Iran and Israel launched missile and airstrike attacks against each other early this morning following Israel’s largest air offensive to date aimed at preventing Iran from advancing its nuclear weapon capabilities.
Air raid sirens blared throughout Israel, including in major cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, prompting residents to rush for shelter as waves of Iranian missiles soared through the sky, met by Israeli interceptor jets.
According to Israel’s ambulance service, a man and a woman were killed, and dozens were injured by a missile landing near residential areas.
Rescue operations are underway amidst the debris of apartment buildings destroyed in Rishon Lezion, a city located near Tel Aviv.
Rescue teams were seen navigating through damaged structures in Rishon Lezion.
A missile shot from Yemen by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia resulted in the deaths of five Palestinians, including three children, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent indicate.
In Iran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency confirmed that multiple explosions were reported overnight in the capital, Tehran.
The Fars news agency stated that two projectiles impacted Mehrabad airport in Tehran, with reports of flames emerging from the site. This airport is strategically located near key Iranian leadership areas and houses a military airbase with fighter jets and transport aircraft.
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s UN envoy, reported that Israel’s strikes on Iran resulted in 78 fatalities, including high-ranking military officials, and over 320 injuries, mostly among civilians.
Residents evacuated buildings in Israel following the Iranian strikes.
In response to Israeli attacks, Tehran executed waves of airstrikes after two assaults last night, with one targeting Tel Aviv, Israel’s financial center, before dawn. Explosions were heard as far away as Jerusalem, according to eyewitness accounts.
These airstrikes were retaliation for Israel’s prior attacks on Iranian commanders, nuclear scientists, military assets, and nuclear facilities. Iran maintains that its uranium enrichment is not part of any covert weapons program.
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US military forces assisted in intercepting Iranian missiles directed toward Israel, as reported by two US officials.
Israel’s military stated that Iran launched fewer than 100 missiles yesterday, most of which were intercepted or fell short. The escalating Israeli and Iranian military actions have sparked concerns regarding a broader regional conflict, despite Iran’s allies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, facing severe losses from Israeli operations.
Smoke rises from a location reportedly targeted during Israel’s extensive strikes on Iran.
Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA reported that Tehran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel following significant Israeli bombings at Iran’s Natanz underground nuclear facility and the deaths of top military leaders.
Israeli officials indicated that Natanz sustained considerable damage, though a full assessment of the impact might take some time.
Western nations have long accused Iran of enriching uranium to bomb-grade levels rather than for civilian applications.
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi informed the Security Council that the above-ground pilot enrichment facility at Natanz has been destroyed.
He added that the UN is currently gathering information regarding Israeli strikes on two other facilities: the Fordow enrichment plant and Isfahan.
Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, addressed the UN Security Council during an emergency meeting convened to discuss Israeli attacks on Iran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused Israel of instigating war. A senior Iranian official warned that no place in Israel would be safe and that retribution would be severe.
Iran has also placed blame on the US, accusing it of complicity in the assaults and assuming full responsibility for the resulting consequences.
According to Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon, intelligence suggests that Iran could accumulate enough fissile material for multiple bombs within a matter of days.
He described Israel’s military actions as “an act of national preservation.”
Iran has consistently claimed that its nuclear program is exclusively for civilian purposes.
This week, the UN nuclear watchdog concluded that Iran is in breach of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty.
US President Donald Trump stated that there is still time for Tehran to halt the Israeli airstrikes by negotiating a settlement regarding its nuclear agenda.
Discussions between Tehran and the Trump administration regarding a new deal to limit its nuclear program resumed after the previous agreement was abandoned in 2018; however, Iran turned down the last US offer.
Negotiations are slated to continue in Oman tomorrow, although Iran has indicated it may refrain from participating.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson remarked, “The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless.”
He further emphasized, “You cannot claim to negotiate while simultaneously allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to attack Iran’s territory.”
