Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iran Friday, hitting about 100 targets including nuclear facilities and military command centres, and killing senior figures, among them the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists.
Iran said Israel's deadly strikes on its military and nuclear facilities were a "declaration of war" and called on the UN Security Council to act. In a letter to the United Nations, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as a "declaration of war" and "called on the Security Council to immediately address this issue", the foreign ministry said.
Nearly 12 hours into the attack, a fresh round of explosions was heard in northwestern Iran, state television reported, after Israel carried out a wave of strikes on multiple cities. "A few minutes ago, new explosions were heard in East Azerbaijan," the broadcaster said, as the Tasnim news agency said an earlier wave of strikes had hit 10 sites in the province, killing at least three people.
Israel's military on Friday said it destroyed dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran in a wave of air strikes. "In recent hours, Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate, completed an extensive strike against the Iranian regime's air defense system in western Iran," a military statement said.
"As part of the strikes, dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers were destroyed."
The Israeli military also hit the underground uranium enrichment centrifuges at Iran's vast Natanz facility. "The underground area of the site was damaged. This area contains a multi-storey enrichment hall with centrifuges, electrical rooms and additional supporting infrastructure," the military 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," it added.
Senior adviser to Khamenei wounded
A senior adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was wounded during Israel's deadly attack on Iran, state media reported. "Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to the supreme leader... was injured in today's attack by the Zionist regime," according to state TV.
Iran names new top brass
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swiftly appointed new Revolutionary Guards and armed forces chiefs to replace those killed in targeted Israeli strikes on Friday.
Meanwhile, Israel announced Friday that citizens are no longer required to stay near protected spaces nationwide, a precaution it imposed in anticipation of an Iranian response to Israel's strikes.
"End of the need to stay near protected space," the military's home front command said in a new guideline issued to citizens. Earlier on Friday it had ordered Israelis to seek refuge in shelters as the military launched a widespread attack on Iran.
Earlier in the day, Israel launcheded a wave of strikes on Iran, hitting about 100 targets including nuclear facilities and military command centres, and killing senior figures, among them the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a "bitter and painful" fate over the attacks, while the Iranian military said there were "no limits" to its response.
The Israeli military said later Iran launched around 100 drones in retaliation, with air defences intercepting them outside Israeli territory.
Neighbouring Jordan said it intercepted drones and missiles that violated its airspace, as air raid sirens sounded in Amman.
US President Donald Trump told Fox News he had prior knowledge of the Israeli strikes, which Israel said involved 200 fighter jets. Trump also stressed that Tehran "cannot have a nuclear bomb".
The United States underlined that it was not involved in the Israeli action and warned Iran not to attack its personnel or interests.
But Tehran said Washington would be "responsible for consequences" as Israel's operation "cannot have been carried out without the coordination and permission of the United States".
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck at the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme", taking aim at the atomic facility in Natanz and nuclear scientists.
The strikes would "continue as many days as it takes", the Israeli leader said, while the military said intelligence showed Iran was approaching the "point of no return" on its nuclear programme.
The strikes killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, Iranian media reported.
"The precise targeting of senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guards, the Iranian military, and nuclear scientists -— all of whom were involved in advancing the plan to destroy Israel -— sends a strong and clear message: those who work toward Israel's destruction will be eliminated," Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
AFP images showed a gaping hole in the side of a Tehran high-rise residential building that appeared to have sustained a targeted and localised strike.
State media said civilians, including women and children, were killed. Tasnim news agency said six nuclear scientists were killed.
- Flights suspended -
Tehran's streets were deserted except for queues at petrol stations, a familiar sight in times of crisis.
Air traffic was halted at Tehran's main gateway, Imam Khomeini International Airport, while Iraq and Jordan also closed their airspace and suspended flights.
Gulf airlines cancelled flights to and from Iran, as well as Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Israel declared a state of emergency and closed its airspace, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying Israel was braced for Iran's expected retaliation.
Hours later, the Jordanian military said its aircraft and air defence systems intercepted "a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace".
There are "no limits in responding to this crime", Iran's armed forces said, accusing Israel of crossing "all red lines".
Oil prices surged while stocks sank on the Israeli strikes, which came after Trump's warning of a "massive conflict" in the region.
Trump had also said the United States was drawing down staff in the Middle East, after Iran had threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out.
Prior to the strikes, Trump said he believed a deal on Iran's nuclear programme was "fairly close", cautioning however that an Israeli attack on its arch foe could wreck the chances of an agreement.
The US leader did not disclose the details of a conversation on Monday with Netanyahu, but said: "I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it."
Trump quickly added: "Might help it actually, but it also could blow it."
- 'Within reach' -
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iran not to respond to Israeli strikes by hitting US bases, saying Washington was not involved.
Ahead of Friday's attack, Iran had threatened to hit US bases in the Middle East if conflict were to erupt.
With the violence raising questions on whether a sixth round of talks planned between the US and Iran will still take place on Sunday in Oman, Trump said Washington is still "hoping to get back to the negotiating table".
Confirming Natanz among targets, the UN's nuclear watchdog said it was "closely monitoring" the situation.
"The agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country," said Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
- 'Extremist' -
Israel, which counts on US military and diplomatic support, sees Iran as an existential threat.
Netanyahu has vowed less restraint since the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Tehran-backed Hamas, which triggered the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Since the Hamas attack, Iran and Israel have traded direct attacks for the first time.
Aside from Hamas, Israel is also battling Iranian proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Huthis in Yemen.
The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has repeatedly denied.
Israel again called for global action after the IAEA accused Iran on Wednesday of non-compliance with its obligations.
Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, slammed the resolution as "extremist", while Tehran said it would launch a new enrichment centre in a secure location.
Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close, though still short, of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Israel would suffer severe consequences after launching deadly attacks on the Islamic republic on Friday, including Tehran and nuclear sites.
"With this crime, the Zionist regime has set itself for a bitter and painful fate and it will definitely receive it," Khamenei said in a statement.
No damage' to Iran’s oil refineries, depots
Iran's oil ministry said key refineries and fuel depots were unaffected by Israel's deadly attack on Friday, with operations continuing nationwide without disruption.
"No damage was caused to the country's refining facilities and oil depots, and currently the activities of these facilities and fuel supply are ongoing in all parts of the country without interruption," the ministry said in a statement.