Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv said it had treated six people for light injuries and one person for moderate injuries.

A ballistic missile fired by Iran streaks across the night sky over Hebron in Israel

WISAM HASHLAMOUN/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES

The Israeli Defence Force said Iran had launched “dozens of missiles” at Israel over the past hour.

The Israeli air-defence system had intercepted some of the missiles but an unknown number had got through, the military said.

Search-and-rescue teams are searching areas where projectiles had fallen, it added.

The emir of Qatar meets Queen Camilla in December

REUTERS

Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, spoke to Trump on Friday and stressed the need to “work towards de-escalation and reaching diplomatic solutions” in the Israel-Iran conflict, according to a statement from his office.

The US president said Washington was “ready to participate in efforts to resolve the crisis in order to preserve regional security and stability”, the statement read.

Trump visited Qatar during a three-country Middle Eastern trip last month.

Israelis have been told they can leave their bomb shelters, indicating that the immediate threat from the second wave of missiles from Iran had subsided.

The home front command advised citizens to remain close to a shelter.

The scene in Tel Aviv early on Saturday morning

AP/LEO CORREA

A projectile had hit a building

AP/LEO CORREA

Several loud explosions have been heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in the past few minutes, as Israel came under attack from a second wave of Iranian ballistic missiles.

A plume of smoke could be seen rising from the ground in Tel Aviv in footage shared by Reuters.

The Israeli military said it had detected a new wave of Iranian missile strikes.

Sirens are sounding across the country, and the public has been instructed to head immediately to shelters.

Army air-defence firing is seen after the Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran

MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA

Israel is believed to be carrying out strikes in the Pastour neighbourhood in Tehran which is home to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, and Masoud Pezeshkian, the president.

Iranian air-defence systems in the area are firing to try to repel the strikes.

Danny Danon speaking at the Security Council on Friday

MICHAEL M SANTIAGO/GETTY IMAGES

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, told the Security Council that the goal of Israel’s military strikes against Iran was self-preservation.

“We acted to ensure our people live. We acted so that Jewish children in Jerusalem will not wake to the sound of air-raid sirens triggered by a nuclear launch,” he said.

Danon added that Iran had forced Israel to act decisively through its uranium-enrichment programme.

“We know our enemies. We know their ideology. And when a regime builds ballistic missiles, enriches uranium to near weapons-grade and openly declares its intent to destroy us — we believe them,” he said.

At least 34 people have been injured in missile attacks in Tel Aviv, the Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said.

One woman is in critical condition and a man has been seriously injured, the service said.

Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles in retaliatory strikes on Friday, most of which were intercepted by Israel’s missile-defence system the Iron Dome.

The Palestinian Authority said it had received reports that 40 people had been injured from falling shrapnel in the West Bank. The injuries were described as minor to moderate.

Remnants of a missile fallen on a field in Iraq

AP/ANMAR KHALIL

The Israeli Defence Force has said that a hostile drone triggered air-raid sirens in the southern port city of Eilat in a post on X.

Air-raid sirens have also been activated in the Negev desert along the border with Jordan after hostile aircraft were detected in the area.

Explosions and air-raid sirens have been heard across the Iranian capital of Tehran in the past few minutes.

Iran has activated its missile-defence system to counter the latest wave of strikes, according to Iranian state media.

Amir Saeid Iravani at the UN in New York today

MICHAEL M.SANTIAGO/GETTY IMAGES

Israel’s strikes have killed 78 Iranians and injured 329 others, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s UN ambassador, told the United Nations Security Council.

Most of the victims were women and children, along with several senior military officials and nuclear scientists, Iravani added.

“These atrocities constitute clear acts of state terrorism and flagrant violation of international law,” he said, describing the attacks as “barbaric and criminal”.

The US Senator Bernie Sanders has warned being “dragged into another Netanyahu war”.

In a statement on X, he said the Israeli prime minister’s “illegal unilateral attack on Iran risks a full-blown war”, and undermined the diplomatic work of those in Washington.

“These strikes directly undermine the US diplomatic efforts to address Iran’s nuclear programme. Talks were planned for Sunday, but Netanyahu chose to attack.” He added: “We must not be dragged into another Netanyahu war.”

Rescue personnel at an impact site in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv

ITAI RON/REUTERS

A rescuer carries an injured girl on his back

JACK GUEZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Families take cover in public shelter

REUTERS/ITAY COHEN

Iranians celebrate in the streets of Tehran after the missile attack that hit Tel Aviv

ATTA KENARE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

ATTA KENARE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Israel’s firefighting service said its teams were responding to several “major” incidents resulting from an Iranian missile attack, including efforts to rescue people trapped in a high-rise building.

“Firefighting crews are handling several major incidents, mainly in the Dan region” around Tel Aviv, a statement said, adding that “firefighters are working in a high-rise building to rescue trapped individuals and extinguish a fire, as well as responding to two additional destruction sites”.

Calls for restraint from Iran in the face of Israel’s attacks are unjustified, Tehran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has told his British counterpart, David Lammy, in a phone call.

Lammy, meanwhile, warned that the Middle East was facing a “moment of grave peril” after the call.

At least 40 people are being treated in hospitals, with two said to be in a critical condition, after the Iranian strikes on Israel.

Officials say the injuries are varied, and include shrapnel damage, smoke inhalation and shock. Images showed the areas in and around Tel Aviv being hit during the missile barrage.

Rescue personnel attend to an injured woman in Ramat Gan, Israel

REUTERS/ITAI RON

The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran’s Natanz nuclear site has been destroyed, Rafael Grossi, chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, told the UN security council.

“At present, the Iranian authorities are informing us of attacks on two other facilities, namely the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and at Isfahan,” the International Atomic Energy Agency chief told the 15-member council.

“At this moment we do not have enough information beyond indicating that military activity has been taken place around these facilities as well.”

Iran has fired fewer than 100 missiles on Israel, most of which have either been intercepted or fallen short, the Israeli military said.

“A limited number of buildings were affected, some of them as a result of shrapnel from the interception operations,” said Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman, in a post on X.

Security personnel react at an impact site in Tel Aviv after Iran’s missile strike on Israel

REUTERS/ITAI RON

The American military helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were headed toward Israel, two US officials said on Friday, reported Reuters. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, did not provide information on whether fighter jets or warships carried out the operation.

Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has called on the Iranian people to rise up against their regime in the last few minutes.

“The Iranian regime has never been weaker, this is an opportunity for the Iranian people to stand up against the regime,” he said.

Netanyahu added that he and the Israeli people stood with ordinary Iranians.

At least five people have been injured in Iran’s missile attacks on Israel, emergency responders in Tel Aviv said.

“As of this moment, teams have gone out to search seven locations where reports were received in the Dan Bloc [a suburb of Tel Aviv]”, said a spokesman for Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service. There were also reports of people being trapped in buildings.

Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system fires in an attempt to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv

LEO CORREA/AP

The prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, spoke to President Trump on Friday to discuss the military action in the Iran-Israel conflict overnight and agreed on the importance of diplomacy and dialogue, Starmer’s spokeswoman said.

Starmer reiterated UK’s grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear programmes, she added, in a statement released by Downing Street.

There have been explosions and damage reported in Tel Aviv as Iran launched retaliatory strikes in the last hour. At least two barrages of ballistic missiles were fired from Iran.

TOMER NEUBERG/AP

Iran’s state TV says it has brought down an Israeli fighter jet and detained its pilot, a claim which has been denied by Israeli military spokesperson. The Iranians later said a second jet had been brought down.

An Iranian senior official has said that a second barrage of missiles had been launched at Israel, as sirens rang out again in Israel on Friday night. A senior official in Tehran said that nowhere in Israel would be safe and Iran’s revenge would be “painful”.

Smoke rises in Tel Aviv, Israel

LEO CORREA/AP

Israel’s military has said that explosions have been heard in Israel, and they were either from interceptions or from impacts. Emergency teams are said to be searching seven sites in a suburb of Tel Aviv. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem.

In a fresh statement from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he said that Israel had initiated a war and would not be allowed to do “hit and run” attacks without grave consequences.

“The Zionist regime [Israel] will not remain unscathed from the consequences of its crime. The Iranian nation must be guaranteed that our response will not be half-measured,” Khamenei said in a statement.

Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency has reported that “hundreds” of ballistic missiles have been launched towards Israel. It comes as sirens were sounded in Tel Aviv and residents told to take cover and also amid reports that Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system has failed to intercept missiles.

By Roger Boyes

The Israeli bombardment of Iran’s nuclear complex is codenamed Operation Rising Lion. That points to Israel’s broader hopes for the campaign: not only to halt Tehran’s gallop towards acquiring a nuclear weapon but also to encourage domestic resistance to the clerical regime and incite an uprising.

Iran’s quest for the bomb was always supposed to establish it as a regional leader, the defender of Shia Muslims everywhere and the ultimate answer to US interference in the Middle East.

But Friday’s assault showed that the Iranian regime is incapable of defending the nation, that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cannot guard his country’s strategic treasure, cannot stay true to the principles of the Islamic revolution or even keep his people happy. He is a supreme leader in name only.

• Read the article in full

The Israeli military said it had so far struck more than 200 targets across Iran since it began a wave of airstrikes on the Islamic republic on Friday.

“So far we have struck more than 200 targets and we are continuing to strike,” the military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told journalists.

Moscow condemns Israel’s actions against Tehran, President Putin has told his Iranian counterpart. He has also told Israel’s prime minister that questions surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme could only be resolved through diplomacy.

A Kremlin statement said Putin told President Pezeshkian that Russia “condemns the actions of Israel taken in violation of the UN charter” and expressed his condolences for those killed.

It also said that in his call to Binyamin Netanyahu, Putin “stressed the importance of a return to the process of talks and resolution of all issues concerning Iran’s nuclear programme strictly through political and diplomatic means”.

Russia would remain in close contact with both Iran and Israel, the Kremlin added.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has said that Israel “will not remain unscathed” and that Tehran “will not go for half measures in its response” to the attacks.

Speaking on Iranian TV, he vowed that Iran’s armed forces would leave Israel “helpless”.

Israelis received an urgent update on their phones at 8pm local time telling them to stay close to bomb shelters until further notice, the second time they have been instructed to do so since Israeli strikes on Iran began on Thursday night.

The Red Crescent has said that three Palestinian children were injured by falling shrapnel from a missile fired from Yemen that fell in the West Bank. No interceptors were launched to neutralise the missile.

The renewal of restrictions on public gatherings came as the Israel Defence Force’s Home Front Command called on civilians to stay indoors and close to a bomb shelter. When there is a second alert, which would probably be activated in the event of a missile attack, Israelis are expected to remain in shelters until an official update is issued. The update marks a departure in standard protocol, which would usually call Israelis to stay in place for ten minutes until the risk of falling shrapnel dissipates.

The foreign secretary, David Lammy, has advised Britons against travelling to Israel. He urged diplomacy and restraint and said he had also spoken to his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to urge calm.

Netanyahu’s obsession with Iran goes back many years. He was talking about Tehran’s nuclear threat in the 1990s. After Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005 called for Israel to be “wiped off the map”, Netanyahu — then an opposition leader — called Tehran’s nuclear programme “a serious threat for the future”.

He said at the time Israel “must do everything” to keep Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb.
After his return to power in 2009, Netanyahu repeatedly dismissed Tehran’s assurances that its nuclear programme was meant for civilian purpose only, and advocated a “military option”.

Netanyahu called the UN Security Council’s 2015 approval of an agreement with world powers lifting sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear activities a “historic mistake”. In 2018, he applauded Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the agreement, effectively scrapping it.

The US state department informed a number of regional allies in the Middle East of Israel’s looming strike on Iran hours before the attack took place.

In a diplomatic note sent out, the state department confirmed that the Israeli attack was set to take place late on Thursday. Qatar, which shares the world’s largest natural gas field with Iran, was among the countries which received the heads up, Reuters reported.

Israel’s army chief has said that its military was keeping up “full force” to achieve its goals after launching a wave of strikes on military and nuclear sites in Iran.

“We are continuing with full force, at a high pace, in order to meet the goals we have set for ourselves,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement. “There will be difficult moments, we need to be prepared for the range of scenarios we have planned for, very high readiness and discipline are required on the home front.”

There are reports that General Esmail Ghaani, the al-Quds Forces commander, a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been killed in the Israeli attacks. If so, it would represent another senior figure being taken out by Israel. He succeeded Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated in 2020.

Israel has no plans to kill Iranian supreme leader “Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his people”, the Israeli national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, has said.

Hanegbi told Israel’s Channel 12 that “there is currently no plan to kill them”. He added that it was “impossible” to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme using only force, after Israel launched a wave of strikes on the Islamic republic. “The goal is to make the Iranians understand that they will have to stop the nuclear programme,” he said.

Iran’s Fars news agency has just reported that two loud explosions have been heard in the area of the country’s Fordow nuclear site. The site, one of two nuclear enrichment sites in the country, is located in the north of Iran, close to the city of Qoms. Earlier today it was reported that the site had been unharmed by the first wave of Israeli attacks. At the same time, Iran’s Press TV said Tehran’s air defences had shot down an Israeli drone close to Fordow.

Binyamin Netanyahu, in further comments, said he expected “several waves of Iranian attacks” in response to Israeli strikes. He also said that he had initially planned an attack in April.

“It was necessary to act and I set the implementation date for the end of April,” Netanyahu said. “For various reasons, it did not work out.”

Iran called Israel’s strikes on Friday a “declaration of war”.

President Trump has been speaking again, this time telling Reuters that it was unclear if Iran still has a nuclear programme after Israeli strikes on the country.

Trump added that nuclear talks were planned with Iran on Sunday but he was not sure if they would take place. He added that it was not too late for Iran to make a deal. “I tried to save Iran humiliation and death,” Trump said.

He also said that he was not concerned about a regional war breaking out as a result of Israel’s strikes.

President Trump called for an attack on this scale during his election campaign last year, saying Israel should strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in retaliation for a recent missile barrage.

In October he mocked President Biden for saying any Israeli strikes should avoid the nuclear facilities because of the risk of escalation, telling supporters: “That’s the thing you want to hit, right? Hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later.”

• Read in full from the archive: Trump says Israel should attack Iran

Binyamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Israel informed the US about its plans to attack Iran before carrying them out.

“I leave the American position to the Americans. We updated them ahead of time. They knew about the attack. What will they do now? I leave that to President Trump. He makes his decisions independently,” Netanyahu said in a recorded video message.

“I am not going to speak for him [Trump]. He does that very convincingly and assertively. He said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, they cannot have enrichment capabilities.”

An Israeli aircraft preparing for the military operation in Iran

XINHUA/SHUTTERSTOCK

XINHUA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Mohammad Pakpour replaced Hossein Salami, who was killed today

ATTA KENARE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The newly appointed commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Pakpour, threatened on Friday to open “the gates of hell” in retaliation for Israel’s attacks that killed his predecessor, Hossein Salami.

“In retribution for the blood of our fallen commanders, scientists and citizens, the gates of hell will soon be opened upon this child-killing regime,” Pakpour said in a message carried by the state news agency IRNA.

In an interview with the New York Post, President Trump has insisted that he knew the date of the Israeli strike on Iran, “because I know everything”.

“I always knew the date,” the president said in an interview with the newspaper. “Because I know everything. I know everything. I know everything.” He added: “I gave them 60 days and they didn’t meet it. Today’s 61, you know. Today’s day 61.”

Asked if Israeli officials had shared details of the attack in advance, and the intelligence that identified specific targets, Trump said: “I know what’s going on. Someone informed me of it.”

Trump is understood to have spoken with Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, several times on Thursday before the strikes on Iran, according to CNN. The two leaders will speak again today.

A United Nations conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia aimed at forging a road map towards a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians has been postponed after the attacks on Iran, according to diplomatic sources quoted by Reuters.

A western diplomatic source in Riyadh said that the conference would be postponed partially due to the attacks on Iran. A second source said that some delegations from the Middle East would not or could not come due to developments.

President Erdogan of Turkey has said that Israel was seeking to drag the world into “disaster” after strikes on Iran, and urged the international community to stop what he called Israel’s “banditry”.

Binyamin Netanyahu’s government “is trying to drag our region and the entire world into disaster with its reckless, aggressive and lawless actions”, he wrote on X.

Israel is continuing attacks inside Iran, according to its military. The Israel Defence Forces said that it “continues to attack targets in Iranian territory”. It said that it had also begun to deploy reservists from different units “to all combat arenas” after the action taken against Tehran.

President Pezeshkian of Iran has said his nation would “strongly take action” against Israel after its attacks on the country. In a televised address, Pezeshkian urged people to unite behind its government. The “Islamic Republic of Iran will give a severe, wise and strong answer to the occupier regime,” he said.

A “flag of revenge”, inscribed with “Revenge for Hussein” in Arabic script, has been raised atop the dome of the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, Iran

STRINGER/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES

STRINGER/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES

Sir Keir Starmer, along with the leaders of France and Germany, has called on Israel and Iran to refrain from further escalation after overnight Israeli strikes.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The prime minister spoke to the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, this morning following the developments in the Middle East overnight. The leaders discussed the long-held grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme, and called on all sides to refrain from further escalation that could further destabilise the region.

“The leaders reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defence, and agreed that a diplomatic resolution, rather than military action, was the way forward. They looked forward to speaking again soon.”

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former foreign secretary and defence secretary, has also commented on Iran’s immediate response. He said: “So far they’ve sent 100 drones and that is actually a very minor response. That may not be because they want restraint. It may be because they have suffered very serious military damage, not just last night, but in [previous] Israeli attacks.

“They are in a very, very weak position. And it will be interesting to see whether they can get beyond a drone attack because they’ve said we consider this an act of war. Well, you don’t just react with 100 drones, if that is your view. But what can they do? They cannot attack Israel in any comparable sense. They just do not have the military capability and their economy is in a mess.”

He added that if the Americans needed to use aircraft to attack Iran, in the event of further escalations, “these aircraft will take off from Diego Garcia” on the Chagos Islands. “That’s the significance, not just symbolic, but real military significance and relevance of that particular base remaining under British and American control, which the recent deal with Mauritius will not endanger.”

Lord Lamont of Lerwick, the former chancellor, has warned the global economic effects of escalating conflict in the Middle East “could be very serious indeed”.

He told Times Radio: “The obvious [impact] would be through oil prices and inflation. But it could be very serious indeed, if the Straits of Hormuz got blocked, if this led to, dare to say, conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. I’m not saying it will, I think Saudi has condemned what Israel has done. But this could spread and cause huge disruption in the Middle East.”

He added: “It would hit growth very hard, it would hit trade, inflation would be very, very bad indeed, for growth, for confidence. So I don’t think it’s very difficult to see that it would cause enormous problems for the world economy … we can’t foresee exactly what will happen. But the potential downside there is very clear.”

An Israeli long-range reconnaissance drone has been filmed apparently flying uncontested over the Iranian city of Tabriz after strikes today that targeted a ballistic missile facility.

Israeli strikes on Friday killed at least eight people and wounded 12 others in the northwestern city and its surroundings, the provincial governor told ISNA, an Iranian news agency.

The IDF released footage of an Israeli Navy Sa’ar 6-class corvette shooting down an Iranian attack drone today with a Barak-8 surface-to-air missile.

Demonstrators chant anti-Israel and anti-US slogans in Tehran

FATEMEH BAHRAMI/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES

Protesters have gathered in Tehran to chant slogans such as “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”, while waving Iranian flags and images of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. State television reported that similar protests occurred in other cities nationwide.

“Time for living in fear is gone, it’s time for reaction now and take revenge” said Mina, a university student in Tehran. “As an Iranian, I believe we must respond decisively and forcefully to Israel.”

Another protester said: “They have assassinated our numerous generals, university professors, and researchers, and now they want to negotiate with us,” referring to the upcoming nuclear talks. “We can’t allow this idiot [Netanyahu] to continue; it’s a do or die situation.”

“We either end them, or we risk ending up like Gaza,” said a protester in Tehran. “It is essential to eliminate Netanyahu, he is targeting civilians.”

President Trump has told The Wall Street Journal that he and his team knew about Israel’s plans to attack Iran, despite some earlier mixed messages from the administration.

Asked what kind of “heads up” Israel had given the US, Trump answered: “Heads up? It wasn’t a heads up. It was, we know what’s going on.”

The president called the operation “a very successful attack, to put it mildly”, and said he spoke to the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, on Thursday. He plans to speak to him again on Friday.

Trump had said earlier this week that he opposed Israeli strikes that could “blow up” nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Immediately ater the strikes on Friday, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said Israel’s attack was “unilateral” with no US involvement.

Asked what effect the development could have on the markets, Trump said: “I think ultimately, it would be great for the market because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. It will be great for the market — should be the greatest thing ever for the market. Iran won’t have a nuclear weapon that was a great threat to humanity.”

The UK is prepared to take “every diplomatic step” to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, Downing Street has said.

This could include reinstating sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran by triggering a so-called “snap back” mechanism. That deal was torn up in favour of “maximum pressure” sanctions by Donald Trump during his first term as US president in 2018.

The UK’s priority is to prevent further escalation after the Israeli strikes and “press for a diplomatic solution”, a No 10 spokesman said.

“Our priority is to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, that’s in no one’s interest … we’re working closely with all our allies to press for that diplomatic solution.”

Iran’s nuclear programme is “more advanced than ever, and it is a clear threat to international peace and security”, the spokesman said.

Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to speak to President Putin and Sir Keir Starmer as well as President Trump later today, his office said.

The Israeli prime minister has already spoken to Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, and President Macron of France, his office said.

“The leaders showed understanding toward Israel’s need to defend itself against the Iranian annihilation threat,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

The United Nations security council is to hold an emergency meeting on Friday on the Israeli strikes in Iran, at Tehran’s request.

Iran has halted all domestic and international flights, according to the state-affiliated Fars news agency, citing the civil aviation authority.

Israeli airstrikes continued on Friday across Iran, including in Tabriz, Kermanshah, Hamedan, Qasr-e Shirin and Kangavar, as reported by state media.

According to the Israel Defence Forces, Israeli jets have already destroyed dozens of missile launchers, storage facilities and additional military sites, including a concealed launch system hidden inside shipping containers in western Iran.

By Richard Spencer

President Trump has said it is time for his counterpart in Tehran to make a deal. He is absolutely correct that Iran has been on the horns of a dilemma since Israel’s last attack on its territory, in October last year, took out most of its air defences.

The destruction of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the decapitation of its leadership, has also removed Iran’s capability to retaliate vicariously from the north — a key part of its strategy in building up the group over four decades.

The dilemma was that once Iran’s military threat had been exposed as essentially a sham, the choices faced by its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were all extremely unpalatable. Those choices, as Trump pointed out, have only got starker overnight.

• Read in full: Iran’s supreme leader has little left to lose after Israel attacks

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, will speak to President Trump later today, according to an Israeli official.

Netanyahu is also expected to hold a situational assessment with his senior aides and military commanders on Friday, the official said.

An Israeli security official has claimed the leaders of Iran’s aerospace force were tricked into gathering for a meeting where they could all be targeted by an air strike on their command centre.

“We carried out specific activities to help us learn more about them, and then used that information to influence their behaviour,” the unnamed official told Fox News. “We knew this would lead them to meet — but more importantly, we knew how to keep them there.”

The official added that the strikes were more successful than Israel had anticipated.

The IRGC has confirmed that Amir Ali Hajizadeh — whom Israel blames for past ballistic missile and drone attacks — and several of his officers were killed.

This is a “big moment” for Iran to decide how to respond, Nicholas Hopton, the former UK ambassador to Iran, has told Times Radio.

“They can either escalate or they might choose to make a symbolic response. We’re hearing reports that perhaps they have already launched a hundred drones or so in retaliation … that might amount to a symbolic response if it’s no more than that.”

Although the Revolutionary Guards had been weakened with the assassination of some of its top commanders, he noted that “Iran’s IRGC and military generally have strength in depth … The supreme leader will be drawing on advice from a range of voices within the regime.”

Hopton, who also served as ambassador to Libya, Qatar and Yemen, added: “What Israel does seem to have achieved through this action is distancing itself further from those Arab countries with which it was trying to build a more normal relationship.”

An estimated 78 people were killed and 329 injured in Tehran province alone during Israel’s strikes early today, according to an Iranian news agency.

The semi-official agency Fars reported the figures as “the unofficial death toll from today’s terrorist attack by the Israeli regime”.

President Macron of France has said he has spoken to world leaders today including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, the King of Jordan, Sir Keir Starmer and President Trump.

“Peace and security for all in the region must remain our guiding principle,” he said in a statement on X.

Israeli diplomatic missions around the world have been closed and citizens abroad have been advised to take security precautions and notify the foreign ministry of their whereabouts.

All Israelis overseas are asked to fill in an online form, similar to that provided by the ministry after the October 7, 2023 attacks. The information enables the return of reservists to Israel and the organisation of rescue flights, if necessary.

“Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided,” the foreign ministry said.

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace command

ATTA KENARE/AFP

Iran’s powerful paramilitary force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has confirmed that its aerospace chief was killed along with fellow officers in an Israeli airstrike on their command centre.

“Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps aerospace force Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh … along with a group of brave and dedicated fighters of this force, were martyred,” the IRGC said in a statement.

The Israel Defence Forces said Hajizadeh had been responsible for ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israel.

Israeli media reported that that Esmail Qaani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force — the network of Iranian proxy forces across the Middle East — had also been killed in the Israeli strikes.

General Hossein Salami, the overall head of the IRGC, was also among those killed overnight.

The Israeli air force is continuing to strike Iran, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, a military spokesman, said. “The operation is only beginning,” he said, and Israel was “preparing for a response from Iran”.

He said: “At this hour, the IDF is continuing the attack plan, [to achieve] the goals of the operation, alongside strong defence of Israel.”

Israel had intercepted most of the drones launched from Iran in response to air strikes on military and nuclear sites, he said.

There are also reports of a large explosion near an airbase close to the city of Hamedan, in northwestern Iran.

Trump described the Israeli attacks on Iran as “excellent” and said there was “a lot more” to come.

ABC News said a correspondent had spoken to the president by phone on Friday morning. Trump had said: “I think it’s been excellent. We gave them a chance and they didn’t take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you’re going to get hit. And there’s more to come. A lot more.”

Asked if the US had participated in the attack in any way, Trump said: “I don’t want to comment on that.”

President Trump said he had given Iran a 60-day ultimatum to make a deal with the US over its nuclear programme.

“They should have done it! Today is day 61,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!”

Britain and Greece have advised their merchant shipping fleets to avoid the Gulf of Aden and to log all voyages through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Ministry of Transport advised all UK-flagged vessels, which include those registered to Gibraltar and Bermuda, to avoid sailing through the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Vessels that do venture into those areas should adhere to their highest level of security measures and limit the number of crew on deck.

The Greek Ministry of Shipping has urged ship owners to log details of vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz with the maritime ministry.

By Haroon Janjua

Witnesses to the latest Israeli strikes on a military airport in Tabriz have described explosions, shaking buildings and panicking people screaming in fear.

Samer, 27, said: “I saw and heard huge missile strikes. There were loud explosions, fire erupting and plumes of smoke rising. Four to five missiles were launched, and it panicked the people.

“I saw people screaming in the streets of Tabriz as buildings shook, creating a sense of chaos in the city. I fear further attacks. I am concerned about the serious escalation, and we are afraid for our lives, our children and our safety.”

Mohammad Mehdi, 31, of Saadat Abad in northern Tehran, another area targeted in last night’s strikes, said: “I woke up with the whole house shaking. I was very scared, not knowing what had happened.”

Another resident said: “We have no reliable information, and there are rumours that this could occur every night. Should we remain at home? The uncertainty is overwhelming.”

Many were shocked that Israel targeted civilian areas and buildings. “I never thought that would happen,” said one Tehran resident. “If these military leaders can’t guarantee their own safety, how can they protect us from Israeli attacks?” another said.

The Community Security Trust, a Jewish organisation in Britain, has warned that synagogues could be targeted after the strikes on Iran.

It said it “strongly requests that our community be vigilant and follows the strict security measures that are in place at communal buildings, events and areas”. It added: “This is not based upon specific intelligence, but Iran has long used terrorism against Jews and Israelis around the world.”

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “We express our deep solidarity with the Israeli people at this time, and pray for their safety and security.

“We affirm Israel’s right to defend itself against threats in the region, and call on the UK government to maintain its active support for Israel’s defence against the murderous Iranian regime.”

Israel said it was fully ready to strike any Iranian ally that may attempt to retaliate for the airstrikes.

“If any other country in the region will enable any Shia Iranian proxy to carry out attacks from their countries against Israel, Israel is fully ready to retaliate immediately and in a very aggressive way,” a senior security source told The Times.

Reports have suggested that Iran is attempting to mobilise its proxies in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq against Israel.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group supported by Iran, has condemned the attack. But ad official said on Friday that it would not independently launch a retaliatory attack.

Abdolrahim Mousavi, centre, is the new head of Iran’s armed forces, replacing the late Mohammad Bagheri, right. Hossein Salami, head of the IRGC, was also killed

REX

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has replaced two senior military commanders killed in a wave of Israeli airstrikes early on Friday.

According to state television, General Abdolrahim Mousavi is the new head of the armed forces, replacing General Mohammad Bagheri. Mousavi was previously the top army commander.

Mohammad Pakpour is the new chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, replacing Hossein Salami.

The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, created after the 1979 revolution, is one of the main power centers within Iran’s theocracy.

Russia has issued an angry critique of Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, calling them “atrocities” and a violation of the UN Charter and international law.

The Russian foreign ministry said it was “especially cynical” that the strikes took place as the US and Iran prepared for the latest round of indirect talks in Oman.

“Unprovoked military strikes on a sovereign state and UN member, its citizens, peaceful, sleeping cities and sites of nuclear energy infrastructure are categorically unacceptable,” the ministry said.

“The international community cannot allow itself to be indifferent to such atrocities, which destroy peace and harm regional and international security.”

Russia also blamed western governments, saying they had “whipped up anti-Iran hysteria” and should take responsibility for the consequences.

Jack Barnett, Economics Correspondent

The escalation between Israel and Iran will be felt via two main channels: oil prices and foreign exchange rates.

If it leads to disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, a main artery of the global oil trade between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, there is a serious risk that supply will be tightly constrained.

Already, in the immediate aftermath of the Israeli attacks on Iran, oil prices have risen sharply and were on track for their largest gain since 2020. The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the global benchmark, leapt by nearly 6 per cent to more than $75.

The rise in oil prices will magnify anxieties that the American economy is hurtling towards another period of stubborn inflation if President Trump’s tariffs eventually end up being punitive after the 90-day reprieve ends in July.

• Read in full: Israel’s strike on Iran pours fuel on economic tinderbox

VAHID SALEMI/AP

MAJID SAEEDI/GETTY

MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA/REUTERS

AHMET DURSUN/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES

It had long been assumed that Iran’s two main nuclear enrichment facilities were hidden so deeply into the country’s mountains that it would prove challenging for the Israeli military to destroy them.

That has not stopped Israel trying. The wave of strikes on Friday morning aimed to destroy Iran’s capacity to manufacture a bomb. But experts questioned whether the attacks would do anything more than temporarily set back the nuclear programme.

Israel’s attack on Iran was, therefore, a massive gamble. Either it has degraded Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities sufficiently enough to halt further production, or the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has emboldened Tehran to accelerate its race to build a nuclear bomb.

• Read in full: Does Iran have nuclear weapons? Why Israel is attacking now

The Israeli military says it is still intercepting incoming drones launched from Iran.

“The Israeli air force continues to operate to intercept unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran toward the state of Israel”, the IDF said.

Earlier it said Iran had launched about 100 drones and none had reached Israel so far.

Iranian state media have reported a fresh Israeli attack on the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.

The underground complex, north of the city of Isfahan, was targeted and damaged by Israeli bombs overnight.

Iran admitted that “several parts of the facility” had been damaged in the first wave of strikes but there was no indication of a radiation leak.

The Fars news agency reported a daylight strike in Tabriz, apparently near the northwestern city’s airport. A video online showed a large plume of smoke.

Other explosions were reported at an alleged missile site in Kermanshah, a western city, and in Shiraz.

President Trump has warned Iran it “must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire”.

He posted on his Truth Social platform at 5.55am local time: “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it’, but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done.

“I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the world, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come — and they know how to use it.

“Certain Iranian hardliners spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.

“No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!”

Israel has claimed it damaged the uranium enrichment centrifuges at Iran’s vast underground Natanz facility as part of the wave of strikes earlier this morning.

“The underground area of the site was damaged. This area contains a multistorey enrichment hall with centrifuges, electrical rooms and additional supporting infrastructure,” the Israel Defence Forces said in a statement.

“In addition, critical infrastructure enabling the site’s continuous operation and the Iranian regime’s ongoing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons were targeted.”

Earlier Iran admitted that “several parts of the facility” had been damaged but there was no indication of a radiation leak.

Videos have been posted online allegedly showing Mossad agents and drones inside Iran.

One grainy clip filmed at night appears to show at least two figures wearing masks and night-vision goggles on the ground.

Videos of apparent drone strikes on targets including a large missile on a launcher and individual vehicles were also shared by an unofficial Mossad account and war monitoring sites.

The codename for Israel’s attack against Iran, Operation Rising Lion, appears to refer to a Bible verse that promises a victorious future for a powerful Israel.

In Numbers 23 it says: “Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.”

This verse is part of the first oracle of Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet and diviner, in which he foretells the strength and power of Israel, comparing it to a lion that will not rest until it has satisfied its hunger.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called Israel’s strikes “satanic”.

• Read in full: Why is Israel attacking Iran? Operation Rising Lion explained

Most of the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air force was eliminated in a targeted strike on Friday, Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, has said, attributing the information to a military assessment.

The top brass of the IRGC’s air command had convened at an underground command centre, according to a statement issued by Katz’s office.

Israel is prepared for a confrontation with Iran to continue over several days, depending in part on how Tehran responded, an Israeli military official has said.

The official, speaking to a group of foreign reporters on condition of anonymity, said the air force had launched simultaneous strikes on multiple targets, including Iranian ballistic missiles.

“We have already achieved a lot,” he said.

All Israeli pilots involved in Friday’s strike on Iran have returned safely home, the official said.

A senior Russian politician has made clear the country’s support for Iran and warned that after Israel’s strikes “a full-scale war in the region is absolutely possible”.

“That is without doubt,” Konstantin Kosachev, vice-speaker of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, said. “We can and must hope for another demonstration of restraint from Iran. One must always hope for the best, but naturally there are limits to [Iran’s] patience.”

Kosachev said halting further escalation was “only possible in the case of a monolithic unity of consensus of the international community in rejecting what Israel is doing and in affirming that Iran has a right to a nuclear programme for civilian purposes.”

He added: “Alas, there is no — and will be no — such consolidated unity.”

Dmitry Peskov, President Putin’s spokesman, told reporters: “Russia is worried and condemns the sharp escalation in tension.”

On Wednesday Russia offered to remove highly enriched uranium from Iran and convert it into civilian reactor fuel as a potential way to narrow differences between Washington and Tehran.

Damage to the welfare office in Qasr-e Shirin in western Iran was shown on Iranian television

Iranian state media channels have broadcast footage of last night’s strikes, apparently showing heavily damaged buildings.

One location hit was identified as a State Welfare Organisation office in Qasr-e Shirin in western Iran, on the border with Iraq.

One employee was killed there and several others injured, the Tasnim news agency claimed. It released a video of a building reduced to rubble but it was not immediately possible to verify the claim.

Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, said the decision to strike nuclear and military targets in Iran came “at the last possible minute, after all other avenues had been exhausted”.

Speaking to German and Italian counterparts on Friday, Saar said, according to his office: “The whole world saw and understood that the Iranians were not ready to stop and we had to stop them. The latest IAEA report illustrated the serious Iranian violations. We know that challenging days lie ahead, but we have no other choice.”

Rescue workers in a residential district of Tehran on Friday

MAJID SAEEDI/GETTY

Long queues have been seen at Iranian grocery shops and petrol stations on Friday morning, as the population braced for uncertainty and the risk of war.

Ahmed, 46, a father of three who lives in Tehran, described the night as terrifying and fearful. “The windows were shaken with the explosions, then I woke up and heard more continuous explosions that have not stopped and our children were terrified and they were still reeling from the explosions as the dawn broke.”

The Iranian government has not provided a complete count of casualties, only stating that several civilians, including children, had been killed, and dozens more injured.

Israel’s military has claimed it destroyed Iranian ballistic missiles “aimed at the state of Israel,” in a post on X accompanied by aerial footage of explosions.

The Ayatollah has promised “harsh punishment” in revenge for Israel’s overnight airstrikes.

Despite being severely weakened over the past couple of years by sanctions and becoming increasingly isolated, Iran has thousands of medium-range missiles that can reach US bases scattered across the Middle East.

A conflict with Iran would be “messy”, the US has warned, and would risk plunging the entire region into war.

• Read in full: How might Iran retaliate against Israel? Five potential scenarios

Israel’s civilian protection command has lifted warnings to stay close to bomb shelters, saying the drones launched by Iran had been intercepted outside of Israeli territory.

More than 100 drones were detected, and were expected to take hours to fly the 1,500 km between the two countries.

The Israeli military said they had all been shot down outside Israeli territory. Jordanian and Israeli media reported interceptions above Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, has said that Israel’s strikes against Iran were “deeply concerning”.

“I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment,” Rafael Grossi said. “Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security.”

The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have previously accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has repeatedly denied.

On Wednesday the IAEA passed a resolution accusing Iran of non-compliance with its obligations, which the country’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, rejected as “extremist”.

Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz was damaged in an Israeli attack on Friday, the country’s atomic energy organisation said in a statement. It added that investigations have not shown any radioactive or chemical contamination outside the site.

“The attack has damaged several parts of the facility. Investigations are ongoing to assess the extent of damages,” the statement said.

The uranium enrichment complex is buried 100 metres underground.

Turkey has condemned Israel’s airstrikes as a “provocation that serves Israel’s strategic policy of destabilisation in the region”.

“Israel must put an immediate end to its aggressive actions that could lead to further conflicts,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

In May, Istanbul played host to nuclear negotiations between Iran and European powers.

“The fact that the strikes come at a time of intensified negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme shows that the Netanyahu government is unwilling to resolve any issue through diplomatic means and is not averse to putting regional stability and global peace at risk for its own interests,” the foreign ministry said.

“We call on the international community to take urgent action to prevent the spread of war.”

Israel said it had struck an “extensive blow” against Iran’s air defences in the west of the country, including attacks on dozens of radars and anti-aircraft missile launchers.

Releasing footage of at least one target being hit, apparently a mobile missile launcher, the Israel Defence Forces said the strikes “improve the freedom of action in the air” for Israeli jets.

Damaged residential buildings in Tehran on Friday morning

MAJID SAEEDI/GETTY IMAGES

Iranians awoke to flames and confusion after the Israeli strike overnight, witnesses have said.

Mina Rahem, a resident of Tehran, saw missile strikes around 3am local time in the densely populated Sharara district.

Rahem told The Times: “Two missiles struck within seconds, and there was fire and smoke everywhere. People came out in the streets and roads in the darkness, unsure of what had happened. Our government should respond and launch attacks on Israel for violating our sovereignty.”

A resident of the western Chazabeh region, which borders Iraq, said: “Dozens of drones were flying in the sky, heading towards Iraq and Israel. Jets are also hovering above, and it feels like a full-scale war is imminent.”

Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, “built a base for explosive-laden drones” that were smuggled into Iran and activated during the overnight airstrikes, according to an Israeli security source quoted by Haaretz newspaper.

The report said the drones were launched toward surface-to-surface missile launchers at a base near Tehran.

At the same time Mossad commando units were operating in central Iran, deploying precision-guided weapons systems in open areas near surface-to-air missile batteries.

“These systems were activated as the Israeli air assault began,” the source said.

Airlines and airports in the Middle East have cancelled and diverted flights on Friday in response to the strikes and expected retaliation.

Emirates said flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran had been cancelled. Several flights scheduled for Friday and one Tehran flight on Saturday were listed as cancelled on the airline’s website.

Dubai airport and the nearby Al Maktoum airport said some flights had been cancelled or delayed because of airspace closures over Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

Jordan and Iraq have closed their airspace to flights.

The UK was not involved in the Israeli airstrikes on Iran last night, Sarah Jones, the industry minister, told Times Radio this morning.

However, she did not rule out British involvement in the defence of Israel if Iran fired ballistic missiles, as happened in October.

Jones said it was a “dangerous moment” and urged both sides to show restraint. The minister refused to say the UK would consider stopping selling arms to Israel, and did not rule out recognising a Palestinian state.

Air raid sirens have sounded over Jordan’s capital, Amman, after Iran launched a wave of drones towards Israel.

Jordan said that it had intercepted a number of drones and missiles that entered its airspace on Friday morning.

Two of Iran’s most prominent nuclear sites were affected by the first wave of Israeli airstrikes, the UN nuclear watchdog has said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that the Iranian authorities confirmed to them that the Isfahan nuclear power plant in central Iran was “not targeted” in the overnight attacks.

And the Fordow uranium enrichment facility in northern Iran “not been impacted,” the IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said.

Earlier the IAEA said there were no increased levels of radiation detected in the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while another major site, the Bushehr power plant, had not been targeted.

About 100 Shahed-136 kamikaze drones were deployed from Iran and are expected to enter Israeli skies shortly. This is likely to be an attempt to try to overwhelm Israel’s air defence systems so Iran can follow up with missile strikes on key installations.

In previous operations Britain and France, as well as the US, have come to Israel’s defence. However, British defence sources said they were not providing support to Israel this morning.

Another senior Iranian military commander was among those assassinated in the overnight strikes, Israel’s military said.

Major General Gholam Ali Rashid headed the emergency command and was deputy head of the army. The deaths of Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff, and Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guards, were confirmed earlier.

All of them appeared to have been killed in strikes on their homes. Missiles damaged several apartment blocks in the capital.

Iranian media also showed footage of a strike against the home of a nuclear scientist, one of several targeted by Israel overnight.

Ali Shamkhani, a personal aide to the Aytotollah who helped to oversee nuclear policy, was also targeted. There were conflicting reports about whether he was killed in the strike on his home, or survived with severe injuries.

David Lammy, the British foreign secretary, has urged against further escalation, saying stability in the Middle East is “vital for global security”.

“Further escalation is a serious threat to peace and stability in the region and in no one’s interest,” he said in a post on X.

“This is a dangerous moment and I urge all parties to show restraint.”

Defrin, the IDF spokesman, said the second part of the threat involved Iran building thousands of ballistic missiles “with plans to double and triple them”.

“The third component: the Iranian regime continues to arm, fund and direct its proxies across the Middle East against the State of Israel,” he added. “Our operation’s goal is to eliminate the threat.”

In another statement the IDF said it had gathered materials showing the “Iranian regime had a concrete plan to destroy the state of Israel”, which was named “The Destruction of Israel Plan”.

“The state of Israel was left with no choice. The IDF is obligated to act in order to defend the citizens of the State of Israel and will continue to do so,” it said.

In a separate briefing to journalists, the Israeli army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said Israeli jets had also “attacked and damaged” Iranian air defence systems.

Defrin said Israel saw a three-pronged threat from Iran. First, Iran was “rushing towards a nuclear bomb”, he said.

“We are now revealing for the first time, based on intelligence, that the Iranian regime has established a secret programme.

“As part of this programme, senior nuclear scientists in Iran secretly conducted experiments to advance all the necessary components for building a nuclear weapon. This is unequivocal proof that the Iranian regime is working to acquire nuclear weapons in the near future.”

Israel’s military said on Friday that the strikes came as Iran was approaching the “point of no return” in its capability to produce a nuclear weapon.

“In recent months, accumulated intelligence information has provided evidence that the Iranian regime is approaching the point of no return,” it said in a statement.

“The convergence of the Iranian regime’s efforts to produce thousands of kilogrammes of enriched uranium, alongside decentralised and fortified enrichment compounds in underground facilities, enables the Iranian regime to enrich uranium to military-grade levels, enabling the regime to obtain a nuclear weapon within a short period of time.”

By Larisa Brown

This appears to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq. A long time in the planning, some 200 Israeli aircraft, including F-16s and F-35s, were involved in the strikes, and hit about 100 targets in the first few hours, according to the Israeli army chief spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin. Dozens of military sites were struck, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran.

Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, was among those assassinated in the Israeli strikes, according to reports. The operation would have required timely intelligence on the movements of key figures on the ground and months if not years of painstaking analysis of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Oil prices jumped more than 7 per cent, hitting their highest level in months, after Israel’s strike on Iran raised concerns about disruption to supplies.

Brent crude rose more than $5, or 8 per cent, to above $75 a barrel by 6.30am, the highest since April 2 and the most dramatic move in more than three years as analysts warned the strikes could herald the start of a prolonged conflict.

The gold price was up 1 per cent to $3,422 as investors sought refuge in the safe haven asset.

Tony Sycamore, an analyst for IG based in Sydney, said: “While details are sparse regarding the targets, risk asset markets are not in the mood to wait and find out.”

• Read in full: Oil price surges above $75 as Iran attack stokes tension

Friday’s attack by Israel comes as the Trump administration was trying to negotiate a new deal to keep Iran’s nuclear programme peaceful.

The US president’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was due to lead negotiations with Tehran on Sunday, but that meeting now looks unlikely.

Trump had said he wished to avoid a conflict but had predicted that Israel could strike Iran and had evacuated US troops and diplomats from Iraq due to the risk of retaliation.

Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK urged “all parties to step back and
reduce tensions urgently” after Israeli strikes on Iran,.

He added that “now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy”.

Footage of Iranian attack drones apparently heading towards Israel has started emerging online.
This footage apparently shows a drone flying over Iraq.

Israelis gather in a shelter following sirens in Tel Aviv on Friday morning

ITAY COHEN/REUTERS

After Israelis were woken to an unusual alert that overrode silent modes on their phones at 3am, the country started Friday morning to a total shutdown.

On what is usually a bustling weekend day, cafes and beaches were closed and the planned Gay Pride parade cancelled. Pharmacies, supermarkets and essential services remained open, but offices and businesses were shut.

With Ben Gurion shut, many passengers were left stranded at Israel’s main airport, with a special train service running to evacuate them but no other trains in operation, and buses limited to hospital routes and essential destinations.

Israel’s military said Iran has sent over 100 drones toward the country as its defence capabilities attempt to intercept them.

The drones can take nine hours to make the 1,500 km journey from Iran to Israel.

The move may be a precursor to a ballistic strike in an attempt to overwhelm Israel’s aerial defence system. Israel’s main airport remains closed and neighbouring Jordan has also temporarily shut its airspace ahead of the counterstrike.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran’s first commercial nuclear facility was not targeted in Israel’s strikes on Tehran.

“Iranian authorities have informed the IAEA that the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has not been targeted and that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the Natanz site”, Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

Saudi Arabia denounced Israel’s strikes on Iran as a “flagrant violation of international law”.

The kingdom, which hosts joint US bases and is the world’s top oil exporter, had lobbied President Trump against a war with Iran, fearing it could engulf the region in conflict.

Binyamin Netanyahu warned the Israeli public that they may have to spend prolonged periods in bomb shelters before an anticipated retaliatory strike by Iran.

Netanyahu, speaking in a video released by his office, also said that Israeli strikes had hit senior Iranian commanders but did not identify them.

The US and UK pulled out three aircraft from the Udeid military base in Qatar hours after the Israeli strikes on Iran.

Two American and a British reconnaissance RC-135 were seen departing and heading west on flight trackers.

Udeid is the largest US base in the region and could come under Iranian attack. Iran had threatened to bomb US bases if its nuclear sites were attacked.

President Trump said he had been aware that Israel would launch strikes on Iran and had informed another Middle East ally of the imminent attack.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump denied that the US played a role and said he hoped the strikes would further the negotiations with Iran.

“Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back,” he said.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said his country’s initial strikes on Iran were “very successful” in a post on X.

“We are off to a very successful start, and with God’s help, we are going to achieve many great achievements,” he said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Israel will pay a heavy price for its attack which killed the Guards’ top commander, Hossein Salami, warning of a decisive retaliation against its “sworn enemies”.

“The Israeli attack was carried out with full knowledge and support of the wicked rulers in the White House and terrorist US regime,” the Guards’ statement said.

A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has been wounded in Israel’s strikes on Tehran, the nation’s state media has reported.

The Iranian news agency Nour News reported that Ali Shamkhani, senior adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a former secretary of the national security council, was seriously injured.

Iran has confirmed the death of Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of its armed forces.

Israel said it had no choice but to attack Iran, adding that it gathered intelligence that Tehran was approaching “the point of no return” in its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

“The Iranian regime has been working for decades to obtain a nuclear weapon. The world has attempted every possible diplomatic path to stop it, but the regime has refused to stop,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

The military did not disclose the purported evidence that it had recently accumulated.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said Israel will receive “harsh punishment” for its attacks that killed several military commanders.

“The Zionist regime [Israel] unleashed its wicked and bloody hand in a crime against Iran this morning and revealed its vile nature. With this attack, the Zionist regime has prepared a bitter fate for itself, which it will definitely receive,” Khamenei said in a statement.

Iranian state television reported a fresh wave of explosions in Tehran on Friday morning.

“New explosions were heard in Tehran; aerial defence responding,” the broadcaster said. The explosions were also heard by AFP correspondents in the city.

Residents in Tehran reported another round of explosions in the past few minutes, according to the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear whether the explosions were air defence systems going off or another wave of Israeli attacks.

Israel’s attack on Iran was a “a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence”, Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, said in a statement.

“I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control,” the Rhode Island senator said.

Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, said the Israeli strikes were “clearly intended to scuttle the Trump administration’s negotiations with Tehran.”

The attacks were “further evidence of how little respect world powers — including our own allies — have for President Trump,” Murphy wrote on X.

The Republican leadership in Congress have voiced their full support for the Israeli strikes on Iran.

“Israel IS right — and has a right — to defend itself,” Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, wrote in a post on X alongside a picture of an Israeli flag.

John Thune, the Senate majority leader, said in a statement that “Iran must never gain access to a nuclear weapon”.

“The US Senate stands ready to work with President Trump and with our allies in Israel to restore peace in the region and, first and foremost, to defend the American people from Iranian aggression, especially our troops and civilians serving overseas,” Thune said.

An Iranian official has threatened a “decisive” response to the Israeli attack, according to a report from the IRNA state-run news agency.

Hossein Salami in 2023

MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA/REUTERS

Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was confirmed to have been killed in the Israeli strikes, according to Iranian state media.

Salami was at the IRGC headquarters in Tehran when the building was attacked.

Iranian state media also reported that the strikes had killed Gholam Ali Rashid, a senior official in the IRGC; Fereydoon Abbasi, a nuclear scientist and former atomic energy chief; and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a nuclear scientist.

A firefighter at the scene of an explosion in a residence compound in northern Tehran

VAHID SALEMI/AP

A damaged building in Tehran

AHMET DURSUN/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES

EPA

SEPAH NEWS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The US state department has has directed all government employees and their families in Israel to shelter until further notice.

The embassy stressed the need for “caution and increased personal security awareness”, in the event that Iran retaliates with missile fire or drone attacks.

“The security environment is complex and can change quickly,” the state department said in a statement.

President Trump will convene the US National Security Council in the White House situation room at 11am ET (4pm UK time) on Friday to discuss the Israeli attack on Iran, the White House has said.

A senior Israeli security official confirmed to The Times that it appeared Israel had been “successful” in eliminating many senior Iranian figures.

The official said Iran was “not sincere” in their negotiations as the Americans are expected to head to the fifth round of direct talks aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme.

“Had they been sincere Israel wouldn’t have acted. They were buying time to continue their enrichment and other offensive capabilities,” they said.

The source said Israel had adopted a wider regional strategy since October 7, which stops threats before they develop, adding that the country was “not targeting the Iranian people” but the regime.

“The Iranian people are happy tonight, they deserve leaders that can give them respectful living, not spend their money on leading the global axis of evil while they are starving and with no electricity.”

The security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran had a way out from continued bombardment through “sincere” negotiations with the US.

“Their choice now is to either enter an agreement or continue being hit.”

Israel’s chief of staff said the country had “no other choice” but to hit Iran in an “historic campaign”.

“We have begun this operation because the time has come, we are at the point of no return,” Eyal Zamir said in a video address.

“We are amid a historic campaign unlike any other. This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat, by an enemy who is intent on destroying us.

“The Iranian regime will attempt to attack us in response, the expected toll will be different to what we are used to. The IDF is prepared to defend the Israeli home front and I ask you to be responsible, for yourselves, for your family and your communities and listen to the instructions.

“We have been preparing this operation for a long time — unprecedented efforts have been made across all branches and directorates to achieve readiness against the tangible and present threat.”

Iranian state television said that General Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is feared dead after the Israeli attack.

It added that one other top IRGC official, as well as two nuclear scientists, were also believed to have been killed.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was created after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and is one of the main power centres within the Islamic theocracy.

The roads in Tel Aviv fell silent in the early hours of Friday and the sound of military planes filled the sky.

As the news of the strikes on Iran quickly spread, Israelis turned on their televisions to watch the operation unfold and hear the latest information. Avid WhatsApp users, many Israelis woke to message each other and ask what they were doing in the coming hours as uncertainty spread whether or not to head immediately to shelters.

Shops, cafés and beaches will not open and there will be very little movement as the country anticipates Iran’s response.

An Israeli defence official told Axios that Israel had targeted the entire Iranian military general staff, the main co-ordinating body across all branches of its armed forces, and senior nuclear scientists.

“There is increasing likelihood that they were all eliminated,” the official said.

Netanyahu said that the hardest decision any leader had to make was to thwart a danger before it is fully materialised.

“Nearly a century ago, facing the Nazis, a generation of leaders failed to act in time. They were paralysed by the horrors of the First World War. They were determined to avoid war at all costs, and they got the worst war ever.

“They adopted a policy of appeasement, and they closed their eyes and ears to all the warning signs. That failure to act resulted in the Second World War, the deadliest war in history.

“After that war, the Jewish people and the Jewish state vowed ‘never again’. Well, never again is now,” he said.

“Today Israel has shown that we have learnt the lessons of history, believe them. When enemies build weapons of mass death, stop them.”

Israeli officials estimate that Iran’s army chief and top nuclear scientists were killed in the strikes.

GPO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Binyamin Netanyahu thanked President Trump for his “leadership in confronting Iran”, and said the strikes would make the world a safer place.

“Remember, Iran calls Israel the small Satan. It calls America the great Satan. And this is why for decades it’s led millions in the chants of death to Israel and death to America.

“That is why today Israel is responding to those genocidal calls with action, and with a call of our own. Long live Israel and long live America. Our action will help make the world a much safer place.

“I want to thank President Trump for his leadership in confronting Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. He has made clear time and again that Iran cannot have a nuclear enrichment programme.

“Today, it is clear that Iran is just buying for time. It refuses to agree to this basic requirement of peaceful nations. That is why we had no choice but to act, and act now.”

ITAY COHEN/REUTERS

Israelis woke up to air raid sirens at 3am local time, with a special alert on their phones telling them to stay close to shelters. Many Israelis went into public underground shelters, unsure if a retaliatory attack was imminent, while others stayed in safe rooms.

In a message to civilians, Rafi Milo, the commander of the home front, said that during the campaign, Israel “anticipates widespread alerts”.

Civilians have been instructed to avoid unnecessary movement outside and refrain from driving on the roads.

“There are challenging and complicated days ahead of us,” Milo said.

Penny Wong, the Australian foreign minister, said her country was “alarmed by the escalation between Israel and Iran”.

“This risks further destabilising a region that is already volatile,” she said, calling on “all parties” to refrain from exacerbating tensions.

Netanyahu said Israel would not allow the “world’s most dangerous regime to get the world’s most dangerous weapons”.

“Iran plans to give those weapons, nuclear weapons, to its terrorist proxies. That would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism all too real,” he said.

He added that the increasing range of Iran’s ballistic missile programme “would bring that nuclear nightmare to the cities of Europe, and eventually to America”.

Netanyahu said he had a message for the “brave people of Iran”.

“Our fight is not with you. Our fight is with the brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years.

“I believe that the day of your liberation is near, and when that happens, the great friendship between our two ancient peoples will flourish once again.”

Netanyahu said that Iran had tried to encircle Israel in a “ring of fire” after the October 7 attacks.

“But the people of Israel, the soldiers of Israel rose like lions to defend our country,” he said. “We crushed Hamas, we devastated Hezbollah, we hit Iranian proxies in Syria and Yemen and when Iran directly attacked us twice last year, we struck back inside Iran itself.

“And in defending ourselves, we also defend others, we defend our Arab neighbours. They too have suffered from Iran’s campaign of chaos and carnage.

“Our actions against Iran’s proxies Hezbollah led to the establishment of a new government in Lebanon, and the collapse of Assad’s murderous regime in Syria.”

Binyamin Netanyahu said that Israel had struck Iran’s nuclear scientists, its ballistic missile programme and “the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme”.

“Eighty years ago the Jewish people were the victims of a Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi regime. Today the Jewish state refuses to be a victim of a nuclear Holocaust perpetrated by the Iranian regime,” he said.

“Now as prime minister, I’ve made it clear time and again Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation to develop the means to achieve that goal. Tonight Israel backs those words with action.”

Netanyahu continued: “For decades the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly, openly called for Israel’s destruction. They’ve backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a programme to develop nuclear weapons. In recent years, Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs.

“If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time, it could be a year, it could be a few months. This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”

As talks attempting to secure a nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran drag on, Israel is said to be preparing a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. A conflict with Iran would be “messy”, the US has warned, and would risk plunging the entire region into war.

Despite being severely weakened over the past couple of years by sanctions and becoming increasingly isolated, Iran still has the capacity to destabilise both the region and the global economy. So how might Iran respond?

• Read in full: How might Iran retaliate? Scenarios after Israel attacks Tehran

In a seven-minute address to the nation, Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said that Israel had launched a targeted military operation called Operation Rising Lion to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival”.

“This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”

Oil futures jumped more than 5 per cent on Thursday evening.

Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, rose by $3.87, or 5.6 per cent, to $73.23 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate jumped $3.94, or 5.8 per cent, to $72.04 per barrel.

Futures tied to the three major US stock market indices, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, all fell by more than 1 per cent.

President Trump was on the White House lawn mingling with members of Congress as the explosions started in Tehran. It was unclear if he had received advanced warning of the attacks but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes.

Trump said earlier on Thursday that he had urged Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to hold off from taking military action while negotiations were ongoing with Iran.

“As long as I think there is a [chance for an] agreement, I don’t want them going in because I think it would blow it,” Trump told reporters.

Israel closed its airspace, with all flights cancelled until further notice. Flights en route to Israel were turned back.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said in a statement: “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.

“Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence. President Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”

Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina and foreign policy hawk, wrote on X: “Game on. Pray for Israel.”

US officials told CNN that they had not received advance warning of the raid, and no American aircraft were involved.

A few hours ago, President Trump posted on Truth Social that the US remained committed to a diplomatic resolution.

“My entire administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a great country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he wrote.

An Israeli military official said the operation against Iran was a “preemptive precise confined defensive to strike Iran’s nuclear programme and other military targets”, including dozens of strikes on their missile programme.

“Sirens were sounded to prepare the Israeli public for missile fire, waking up the people at 3am to explain what is happening and give them a chance to prepare,” the official explained in a special press briefing.

“It might be a long night, the threat as imminent as immediately,” he warned.

Today, “Iran is closer than ever to obtain a nuclear weapon which poses an existential threat to Israel.”

The official added that Israeli intelligence showed that Iran was advancing a secret programme to develop a nuclear weapon, enriching uranium for a bomb.

“The regime has enough fusion material for 15 nuclear bombs within days,” the official said, adding that Iran had thousands of ballistic missiles with a vast range and attempts by the Islamic Republic to rearm its proxies against Israel.

“We have reached the point of no return, we have no choice but to act,” he said.

Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, declared a special state of emergency in the home front throughout the entire country.

“A missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz wrote in a statement.

Reports in Iran said its missile defence system was activated.

Binyamin Netanyahu places a note in the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday evening

ZIV KOREN/GPO/AFP

Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, placed a note in the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday with a verse apparently predicting the strikes on Iran that came hours later.

“A people that rises up as a lioness, and as a lion lifts himself up,” the note said. The overnight attack by Israel’s air force has been codenamed Operation Rising Lion.