Israel says it killed 9 Iranian nuclear scientists, and braces for attacks from Iran
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Israel v Iran LIVE: Iran fires fresh barrage of missiles at Israel on second night of strikes as conflict intensifies
Around 100 missiles are said to have been launched in Iran’s second wave of their operation “True Promise 3”, according to state TV. Tehran vowed to strike US, UK and French military bases in the region if they step in to try and defend Israel. Israel’s defence minister vowed “Tehran will burn” after Iran launched hundreds of missiles toward them. At least three people were killed and dozens more wounded in the first night of strikes on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Friday. Israel killed top military leaders, nuclear scientists and blasted secretive sites believed to be being used by Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Both sides have warned more is yet to come, with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowing to inflict “heavy blows”
IRAN has reportedly launched over 100 missiles at Israel in the latest round of intense strikes in the Middle East.
It comes as Tehran vowed to strike US, UK and French military bases in the region if they step in to try and defend Israel.
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7 Iran has launched another wave of missile strikes on Israel tonight Credit: AFP
7 Missile traces are seen over Tel Aviv Credit: AP
7 Over 100 missiles have been launched, say Iranian media Credit: X
7 Israeli search and rescue teams work in the rubble after the Iranian blitz Credit: Getty
Haifa and Tel Aviv are said to be the main targets of the strikes with explosions reported across both residential regions.
Air raid sirens have also been sounded in Amman, the capital of Jordan.
Around 100 missiles are said to have been launched in Iran’s second wave of their operation “True Promise 3”, according to state TV.
The Israeli military responded by carrying out air strikes in Tehran while they worked to intercept the Iranian missiles.
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Israel’s allies across the world have in the past helped Tel Aviv shoot down missiles fired from Iran during previous clashes between the two enemy powers.
But as the situation escalates towards full-scale war – Iranian state media reported they consider US, UK and French forces the firing line.
It warned Tehran would target military bases and ships located in the region if the three countries provided support to Israeli.
It came as Israel’s defence minister vowed “Tehran will burn” after Iran launched hundreds of missiles toward them.
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At least three people were killed and dozens more wounded in the first night of strikes on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Friday – while Israel continued to pound targets in Iran.
Both sides sit on the brink of war after Israel accused Iran of trying to develop a nuclear bomb – launching a massive wave of pre-emptive strikes on Friday.
Israel killed top military leaders, nuclear scientists and blasted secretive sites believed to be being used by Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
Defence minister Israel Katz said Iran “crossed red lines after it dared to attack the civilian population” and will now “pay a heavy price for it”.
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He added: “If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn.”
Reports emerged that Israel’s version of the Pentagon – the HaKirya – had been hit, though these were not confirmed.
Tehran branded the retaliatory strikes as a “punishment” attack on Israel.
Both sides have warned more is yet to come, with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowing to inflict “heavy blows”.
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He said his armed forces will bring the “vile regime [Israel] to ruin”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Iran that “more is on the way” and warned “the regime does not know what will hit them”.
7 Israeli air defence systems do battle with Iranian missiles in the skies Credit: AP
7 An explosion occurs as a ballistic missile strikes in Tel Aviv Credit: AP
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Stay up to date with the latest on Israel vs Iran with The Sun’s live blog below…
Israel says it killed 9 Iranian nuclear scientists, and braces for attacks from Iran
Israel says it killed 9 Iranian nuclear scientists, and braces for attacks from Iran. Iran responded to the Israeli strikes with a barrage of missiles, killing at least three people. Iran’s U.N. ambassador accused Israel of trying to “kill diplomacy” and called the country “the most dangerous and terrorist regime in the world” The escalation has raised fears of a wider regional conflict, one that could rope in neighboring countries and threaten to destabilize global energy markets. The U.S. was trying to strike a deal with Iran to limit its uranium enrichment program in exchange for lifting sanctions, which have crippled Iran’s economy.. The attack on Iran was supposed to occur in April but it was postponed, Netanyahu added. Netanyahu warned that once the region’s “Iranian axis” was broken, Iran would accelerate its nuclear program. But he said “diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace” in the region. The Israeli military said the scientists had played key roles in advancing Iran’s nuclear program, and called their deaths a “significant blow”
toggle caption Ariel Schalit/AP
Israel’s military says it killed nine of Iran’s top nuclear scientists Friday as part of its strikes aimed at crippling the country’s nuclear capabilities.
The Israeli military said the scientists had played key roles in advancing Iran’s nuclear program, and called their deaths a “significant blow” to Iran’s ability to pursue weapons of mass destruction.
The attack followed intelligence from Israel’s Mossad spy agency, which Israel says suggested Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon — which Israel considered a direct threat to its national security.
The strikes came a day after the U.N. nuclear watchdog declared that Iran wasn’t complying with nuclear nonproliferation agreements aimed at halting the spread of nuclear weapons. Iran reacted saying it would create a new uranium enrichment facility. Iran says its uranium enrichment program is for peaceful purposes.
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Iran responded to the Israeli strikes with a barrage of missiles, killing at least three people and injuring dozens more. Iranian state media said there would be “heavy and destructive attacks against Israel” Saturday night as well
The escalation has raised fears of a wider regional conflict, one that could rope in neighboring countries and threaten to destabilize global energy markets.
Israelis seek shelter as Iran retaliates
Sirens blared throughout Tel Aviv late Friday and smoke billowed in the sky as people ran for shelter as Iran fired hundreds of missiles at Israel in retaliatory strikes, which continued into Saturday morning.
Most Iranian missiles were intercepted by Israel’s powerful air defense system, but some hit neighborhoods around Tel Aviv.
The Mizrahi family was in their home’s bomb shelter when a missile hit close by in their suburb of Rishon LeZion, outside Tel Aviv.
Shoshanah Mizrahi, 43, said the explosion was terrifying. “All the house was shaking, there was smoke, the window in the shelter was broke,” she said.
Their home is destroyed. Glass blown out from windows was strewn all over the floor and a hole gaped in the roof.
Outside the house, dozens of people stood to observe the damage. Windshields of cars were shattered, bulldozers were removing rubble.
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A U.S. official confirmed to NPR that U.S. ground-based air defense systems helped shoot down the Iranian missiles targeted at Israel. The U.S. official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that more attacks on Iran were on the way.
Speaking to the U.N. Security Council on Friday, Iran’s U.N. ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accused Israel of trying to “kill diplomacy” and called the country “the most dangerous and terrorist regime in the world.” He urged the Security Council to hold Israel accountable.
Iravani said 78 people were killed and over 320 people — mostly civilians — were injured. Iran’s state television reported that a residential building in Tehran was also hit, and the death toll was expected to rise.
Israeli emergency services organization Magen David Adom said three people were killed and dozens more injured. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that children were among the Palestinians injured by shrapnel near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran “crossed red lines” by firing missiles at “civilian population concentrations,” and warned it would would pay a “very heavy price,” the Times of Israel reported.
In a video statement on Friday evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the attack on Iran was in the works for months since September, following Israel’s assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, in Beirut.
Netanyahu warned that once the region’s “Iranian axis” was broken, Iran would accelerate its nuclear program. The attack on Iran was supposed to occur in April but it was postponed, Netanyahu added.
Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are canceled
The U.S. and Iran were planning to begin the sixth round of talks about Iran’s nuclear program on Sunday in Oman. The U.S. was trying to strike a deal with Iran to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for lifting sanctions, which have crippled Iran’s economy.
toggle caption Vahid Salemi/AP
On Saturday, the Omani foreign minister said on social media that the meeting was canceled. But he said “diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace.”
toggle caption John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump said he had been urging Iran to reach a nuclear deal.
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“Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to ‘make a deal.’ They should have done it!” he wrote on Truth Social. “Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!”
In a separate post earlier on Friday, Trump warned Iran that “it will only get worse” and urged Tehran to “make a deal, before there is nothing left.”
Trump said he was giving the nation “chance after chance to make a deal” on its nuclear program and said that the alternative “would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told.”
NPR’s Tom Bowman and Michele Kelemen contributed reporting.
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Israel Iran Conflict Live Updates: ‘Tehran will burn’, says Israel; Iran calls it beginning of ‘crushing response’
Iran has launched two waves of ballistic missiles at Israel, totalling around 100 projectiles, according to Israeli officials. The barrage came just hours after Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities, killing senior officials, including the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and top nuclear scientists. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed further action “for as long as it takes.” US President Donald Trump defended his handling of the Iran-Israel crisis, claiming he had worked hard to prevent bloodshed. Oil prices surged on fears of disruption to supply routes, tanker rates jumped, and US stock markets fell while gold climbed as investors sought safer assets.
Several explosions were heard in Tehran, the Iranian state media outlets reported. Reports indicate a fire burning at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport.
Israel strikes back: The Israeli strikes hit multiple locations, including the Isfahan uranium conversion facility confirmed by UN officials as a key part of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed further action “for as long as it takes.”
Why did Israel attack Iran? The attack came after tensions between Iran and the international community escalated sharply after Tehran announced the activation of a third nuclear enrichment facility. The announcement came just hours after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued its first formal censure against Iran in two decades, criticising its failure to meet nuclear non-proliferation commitments.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the attack was on “the heart of Iran’s ballistic missiles program.” He asserted strikes would continue “for as long as it takes to remove this threat.” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir emphasised the urgency of the operation, saying, “We had reached the point of no return. Freedom is granted to those willing to fight for it.”
US position: President Donald Trump defended his handling of the Iran-Israel crisis on Friday, claiming he had worked hard to prevent bloodshed. “We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran from humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out,” he said.
Trump has consistently maintained that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. Still, he had pursued months of indirect talks with Tehran, at one point appearing to tolerate limited uranium enrichment under strict conditions.
Despite publicly threatening military action if diplomacy failed, Trump repeatedly urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay strikes, hoping to preserve space for a deal. After the strikes, however, Trump called Israel’s action “excellent” and “very successful.” Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the Israeli strikes, saying they had derailed ongoing diplomatic efforts. Nuclear talks between the US and Iran, scheduled to resume in Oman this weekend, now appear uncertain. President Donald Trump called on Iran to return to the negotiating table “before it’s too late.”
How did the global market react? The conflict rattled global markets. Oil prices surged on fears of disruption to supply routes, tanker rates jumped, and US stock markets fell while gold climbed as investors sought safer assets.
Israel Iran Conflict Live Updates: Stay up to date with all the latest updates and breaking news from the region as middle east heads into a dangerous nuclear warfare.
Live Updates
Live updates: Israel attacks Iran, explosions in Tel Aviv and Tehran, US position
At least 78 people have been killed in Iran’s missile attacks on Israel, officials say. At least one person has been killed by a missile fired from Iran, according to reports. Iran has said it will target any country that tries to defend itself from its missile attacks. The U.N. Security Council has called for an immediate end to the strikes, which began on Thursday.
Iranian forces launched dozens of missiles toward Israel tonight, killing at least one person, as conflict between the two countries escalated. This comes after Iran said it would intensify its attacks on Israel and target the regional bases of any country that tries to defend it.
The Israeli military claimed that it intercepted some of the latest wave of missiles.
Here’s what you need to know:
More on Iran’s strikes: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted Israeli military centers and air bases in missile strikes Friday. Tehran’s air defense system is currently active following another round of Israeli attacks, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency and state-affiliated Fars news agency reported in the early hours of Saturday morning. Civilians in Israel are now permitted to leave their shelters after the latest wave of missiles were fired from Iran, the Home Front Command said.
Death and injury tolls: Israel’s strikes on Iran Friday killed at least 78 people, including senior military officials, Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said during a UN Security Council meeting on Friday. More than 320 people were injured, most of them civilians, Iravani said. In Israel, a woman was killed when a weapon fragment fell to the ground in the city of Ramat Gan, according to police. Seven wounded people were taken to the Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv after the latest wave of strikes in Israel, the hospital said.
Netanyahu takes shelter: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz are inside a bunker, assessing the situation after Iran’s retaliatory strikes, an Israeli official told CNN. US President Donald Trump spoke earlier Friday with Netanyahu, a White House official said.