Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military has launched multiple attacks on Iranian military installations and nuclear facilities in and around Tehran.
He stated in a prerecorded video statement released early Friday morning that the strikes were intended to damage Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear facilities.
“This operation will take as long as is needed to complete the task of fending off the threat of annihilation against us,” Netanyahu said.
Israel hit “dozens” of military and nuclear targets early on Friday, an anonymous Israeli military official told Reuters.
Numerous “loud explosions” have been recorded in and around Iran’s capital, according to Nour News, the state-run news agency. It further stated that all flights at Imam Khomeini International Airport have been suspended and that Iran’s air defense system is on high alert.
In an operation known as “Nation of Lions,” the Israeli military also acknowledged to the Times of Israel newspaper that it had “launched an aerial campaign against Iran’s nuclear programme.” According to the insider, Israel must be ready to act against Iran’s “imminent threat.”
Press TV, a state-run television station in Iran, acknowledged that multiple people had died, although it did not specify the number.
According to an unidentified Israeli defense official, the strikes likely killed the chief of staff and other members of the general staff and several senior nuclear scientists.
Iran’s revolutionary guard has announced that one of the country’s most powerful and influential military leaders, Hossein Salami, was killed in Friday’s Israeli strikes.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the country was getting ready for Iran’s response and called the attacks “preemptive.”
“A missile and UAV [drone] attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate timeframe,” Katz said.
The Israeli military announced in a post on X that the country’s civil and public security guidelines had been modified to “essential activity” as of 3am local time (00:00 GMT), and sirens have sounded throughout Israel as a warning to citizens.
“The guidelines include: a ban on educational activities, gatherings, and workplaces, except for essential businesses,” it said.
According to confirmation from Israel’s Ministry of Transportation, the country’s airspace has been closed to all arrivals and departures until further notice.
Late on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio advised Iran not to target US personnel or interests in the region, claiming that the US was not involved in the strikes.
“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. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” he said in a statement.
Alan Fisher, Al Jazeera’s Washington, DC correspondent said recent developments suggest that US President Donald Trump “was told that there was going to be some sort of strike”.
“(Just) 24 hours ago, the United States announced that it was going to start moving nonessential personnel out of the embassy in Baghdad (in Iraq) and also recommended that others in embassies around the region could also leave if they wish,” he said.
Fisher stated that although Trump did not “want Iran to get a nuclear weapon,” he was “hoping” that a conflict might be avoided through nuclear talks.
“The big question now, of course, is how the United States reacts to any response from Iran. If they side with Israel, that suggests that the nuclear talks are done,” Fisher said.
Steve Witkoff, US Special Envoy to the Middle East still intends to hold another meeting with the Iranians at the weekend, he said adding it’ll be up to the Iranians to decide whether they want to go ahead.
Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defense minister warned on Wednesday that if nuclear negotiations fail and the US attacks, his nation will target US military bases in the region.
“Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us…all US bases are within our reach, and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Nasirzadeh said, speaking to reporters.
Since April, Washington and Tehran have engaged in five rounds of nuclear talks as Trump seeks a deal that would limit Iran’s uranium enrichment.