Live updates: Explosions heard north-east of Tehran as Israel reportedly strikes Iran, sources say
Israel has carried out strikes in Iran, multiple media sources say.
Explosions were heard north-east of Iran's capital Tehran early on Friday.
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SBS Australia
28 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
Explosions heard in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem as Iran retaliates for Israel's strikes on nuclear sites
Iran launched retaliatory airstrikes at Israel on Friday night, with explosions heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the country's two biggest cities, following Israel's biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy. Air raid sirens sounded across Israel as authorities urged the public to take shelter. Missiles were seen over Tel Aviv's skyline, with the military saying Iran had fired two salvos. The US military has helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were headed toward Israel, two US officials said. In the Tel Aviv area, Israel's ambulance service said five people were treated for shrapnel injuries. Live footage of Tel Aviv showed what appeared to be a missile hitting an urban area. A critically injured woman was admitted to Beilinson Hospital in nearby Petah Tikva, a hospital spokesperson said. The unprecedented Israeli strikes on Iran and the subsequent Iranian retaliation raised concerns about 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 Tehran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel after Israel blasted Iran's huge Natanz underground nuclear site and killed its top military commanders. Israel's military said Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles and most were intercepted or fell short. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of having initiated a war. A senior Iranian official said nowhere in Israel would be safe and revenge would be painful. Israel's operation "will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a TV address. Netanyahu, who for decades has raised the alarm about Iran's nuclear programme, said he authorised the air assault in an effort to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. Israel and its Western allies have said this is Tehran's objective but Iran has denied it. In a video issued by his office, Netanyahu appealed to the Iranian people to stand up against their leaders. "I am with you, the Israeli people are with you," he said. "Generations from now, history will record our generation stood its ground, acted in time and secured our common future." Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only. The U.N. nuclear watchdog concluded this week that it 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 programme. Tehran had been engaged in talks with the Trump administration on a deal to curb its nuclear programme to replace one that Trump abandoned in 2018. Tehran had rejected the last US offer. Iranian media showed images of destroyed apartment blocks in Iran, and said nearly 80 civilians were killed in attacks that targeted nuclear scientists in their beds and wounded more than 300 people. Israel's military said it was striking Iranian missile and drone launching sites, and had struck another nuclear site in Isfahan. An Israeli military spokesperson denied Iranian media reports that an Israeli fighter jet was downed with a pilot detained. In a phone interview with Reuters, Trump said nuclear talks between Tehran and the United States, scheduled for Sunday, were still on the agenda though he was not sure if they would take place. "We knew everything," Trump said of the Israeli attack plans. "I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out," Trump said. "They can still work out a deal, however, it's not too late." Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said military action by itself would not destroy Iran's nuclear programme, but could "create the conditions for a long-term deal, led by the United States" to get rid of it.
News.com.au
32 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Israel-Iran conflict live updates: Iran says ‘our revenge has started' as missiles strike major Israeli city
Welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East. The region remains on edge after Israel's surprise attack on targets throughout Iran yesterday. In recent hours, Iran has retaliated with missile strikes of its own, at least some of which broke through Israel's Iron Dome defence system and exploded in the city Tel Aviv. Residents have been told to stay in bomb shelters when instructed to by the authorities. 'Our revenge has just started, they will pay a high price for killing our commanders, scientists and people,' a senior Iranian official told Reuters. 'Nowhere in Israel will be safe,' they said. 'Our revenge will be painful.' The United States has confirmed it is helping Israel by shooting down some Iranian missiles. Iran is also claiming to have shot down an Israeli fighter jet and captured its pilot. Israel says that is untrue. Defence Minister Israel Katz reacted to Iran's retaliation by saying it had 'crossed red lines by launching missiles towards Israeli civilian areas'. 'Tehran will pay a heavy price,' he said. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a speech urging Iranian civilians to revolt against their nation's regime, made a similar pledge. 'The regime doesn't know what hit them. They don't know what will hit them,' he said.
Daily Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Secret drones, smuggled missiles: How Israel attacked Iran
Don't miss out on the headlines from Middle East. Followed categories will be added to My News. Israeli spies smuggled missiles and secretly hid explosive drones deep inside Iran in a series of covert operations leading up to Friday's deadly onslaught – before tricking military leaders into gathering for a meeting so they could be wiped out. Intelligence agents with Mossad, Israel's top spy agency, started infiltrating the heart of Iran several months back in order to pull off the surprise attack aimed at obliterating Iranian nuclear and military facilities, as well as a swath of top military commanders. An explosion from an Israeli air strike on Iran during Operation Rising Lion. Picture: IDF The spy agency planted the explosive drones inside Iran ahead of time as they laid the groundwork for the major strikes, according to Israeli security sources. Agents also managed to smuggle precision weapons into central Iran so Israel could target Tehran's defences from within. The stealth campaign, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, was eventually conducted in three separate operations early Friday local time – with the airstrikes each targeting specific weaponry and defence systems in Iran, one Israeli security source told The New York Post. Commando units deployed precision-guided weapons near Iran's surface-to-air missile defences and targeted the Iranian systems. Damage at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. Picture: Airbus defence and space A second operation set up strike systems and mounted technology onto vehicles that were launched at Iranian air defence systems. The final operation targeted Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers at a base outside of Tehran when the explosive-laden drones were activated. The unmanned aerial vehicles flew to the base and destroyed the launchers that had 'posed a threat to Israeli strategic and civilian targets.' The sabotage operations allowed Israel's airstrikes to destroy radars and other surface-to-air defences. Nuclear plants and uranium enrichment facilities were also targeted. The damaged Natanz nuclear facility in Iran in the aftermath of the Israeli attack. Picture: Airbus defence and space Roughly 200 aircraft were involved in the initial attack on about 100 targets, Israel's military said. The attack hit several sites, including Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. Later in the morning, Israel said it had also destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Several high-ranking Iranian officials were killed in the strikes – including Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard; Mohammad Bagheri, chief of the country's military; Gholam Ali Rashid, head of Iran's emergency command; and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace force. Israel was able to trick some top commanders of Iran's air force into gathering for a meeting before they were targeted, an Israeli official told Fox News. Satellite images confirm significant damage at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility after Israeli strikes during Operation Rising Lion. Picture: Airbus defence and space 'We carried out specific activities to help us learn more about them, and then used that information to influence their behaviour,' the official said. 'We knew this would lead them to meet — but more importantly, we knew how to keep them there.' It wasn't immediately clear how Israel managed to lure the Iranian officials together. 'Significant intelligence was gathered and surveillance was conducted to incriminate senior members of the Iranian defence establishment and nuclear scientists who were eliminated,' a source told The New York Post. 'This was carried out alongside a covert operational campaign targeting Iran's strategic missile array.' The unprecedented strikes appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation, saying the effort was to 'roll back' Iran's threat to Israel's 'very survival.' 'If we don't act now, we simply won't be here. We have internalised the lessons of history. When an enemy says he intends to destroy you — believe him,' he said. 'When the enemy develops the capabilities to destroy you — stop him.' Iran quickly called the barrage of strikes a 'declaration of war,' as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of 'severe punishment' and President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed to make 'Israel regret its foolish act.'
