just ended at the Kennedy Center Wednesday night when Sen. Lindsey Graham (Republican, South Carolina) pulled President Trump aside for a quick conversation about Iran. Graham applauded the Trump administration's handling of the nuclear issue without people getting killed. 'Yeah, we're trying,' Trump said about the sputtering negotiations with Tehran. 'But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do,' he said. Graham took that remark to mean Trump was referring to the possibility of an Israeli strike on its longtime enemy. The encounter came midway through a week that would see Trump go from trying to head off an Israeli attack to backing its sudden campaign of air strikes targeting Iran's nuclear facilities and senior military and civilian leaders, an abrupt shift that underscored the fraying prospects for a deal. Trump said Friday that he had been aware of Israel's attack plans and argued that the punishing operation makes a nuclear deal even more likely, though Iran said they were pulling out of a sixth round of talks scheduled for Sunday. 'They should have made a deal and they still can make a deal while they have something left — they still can,' Trump told The Wall Street Journal. Trump had seemed far less optimistic earlier in the week. On Sunday, he summoned his national-security team to Camp David and told them during a discussion on the Middle East that he was increasingly pessimistic Tehran would agree to a deal, according to US officials. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were due to speak the next day, and the president said he would tell the Israeli leader to delay any attacks until special envoy Steve Witkoff's diplomatic effort had run its course, US officials recounted. In a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in March, Trump had set a two-month time limit once talks got under way to reach a deal, a deadline that was due to expire this week. But Khamenei rejected a US proposal to allow Iran to temporarily continue uranium enrichment in the country if it agreed to eventually halt its domestic centrifuge operation. Always in the background was Netanyahu's push to launch strikes against Iran's nuclear sites, a threat that loomed ever larger. In a call Monday with Netanyahu, Trump said he wanted to see diplomacy with Tehran play out a little longer, according to US officials. But even Trump was losing faith in his strategy. Netanyahu raised his oft-expressed objection that Iran wouldn't make the deal Trump wanted and that Israel needed to keep preparing strikes, the officials added. Trump seemed to internalise the message. 'I'm getting more and more — less confident about it,' he said of the prospects for a nuclear deal with Iran in a New York Post interview published Wednesday. 'They seem to be delaying, and I think that is a shame, but I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago.' Netanyahu had been seeking to head off a US-led negotiation with Iran over its nuclear program for years, arguing that only the destruction of its vast enrichment centrifuges and other facilities could guarantee Tehran wasn't secretly developing a bomb. The Israeli leader rejoiced when Trump in his first term tore up the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by then President Barack Obama, and he recoiled when Trump pushed for a tougher agreement during his second term in office. US intelligence agencies concluded in January that Israel was considering strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The intelligence analysis concluded Israel would push Trump's new team to back the assault, viewing the incoming president as more likely to join an attack than former President Joe Biden. The Israelis, according to the assessment, believed the window for halting Tehran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon was closing. In a sign of mounting concern about an Israeli attack and Iranian response, the State Department on Wednesday ordered the departure of all non-essential personnel from the US Embassy in Baghdad and authorised the departure of non-essential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait. At the same time, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth authorised the voluntary departure of military dependants from across the Middle East. Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, the top US commander in the Middle East, cancelled a congressional testimony scheduled for the next day and returned to Central Command's headquarters in Tampa. As anxiety grew in the Middle East and Washington, Trump was enjoying the performance of his favourite musical at the Kennedy Center, joined by Graham and other supporters. When Trump and Netanyahu spoke again on Thursday, the Israeli leader told Trump that it was the last day of his 60-day timeline for Iran to make a deal. Israel could wait no longer, Netanyahu said, according to officials familiar with the call. Israel had to defend itself and enforce the deadline Trump himself had set. Trump responded that the US wouldn't stand in the way, according to administration officials, but emphasised that the US military wouldn't assist with any offensive operations. At the White House, Trump told reporters he wouldn't describe an attack as imminent, 'but it is something that could very well happen.' While the US and Iran were close to a deal, he claimed, Israeli strikes could 'blow it.' Israel launched its operation as Trump was at a picnic Thursday evening on the White House grounds for members of Congress. He later joined Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth, and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and other senior officials in the Situation Room to monitor events. Israel had acted unilaterally and the US played no role in the attack, Rubio said in a statement that acknowledged Israel notified Washington before the operation began. That was the only comment from the US as the attack unfolded. Bombs struck and damaged a key Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz, and senior military leaders including Major Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed. In all, Iran claimed that Israel's first attack killed 78 people and injured around 320 more in multiple waves of Israeli strikes. Netanyahu pledged that the operation would last for as long as necessary. Trump, who began the week resistant to an assault on Iran, quickly embraced it as a successful campaign that could boost his diplomatic effort. 'Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left,' he posted on social media Friday, 'and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.' Wall Street Journal Read related topics: Donald TrumpIsrael The Wall Street Journal The conflict in the Middle East is exacerbating a schism between conservatives over foreign policy. The Wall Street Journal Tehran's bruising fight with Israel has left its military weakened and unable to respond in kind to Israeli attacks.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Tehran will burn', Israel warns Iran after attacks
Israel's defence minister says "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles after at least three people died and dozens were wounded in retaliation to Israeli air strikes on cities, military sites and nuclear facilities. In Tehran, Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex. In Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them, killing at least three people. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. Iranian fire struck residential districts in Israel and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's leadership had crossed a red line. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," he said in a statement. Iran had vowed to avenge Friday's Israeli onslaught, which gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership and damaged atomic plants and military bases, killing 78 people including civilians according to Iran's UN envoy. Tehran warned Israel's allies their regional military bases would come under fire too if they help shoot down Iranian missiles, Iranian state television reported. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people, including a man and a woman, were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, emergency services rescued a baby girl trapped in a house hit by a missile, police said. Video showed teams searching through the rubble of one home. And in the western suburb of Ramat Gan, near Ben Gurion airport, Linda Grinfeld described her apartment being damaged: "We were sitting in the shelter, and then we heard such a boom. It was awful." The Israeli military said it had intercepted surface-to-surface Iranian missiles as well as drones, and that two rockets had been fired from Gaza. With Iran's air defences heavily damaged, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said "the road to Iran has been paved". In preparation for possible further escalation, reservists were being deployed across Israel. Army Radio reported units had been positioned along the Lebanese and Jordanian borders. In Iran, explosions were heard overnight across the capital, state media reported. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehraband airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. State television reported that a 14-storey housing complex, Shahid Chamran, had been flattened by a missile. It said 60 people had been killed, though there was no immediate official confirmation. Israel's military did not immediately comment on that report. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people had been killed in Israel's strikes on Friday and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombing campaign was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon - even though US intelligence says it has seen no sign that this is imminent. Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon called the strikes "an act of national preservation". A military official on Saturday said Israel had killed nine Iranian nuclear scientists, and that the damage to the nuclear facilities at Esfahan and Natanz would take "more than a few weeks" to repair. Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian in line with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However, it has repeatedly hidden parts of its programme from international inspectors, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported it in violation of the NPT. with AP Israel's defence minister says "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles after at least three people died and dozens were wounded in retaliation to Israeli air strikes on cities, military sites and nuclear facilities. In Tehran, Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex. In Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them, killing at least three people. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. Iranian fire struck residential districts in Israel and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's leadership had crossed a red line. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," he said in a statement. Iran had vowed to avenge Friday's Israeli onslaught, which gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership and damaged atomic plants and military bases, killing 78 people including civilians according to Iran's UN envoy. Tehran warned Israel's allies their regional military bases would come under fire too if they help shoot down Iranian missiles, Iranian state television reported. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people, including a man and a woman, were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, emergency services rescued a baby girl trapped in a house hit by a missile, police said. Video showed teams searching through the rubble of one home. And in the western suburb of Ramat Gan, near Ben Gurion airport, Linda Grinfeld described her apartment being damaged: "We were sitting in the shelter, and then we heard such a boom. It was awful." The Israeli military said it had intercepted surface-to-surface Iranian missiles as well as drones, and that two rockets had been fired from Gaza. With Iran's air defences heavily damaged, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said "the road to Iran has been paved". In preparation for possible further escalation, reservists were being deployed across Israel. Army Radio reported units had been positioned along the Lebanese and Jordanian borders. In Iran, explosions were heard overnight across the capital, state media reported. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehraband airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. State television reported that a 14-storey housing complex, Shahid Chamran, had been flattened by a missile. It said 60 people had been killed, though there was no immediate official confirmation. Israel's military did not immediately comment on that report. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people had been killed in Israel's strikes on Friday and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombing campaign was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon - even though US intelligence says it has seen no sign that this is imminent. Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon called the strikes "an act of national preservation". A military official on Saturday said Israel had killed nine Iranian nuclear scientists, and that the damage to the nuclear facilities at Esfahan and Natanz would take "more than a few weeks" to repair. Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian in line with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However, it has repeatedly hidden parts of its programme from international inspectors, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported it in violation of the NPT. with AP Israel's defence minister says "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles after at least three people died and dozens were wounded in retaliation to Israeli air strikes on cities, military sites and nuclear facilities. In Tehran, Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex. In Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them, killing at least three people. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. Iranian fire struck residential districts in Israel and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's leadership had crossed a red line. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," he said in a statement. Iran had vowed to avenge Friday's Israeli onslaught, which gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership and damaged atomic plants and military bases, killing 78 people including civilians according to Iran's UN envoy. Tehran warned Israel's allies their regional military bases would come under fire too if they help shoot down Iranian missiles, Iranian state television reported. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people, including a man and a woman, were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, emergency services rescued a baby girl trapped in a house hit by a missile, police said. Video showed teams searching through the rubble of one home. And in the western suburb of Ramat Gan, near Ben Gurion airport, Linda Grinfeld described her apartment being damaged: "We were sitting in the shelter, and then we heard such a boom. It was awful." The Israeli military said it had intercepted surface-to-surface Iranian missiles as well as drones, and that two rockets had been fired from Gaza. With Iran's air defences heavily damaged, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said "the road to Iran has been paved". In preparation for possible further escalation, reservists were being deployed across Israel. Army Radio reported units had been positioned along the Lebanese and Jordanian borders. In Iran, explosions were heard overnight across the capital, state media reported. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehraband airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. State television reported that a 14-storey housing complex, Shahid Chamran, had been flattened by a missile. It said 60 people had been killed, though there was no immediate official confirmation. Israel's military did not immediately comment on that report. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people had been killed in Israel's strikes on Friday and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombing campaign was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon - even though US intelligence says it has seen no sign that this is imminent. Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon called the strikes "an act of national preservation". A military official on Saturday said Israel had killed nine Iranian nuclear scientists, and that the damage to the nuclear facilities at Esfahan and Natanz would take "more than a few weeks" to repair. Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian in line with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However, it has repeatedly hidden parts of its programme from international inspectors, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported it in violation of the NPT. with AP Israel's defence minister says "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles after at least three people died and dozens were wounded in retaliation to Israeli air strikes on cities, military sites and nuclear facilities. In Tehran, Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex. In Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them, killing at least three people. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. Iranian fire struck residential districts in Israel and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's leadership had crossed a red line. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," he said in a statement. Iran had vowed to avenge Friday's Israeli onslaught, which gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership and damaged atomic plants and military bases, killing 78 people including civilians according to Iran's UN envoy. Tehran warned Israel's allies their regional military bases would come under fire too if they help shoot down Iranian missiles, Iranian state television reported. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people, including a man and a woman, were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, emergency services rescued a baby girl trapped in a house hit by a missile, police said. Video showed teams searching through the rubble of one home. And in the western suburb of Ramat Gan, near Ben Gurion airport, Linda Grinfeld described her apartment being damaged: "We were sitting in the shelter, and then we heard such a boom. It was awful." The Israeli military said it had intercepted surface-to-surface Iranian missiles as well as drones, and that two rockets had been fired from Gaza. With Iran's air defences heavily damaged, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said "the road to Iran has been paved". In preparation for possible further escalation, reservists were being deployed across Israel. Army Radio reported units had been positioned along the Lebanese and Jordanian borders. In Iran, explosions were heard overnight across the capital, state media reported. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehraband airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. State television reported that a 14-storey housing complex, Shahid Chamran, had been flattened by a missile. It said 60 people had been killed, though there was no immediate official confirmation. Israel's military did not immediately comment on that report. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people had been killed in Israel's strikes on Friday and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombing campaign was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon - even though US intelligence says it has seen no sign that this is imminent. Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon called the strikes "an act of national preservation". A military official on Saturday said Israel had killed nine Iranian nuclear scientists, and that the damage to the nuclear facilities at Esfahan and Natanz would take "more than a few weeks" to repair. Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian in line with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However, it has repeatedly hidden parts of its programme from international inspectors, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported it in violation of the NPT. with AP
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Iran threatens full blown war with deadly reply and chilling warning to other countries who defend Israel
Iran has launched deadly missile strikes on Israel followed by a chilling warning that it will target any countries who try to defend the Jewish state. The retaliatory action on Saturday killed at least three people and wounded dozens after Friday's blistering Israeli attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear program. 'New round of Honest Promise 3 attacks,' Tehran's state television reported, referring to the name of the military operation. It came as a senior Iranian official said the nation would broaden the war if other countries got involved. 'Any country that attempts to defend the regime against Iran's operations will, in turn, see its regional bases and positions become new targets.' In response, Israel's defence minister Israel Katz warned Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that 'Tehran will burn' if it keeps firing missiles at Israeli civilians. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem early on Saturday, sending residents rushing into shelters as successive waves of Iranian missiles streaked across the skies. A man and a woman were killed in Israel and dozens wounded by a missile that landed near their homes, Israel's ambulance service said. Rescue teams were searching the rubble of apartment buildings that were destroyed in Rishon Lezion, a city outside of Tel Aviv where another person is believed to have died. Mr Katz said the Iranian leadership had crossed a red line by firing at civilians and will 'pay a heavy price for it'. In Iran, several explosions were heard in the capital Tehran. The Fars news agency said two projectiles hit Tehran's Mehrabad airport, which hosts an air force base. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people, including senior military officials, have been killed in Israel's strikes on Iran and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Tehran launched waves of air strikes on Saturday after two salvoes on Friday night, Fars reported. One of the waves targeted Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub, before dawn, with explosions heard as far as Jerusalem, witnesses said. Those were in response to Israel's original attacks on Iran early on Friday against commanders, nuclear scientists, military targets and nuclear sites. The US military helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed for Israel on Friday, two US officials said. Israel's military said Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles on Friday and most were intercepted or fell short. But several buildings in and around Tel Aviv were hit. The Israeli strikes on Iran throughout the day and the Iranian retaliation raised fears of a broader regional conflagration, although Iran's allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been decimated by Israel. Iran's state news agency IRNA said Israel's strikes on Friday had hit the country's huge Natanz underground nuclear site and killed its top military commanders. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz had also been destroyed. He said the UN was still gathering information about Israeli attacks on the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and a facility at Isfahan. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of starting a war, and a senior Iranian official said revenge would be painful. Iran accused the US of being complicit in the attacks and said it shared full responsibility for the consequences. US officials said that American air defence systems and navy assets in the Middle East helped Israel shoot down incoming ballistic missiles. The US has both ground-based Patriot missile defence systems and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence systems in the region capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. Naval assets also were involved in assisting Israel on Friday as Iran fired missiles at Tel Aviv, one official said. The United States also is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to the strikes. Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said intelligence had confirmed that within days Iran would have produced enough fissile material for multiple bombs. He called Israel's operation 'an act of national preservation'. Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. The UN nuclear watchdog concluded this week that Iran was in violation of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty. US President Donald Trump said it was not too late for Tehran to halt the Israeli bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear program. Tehran had been in talks with the Trump administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program to replace one that Mr Trump abandoned in 2018. Tehran rejected the last US offer. Talks are due to resume in Oman on Sunday but Iran signalled it might not join. Dialogue with the US over Iran's nuclear program is 'meaningless', Tehran said, accusing Washington of supporting Friday's attack. 'The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran's territory,' foreign ministry spokes-person Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying on the semi-official Tasnim news agency. He said Israel 'succeeded in influencing' the diplomatic process and Friday's Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington's permission. Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, continually rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons. Mr Trump admitted on Fox News that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord. Global leaders have called for de-escalation of the conflict including UN chief Antonio Guterres. 'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites, Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv, enough escalation,' Mr Guterres said. 'Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail.'
