Iran launches strikes following attacks from Israel
Iran
launched waves of missile strikes at
Israel
on Friday night in retaliation for an unprecedented series of Israeli attacks beginning Friday morning, which Iran called 'a declaration of war'.
The Israeli strikes hit military and nuclear sites, and assassinated prominent military figures and scientists. Those killed include the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces and commander of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards.
In a video
statement
, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu – who later called this 'one of the greatest military operations in history' – said the attacks will continue for 'as many days as it takes' to remove the 'threat' of an Iran with nuclear weapons. 'Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation to develop the means to achieve that goal,' he said.
Israel launches strikes on Iran - clip
Reacting, new Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Pakpour said Iran would open 'the gates of hell … upon this child-killing regime'.
READ MORE
Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei said Israel would be left 'helpless', as Iran 'will not go for half measures in its response'.
Israelis received advance warning to head into shelters through air raid sirens. Most of Iran's missiles were intercepted or fell short, Israeli spokespeople said, though explosions were sighted in Tel Aviv.
Across much of the Middle East, the initial attacks were received as an unprovoked action that serves to escalate tensions and increase the likelihood of further mass civilian casualties.
'Yes, the Iranian people have been fighting against a brutal dictatorship for decades. No, that does not in any way justify the blatant, unprovoked act of war committed by Israel against Iranian land and people,' posted Iranian author Sahar Delijani on Instagram.
The strikes came two days before Iran was due to take part in a sixth round of nuclear talks with the US in Oman.
'A war that's been planned for a decade' - why Israel has attacked Iran and what happens next
Listen |
21:11
While questions swirled around whether the US had provided support, US president Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform to say he gave Iran the chance to 'make a deal', but 'no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn't get it done'.
'We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran humiliation and death,' he said.
Critics accuse Mr Netanyahu of prolonging wars to stave off political problems. He is facing domestic corruption charges, while the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
The open confrontation with Iran comes at a time when Israel's military is engaged on multiple other fronts.
In Gaza, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces over the past 20 months, Gazan health authorities say.
Almost 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage in the Hamas-led attack on October 7th, 2023, according to Israel. There are 53 hostages still in captivity, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Israel is also occupying part of southern Syria and carrying out regular incursions and attacks inside Syrian territory.
In Lebanon, since a ceasefire that came into force in late November last year, Israel has carried out more than 3,400 air violations and more than 80 air and drone attacks, according to
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
figures. This compares to 19 'trajectories detected' from Lebanon towards Israel and Israeli-controlled territory.
Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hizbullah condemned the Israeli strikes against Iran, but told Reuters news agency it will not attack again.
On Friday afternoon,
Israel Defense Forces
Arabic language spokesman Avichay Adraee
posted on X
: 'Our military, with its leadership and courage, proves to the world that we are an invincible people.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Israel-Iran conflict: What we know
Israel targeted Iran's air defence capabilities this morning, pressing on with a wave of massive attacks it began a day earlier that targeted Iranian nuclear and military facilities, prompting counterattacks by Iran. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that "Tehran will burn" if Iran fires more missiles at Israel. In a televised address last night, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to bring Israel "to ruin". International calls for restraint are multiplying, as fears grow the Middle East could be on the threshold of a broader conflict. Here is what we know. Targeting air defences Israel's military said this morning it was striking dozens of missile launchers in Iran after announcing it had targeted air defences with a wave of strikes in the Tehran area. The Israeli air force "continues striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran", the military said in a statement. It said that overnight, the air force "struck dozens of targets, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the effort to damage the Iranian regime's aerial defence capabilities in the area of Tehran". Iran's response Israel said dozens of missiles - some intercepted - had been fired in the latest salvos from Iran, with images of the city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv showing blown-out buildings, destroyed vehicles and streets strewn with debris. Israeli rescuers said two people were killed and 19 wounded this morning by rocket fire on a residential area in the coastal plain. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked dozens of targets in Israel. Nuclear talks? The fiercest exchange of fire between arch foes Iran and Israel came amid ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington seeking to reach a deal on Iran's nuclear programme. Before the Israeli strikes, they were set to hold a sixth round of negotiations in Oman tomorrow, but Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said: "It is still unclear what decision we will make for Sunday." Tehran has consistently denied seeking to develop a nuclear weapon but had been enriching uranium to 60% - far above the 3.67% limit set by a largely obsolete 2015 agreement with major powers. However, Iran's 60% enrichment level is still short of the 90% threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. More Iranian generals killed Iranian state media reported that General Gholamreza Mehrabi, deputy head of intelligence of the armed forces general staff, and General Mehdi Rabbani, deputy head of operations, "were martyred". Top brass killed yesterday included the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, and armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, with replacements swiftly named by supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The Revolutionary Guards said its aerospace commander Amirali Hajizadeh was also killed. He was in charge of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal. Iranian media said this morning that three more nuclear scientists were killed, bringing the total to nine - a toll that Israel also reported. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said 78 people had been killed and 320 wounded in the first wave of strikes by Israel. Nuclear sites hit Israel's attacks started in the early hours of yesterday, a day of rest and prayer in Iran, and continued through the day, at various sites. A key target was a vast underground uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, which Israel hit several times, according to Iranian state television. Israel said another strike late last night on Iran's uranium conversion plant in Isfahan damaged infrastructure for reconverting enriched uranium.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Israel warns ‘Tehran will burn' if Iran continues firing missiles
Israel's defence minister has warned that 'Tehran will burn' if Iran continues firing missiles at Israel after at least three people died and dozens were wounded following a series of Israeli attacks on Tehran's nuclear program and its armed forces. Speaking after a meeting with the army's chief of staff, Israel Katz said Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens. 'If (Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn,' he said. Iranian state television reported that air defence systems were firing in the cities of Khorramabad, Kermanshah and Tabriz, signalling the start of what could be a new Israeli attack. Footage from Tabriz showed black smoke rising from the city, according to a video posted by an affiliate of Iranian state TV. Israel's assault planes and drones smuggled into the country in advance, according to officials, to hit key facilities and kill senior generals and scientists. Iran's UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in the attacks. Tehran retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, where explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook the buildings below. The Israeli military urged civilians, already rattled by 20 months of war in Gaza sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack, to head to shelter for hours. Israel and Iran said their attacks would continue, raising the prospect of another protracted Middle East conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his objective was to eliminate any Iranian threat to Israel, but he also urged Iranians to rise up against their leaders. Israel's strikes put further talks between the US and Iran over a nuclear accord into doubt before they were set to meet on Sunday in Oman. 'The US did a job that made the talks become meaningless,' Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei was quoted as saying. He added that Israel had passed all Tehran's red lines by committing a 'criminal act'. Rescuers work at the scene of an explosion in Tehran (Iranian Red Crescent Society/AP) However, he stopped short of saying the talks were cancelled. The Mizan news agency, run by Iran's judiciary, quoted him as saying: 'It is still not clear what we decide about Sunday's talks.' Mr Khamenei said in a recorded message on Friday: 'We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed.' Iran launched waves of missiles at Israel from late on Friday. Iranians awoke on Saturday to state television airing repeated clips of strikes on Israel. Israel's military said more drones were intercepted near the Dead Sea early on Saturday. A hospital in Tel Aviv treated seven people wounded in the second Iranian barrage, all but one for light injuries. Israel's Fire and Rescue Services said they were wounded when a projectile hit a building in the city. A spokesperson for Beilinson Hospital said one woman was killed. Hours later, an Iranian missile struck near homes in the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, killing two more people and wounding 19, according to Israel's paramedic service Magen David Adom. Israel's Fire and Rescue service said four homes were severely damaged. Meanwhile, the sound of explosions and Iranian air defence systems firing at targets echoed across central Tehran shortly after midnight on Saturday. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported a fire at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport. A video posted on X showed a column of smoke and flames rising from what the outlet said was the airport. The Israeli military said it carried out overnight strikes on dozens of targets including air defences 'in the area of Tehran'. Israel's paramedic services said 34 people were wounded in the barrage on the Tel Aviv area, including a woman who was critically injured after being trapped under rubble. The scene of an explosion in a residence compound in northern Tehran (Vahid Salemi/AP) US ground-based air defence systems in the region were helping to shoot down Iranian missiles, said a US official. The latest strikes raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region into even greater upheaval. Countries in the region condemned Israel's attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate de-escalation from both sides. Israel had long threatened such a strike, and successive American administrations sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran's dispersed and hardened nuclear programme. But developments triggered by Hamas's October 7 2023 attack — plus the re-election of US President Donald Trump — created conditions that allowed Israel to follow through on its threats. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the US was informed in advance of the attack. On Thursday, Iran was censured by the UN's atomic watchdog for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. The crossfire between Israel and Iran disrupted East-West travel through the Middle East, a key global aviation route, but Jordan's state-run Petra news agent said the country was reopening its air space to civilian aircraft on Saturday morning, signalling it believes there is no immediate danger. The Natanz nuclear facility was targeted (Maxar Technologies/AP) Among the key sites Israel attacked was Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. It also appeared to strike a second, smaller nuclear enrichment facility in Fordo, about 60 miles south east of Tehran, according to an Iranian news outlet close to the government that reported hearing explosions nearby. Israel said it also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan and destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Iran confirmed the strike at Isfahan. UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility had been destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to have been hit, but the loss of power could have damaged the infrastructure there, he said. Mr Netanyahu said the attack was months in the making and had been planned for April before being postponed. Israel's Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran ahead of time, and used them to target Iranian air defences and missile launchers near Tehran, according to two security officials. Among those killed were five of Iran's military leaders: General Mohammad Bagheri, who oversaw the entire armed forces; General Hossein Salami, who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard; General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Guard's ballistic missile programme; General Gholamreza Mehrabi, deputy of intelligence for the armed forces' general staff; and General Mehdi Rabbani, the deputy of operations.
The Journal
4 hours ago
- The Journal
Israel and Iran exchange fire overnight with explosions heard over Tel Aviv
IRAN STRUCK ISRAEL with barrages of missiles overnight after a massive onslaught targeted the Islamic republic's nuclear and military facilities, and killed several top generals. Air raid sirens and explosions rang out across Israel overnight, with its military calling on residents to take refuge in bomb shelters this morning. The Israeli military said dozens of missiles – some intercepted – had been fired in the latest salvos from Iran. Smoke was billowing above skyscrapers in downtown Tel Aviv as Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had attacked dozens of targets in Israel. Israel's firefighting service said its teams were responding to the aftermath of Iranian missile strikes, including working to rescue people trapped in a high-rise building. Rescuers said 34 people had been wounded in the Gush Dan area, while emergency services said two people were killed overnight. 'Among the casualties: a woman around 60 was rescued without signs of life, a man around 45 was evacuated in critical condition… and was later pronounced dead,' the Magen David Adom said in a statement, adding that 19 others were wounded. Resident Chen Gabizon told AFP he ran to an underground shelter after receiving an alert notification. 'After a few minutes, we just heard a very big explosion, everything was shaking, smoke, dust, everything was all over the place,' he said. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said its air force targeted Iran's air defences with a wave of strikes in the Tehran area overnight. 'Overnight, the IAF struck dozens of targets, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the effort to damage the Iranian regime's aerial defence capabilities in the area of Tehran,' the military said in a statement. 'For the first time since the beginning of the war, over 1,500 kms from Israeli territory, the IAF (Israeli military) struck defence arrays in the area of Tehran.' In Iran's capital Tehran this morning, fire and heavy smoke billowed from Mehrabad airport, an AFP journalist said, as local media reported a blast in the area. Iran said earlier it had activated its air-defence system and explosions could be heard across the capital. Advertisement Dozens of people took to the streets of Tehran overnight to cheer their country's military response, with some waving national flags and chanting anti-Israel slogans. Iran's ambassador to the UN said Friday that 78 people had been killed and 320 wounded in the first wave of strikes by Israel. After a day of back-and-forth bombardments, UN chief Antonio Guterres called for the two nations to cease fire. 'Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail,' he wrote on X late Friday. Calls for dialogue US officials said they were helping Israel defend against the missile attacks, even as Washington insisted it had nothing to do with Israel's strikes on Iran. US President Donald Trump agreed on a call with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer that 'dialogue and diplomacy' were needed to calm the crisis, Starmer's office said. US officials said Trump also spoke with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, without elaborating. Iran's missile salvo came hours after Israel said its widespread air raids had killed several top Iranian generals, including most of the senior leadership of the Revolutionary Guards' air force. It had launched several rounds of strikes that hit about 200 targets including nuclear facilities and air bases. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to bring Israel 'to ruin' during a televised address. In Israel, Netanyahu issued a statement calling on the Iranian public to unite against their own government. But he also warned more attacks were coming. 'In the past 24 hours, we have taken out top military commanders, senior nuclear scientists, the Islamic regime's most significant enrichment facility and a large portion of its ballistic missile arsenal,' Netanyahu said. While stressing that it was not involved in the Israeli attacks, the United States warned Iran not to attack its personnel or interests. Tehran nevertheless said Washington would be 'responsible for consequences'. Commanders killed The strikes killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, Iranian media reported. Khamenei swiftly appointed new commanders to replace those killed. Read Next Related Reads Netanyahu warns of 'several waves' of Israeli attacks as Iran threatens 'powerful response' Irish citizens are now advised against travel to Israel Shadow war: Iran's nuclear programme and Israel's attempts to destroy it 'The senior chain of command of the air force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had assembled in an underground command centre to prepare for an attack on the State of Israel,' the Israeli military said, adding that its attacks had killed most of them. Iran confirmed that the Guards' aerospace commander had been killed, along with 'a group of brave and dedicated fighters'. AFP images showed a gaping hole in the side of a Tehran residential building that appeared to have sustained a targeted strike. Tasnim news agency said six nuclear scientists were among the dead. Oil prices surged while stocks sank on the Israeli strikes. Radiation 'unchanged' in Natanz area The conflict raised questions as to whether Sunday's sixth round of talks planned between the US and Iran to seek a deal on Iran's nuclear programme would go ahead in Oman. After the first wave of strikes on Friday, Trump urged Iran to 'make a deal', adding that Washington was 'hoping to get back to the negotiating table'. Iran confirmed that above-ground sections of the Natanz enrichment plant had been destroyed, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said radiation levels outside the site 'remained unchanged'. 'Most of the damage is on the surface level,' said the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran's spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi. Iran said there was only limited damage to the Fordo and Isfahan nuclear sites. The United States and other Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, an ambition it has consistently denied. Netanyahu said Israeli intelligence had concluded that Iran was approaching the 'point of no return' on its nuclear programme. Israel had called for global action after the IAEA accused Iran on Thursday of non-compliance with its obligations. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60%, far above the 3.67% limit set by a largely moribund 2015 agreement with major powers, but still short of the 90% threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. With reporting from © AFP 2025 Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
