People and first-responders gather outside a building that was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran on Friday. Meghdad Madadi/Tasnim News/AFP/Getty Images

Not since the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s has Iran seen such a devastating series of strikes in a single day.

The attacks surpass a series of historical flashpoints, and signal a new phase in a conflict between Israel and Iran that for decades was waged in the shadows, before exploding into real-world confrontation in the past two years.

Last year, Iran launched its largest ever ballistic missile attack on Israel, in response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others. That briefly threatened all-out war between the two powers, before tensions were calmed for the time being.

Before Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel, the tensions between the two nations were characterized by covert operations, cyber attacks and occasional, targeted strikes – some of which Tehran blamed on Israel, and others on the United States.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, believed to be the mastermind of Iran’s nuclear program, was traveling by car east of Tehran when he was shot dead in November 2020. Several months earlier Qasem Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, was killed by a US airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump at Baghdad International Airport.

The same year, a building used to assemble machines for uranium enrichment at the Natanz industrial complex was rocked by an explosion.

But no single attack compares in size and scale to the wave of strikes Israel carried out on Friday. Israel used 200 fighter jets in its attack, dropping more than 330 “various munitions” and striking more than 100 targets across Iran, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The US president’s comments came following Israel’s strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in a major overnight attack.

A group of people near damaged cars in Tehran after the Israeli attack. (Reuters)

US president Donald Trump has responded to Israel’s attack against Iran, warning that things would get worse if Iran failed to reach a nuclear deal.

“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,” he wrote on Truth Social following the attack.

Israel’s attack against Iran on Friday targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders in a major escalation of the regional conflict.

There were reported explosions at Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards corps said its top commander, Hossein Salami, had been killed.

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Iran reportedly launched around 100 drones towards Israeli territory in retaliation, with Israel declaring a state of emergency in anticipation of further strikes.

Sir Keir Starmer said the UK government urged “all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently”, as world leaders reacted to the significant escalation overnight.

Follow our live coverage below

Editor’s Note: Israel launched strikes against Iran early Friday, targeting the nuclear program and its long-range missile capabilities, an Israeli military official said. Follow live updates here.

CNN —

President Donald Trump told CNN in a brief phone call Friday morning that the United States “of course” supports Israel and called the country’s strikes on Iran overnight “a very successful attack,” while warning Iran to make a nuclear deal.

When asked about a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday that sought to put distance between the US and the Israeli action, Trump told Dana Bash: “We of course support Israel, obviously, and supported it like nobody has ever supported it.”

The president went on to urge Iran to reach a deal.

“Iran should have listened to me when I said — you know, I gave them, I don’t know if you know but I gave them a 60-day warning and today is day 61,” he told CNN.

“They should now come to the table to make a deal before it’s too late. It will be too late for them. You know, the people I was dealing with are dead, the hardliners,” the president said. He would not specify which people he was referring to.

Trump is set to speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, according a US and an Israeli official.

The president had warned Iran earlier on Friday to agree to a nuclear deal “before there is nothing left,” suggesting in a social media post that subsequent Israeli attacks on the country will be “even more brutal.”

The post marked Trump’s first public comments since Israel launched strikes on Iran targeting its nuclear program and military leaders, with the US president saying he had tried to steer Iranian leaders toward diplomacy, but they failed to act at great cost.

“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,” Trump wrote.

Trump wrote that Iranian leaders “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,” Trump added.

In contrast to Trump’s aggressive tone, Rubio clarified in a statement late Thursday that the US had no involvement in the strikes.

“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said.

The Trump administration is, meanwhile, still hoping that a sixth round of nuclear deal talks with the Iranians will take place in Oman on Sunday as previously scheduled, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was in touch with the Omanis overnight in an effort to keep the plans for this weekend on track, sources said. But those sources acknowledged that holding the talks this weekend is highly unlikely. Oman has facilitated the US-Iran talks to date.

Despite several rounds of talks between Iran and the US to thrash out a new nuclear deal, major sticking points remain, with Iran insisting on its right to nuclear enrichment. Trump said earlier this week that he’s grown less confident of being able to strike a deal, saying in an interview earlier this week that Tehran could be “delaying” an agreement.

Trump warned of possibility of ‘massive conflict’ in Middle East

Trump had warned earlier on Thursday of the possibility that “massive conflict” in the Middle East that could take place “soon.”

US officials were increasingly concerned that the risk of Israel striking Iran had risen after Tehran said on Thursday that it would ramp up its nuclear activities due to the International Atomic Energy Agency passing a resolution saying that the country was not in compliance with its non-proliferation commitments, senior US officials told CNN.

Questioned about a potential strike earlier on Thursday, Trump said it “could very well happen.”

“I don’t want to say imminent, but it’s something that could very well happen,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

US embassies in the Middle East carried out emergency action assessments this week, and that process is ongoing as the US monitors the threat environment in the region, the officials said.

This still from video from 2020 shows the US Embassy in Iraq. Reuters

Asked what the Israelis told him to prompt the departure of US personnel from the region, Trump replied: “They didn’t tell me anything, but I said look, there’s a chance of massive conflict.”

He described the deliberations that led him to the decision.

“We have a lot of American people in this area, and I said, look, we gotta tell them to get out cause something could happen – soon. And I don’t want to be the one that didn’t give any warning and missiles are flying into their buildings. It’s possible. So I had to do it. You know, I had the choice – do I do it or not? Doing it has its downside but it also has its upside, like you’re going to save a lot of lives if it should happen. Hopefully that doesn’t happen.”

Later Thursday, Trump in a Truth Social post underscored his preference for diplomacy in Iran, saying his administration remains “committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue!”

Trump also said he does not want Israel to target Iran as negotiations on a potential nuclear deal continue, with a sixth round of talks set for Sunday in Oman.

“I want to have an agreement with Iran. We’re fairly close to an agreement. … As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want them going in because that would blow it. Might help it, actually, but also could blow it,” he said when asked about a potential Israeli strike.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

CNN —

Israel struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear, missile and military complex early Friday, in an unprecedented attack that reportedly killed three of Iran’s most powerful figures and plunges the wider Middle East into dangerous new territory.

The strikes on Iran’s nuclear program and senior military leaders could be a turning point in the long-running conflict, with Israel braced for a major Iranian retaliation – and the threat of a wider regional war breaking out now a real risk.

Later Friday morning, that retaliation appeared to be underway after Israel’s military said Iran had launched more than 100 drones toward Israel, and that Israel had begun “intercepting” them outside of its borders.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Israel will face “severe punishment” for the attacks, and confirmed that a number of Iranian commanders and scientists had been killed. Iran’s Armed Forces spokesperson said both the United States and Israel would “pay dearly,” while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the attack “a declaration of war.”

The US was not involved in the strikes, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, noting that Israel had “advised” the US that it believed the “action was necessary for its self-defense.” On Thursday, President Donald Trump had warned of the possibility of “massive conflict” in the Middle East that could take place “soon.”

Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, early Friday, Trump urged Iran to agree to a nuclear deal “before there is nothing left,” suggesting that subsequent Israeli attacks on the country could be “even more brutal.”

Washington has long sought to limit Tehran’s nuclear capacity, with the most recent negotiations in Rome last month ending with no agreement. A sixth round of US-Iran talks had been scheduled for Sunday in Oman – it’s not clear if it will go ahead.

Israel’s strikes came shortly after Tehran said that it would ramp up its nuclear activities due to the International Atomic Energy Agency passing a resolution saying that the country was not in compliance with its non-proliferation commitments, senior US officials told CNN.

In a televised address to the nation early Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military operation had “struck at the head of Iran’s nuclear weaponization program” and targets included Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz, Iranian nuclear scientists, and Iran’s ballistic missiles program.

“Moments ago, Israel launched operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” Netanyahu said.

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

Repeated explosions could be heard in the capital, Tehran, terrifying its residents, and multiple videos geolocated by CNN showed flames and smoke billowing from buildings across the city. Iran’s airspace has also been closed, its civil aviation authority said.

An Israeli military statement later Friday said Israeli fighter jets had also completed a “large-scale strike” on aerial defense arrays in western Iran. “As part of the strikes, dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers were destroyed,” it said.

Several of Iran’s most powerful men have been killed, according to Iranian authorities and state media. They included Gen. Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the country’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces and the country’s highest-ranking military officer.

Also among the dead are Iran’s former national security chief Ali Shamkhani – a key adviser to Khamenei who served as secretary of the National Security Council for almost a decade – and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC’s Air Force, who was killed alongside two other air force commanders. Six of Iran’s nuclear scientists, were killed, state affiliated Tasnim news agency said.

Khamenei appointed new commanders on Friday to head key military entities, including Brig. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, the new head of the IRGC.

Friday’s strikes suggest Netanyahu saw a window of opportunity to meet Israel’s longstanding objective of obliterating Iran’s nuclear program. Iran is in its weakest military position in decades following crippling economic sanctions, previous Israeli strikes on its air defenses and decimation of its most powerful regional proxies, including Hezbollah.

US officials had previously told CNN that Israeli strikes on Iran would be a brazen break with Trump’s approach on the Middle East.

Trump told CNN on Friday that the US supports Israel and called the strikes on Iran “a very successful attack.”

Several countries voiced alarm and condemnation over Israel’s strikes, with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry saying the attack undermines Iran’s “sovereignty and security and constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms,” and China’s embassy in Iran calling the situation “severe and complex.”

Residents in Iran faced a long and terrifying night. “People reported the ground shaking, hearing explosions, and jets flying overhead,” Negar Mortazavi, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, told CNN.

Azzam, a 35-year-old Iranian citizen who lives close to Saadat Abad in northern Tehran, an area targeted by Israel, told CNN: “I woke up with the whole house shaking. I was very scared, not knowing what had happened.”

Sam, 29, told CNN that he fears further attacks. “I am concerned about the escalation of this, and what this means for us in Tehran.” Like Azzam, he requested anonymity due to concerns for his safety.

Israel declared a state of special emergency, closing its airspace, shutting schools and banning social gatherings. “Tens of thousands” of Israeli soldiers were being called up in preparation for an Iranian retaliation, Israel’s military chief of staff said.

Fears of wider war

Analysts and experts have long warned that Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear capabilities could trigger a massive Iranian retaliation and threaten to tip the region into a full-scale war.

And if Israel and Iran become entangled in wider conflict, it could risk drawing the US into the fray. The US is Israel’s closest ally and biggest weapons supplier, and there are currently about 40,000 US troops across the Middle East, including nearly 4,000 in Iraq and Syria.

Indications of that risk emerged earlier this week as the US ordered the departure of non-essential personnel from locations around the Middle East as intelligence warnings increased that an Israeli strike on Iran was imminent.

Netanyahu has repeatedly pushed for a military option to stop Iran’s nuclear program, and recent US intelligence reports said that Israel was seeking to capitalize on the destruction inflicted after it bombed Iran’s missile production facilities and air defenses in October.

Experts say an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would also likely spell the end of Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the US.

The facility at the heart of Iran’s nuclear ambitions was engulfed in flames on Friday, according to social media images geolocated by CNN and Iranian state television.

The nuclear complex in Natanz, a city about 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of Tehran, is considered Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility. Analysts say the site is used to develop and assemble centrifuges for uranium enrichment, a key technology that turns uranium into nuclear fuel.

The Iranian atomic energy agency confirmed that the Natanz facility had been damaged. The complex has overground and underground facilities and it’s unclear what was impacted but no casualties were reported, the agency said.

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said there were no elevated radiation levels at Natanz. Other nuclear facilities in Iran, Isfahan and Fordow “have not been impacted,” Grossi added.

‘Explosive drones’ activated

Israel’s Mossad spy agency smuggled weapons into Iran ahead of Friday’s strikes that were used to target its defenses from within, according to an Israeli security official.

The official said that “a base for launching explosive drones was established inside Iran and that the drones were activated during Friday’s attack to target missile launchers at a base near Tehran.”

Israel had also “smuggled precision weapons into central Iran and positioned them near surface-to-air missile systems,” the official said, adding that Israel had deployed strike systems on vehicles.

In this screengrab from social media, smoke is seen rising from Tabriz airport in Iran on June 13, 2025, following Israeli strikes. Reuters

Iran oversees a so-called Axis of Resistance across the region that includes loyal proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, as well as various militia groups in Iraq and Syria. Since Israel’s war in Gaza began in 2023, attacks by those proxy groups have escalated in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Last year Israel and Iran’s years-long cold war erupted into the open with a series of missile strikes from both sides. At the time, the US warned Israel not to strike Iran’s energy or nuclear infrastructure.

Friday’s operation goes much further than previously seen. CNN’s security analyst Beth Sanner said that removing Salami is akin to taking out the US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff: “You can imagine what Americans would do,” she said.

Iran is now “under existential threat” and as such, the Israelis will be expecting “a massive, much bigger retaliation than what they saw last time,” Sanner added.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Israel strikes Iran LIVE: Tehran has vowed retaliation for Israel’s early morning attack on Friday on Iranian military and nuclear facilities that killed several top commanders read more

Israel Attacks Iran Latest News: The Israeli military says it has completed a widespread attack on air defences in western Iran. It said Friday that it had destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers. Meanwhile, Jordan’s Air Force said it intercepted missiles and drones in its airspace.

As has been the case during previous hostilities between Iran and Israel, Jordan has also closed its airspace to flights. NOTAM read JORDAN AIRSPACE CLSD DUE TO OPS REASONS pic.twitter.com/JIWDUVhJjk

Earlier today, Jordan said that it had intercepted drones and missiles that entered its airspace.

Flight tracking data shows that no flights flew over Israel, Iran and Jordan’s airspace after they made it no-fly zones amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

The strikes led to the deaths of several top Iranian military officials and nuclear experts. Among those killed was Mohammad Bagheri, the second-highest commander after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel carried out large-scale air strikes on Iran on Friday, bringing their long-standing shadow war into open conflict and raising fears of a bigger, more dangerous regional confrontation.

“End of the need to stay near protected space,” the military’s home front command said in a new guideline issued to citizens. Earlier, it had ordered Israelis to seek refuge in shelters as the military launched a widespread attack on Iran.

Israel has announced that people no longer need to stay near protected spaces nationwide after its military announced that attacks on Iran’s air defence have been completed.

The Waqf, the Islamic endowment which administers the site, said Israel has banned public gatherings. The call to prayer will sound as usual.

The mosque is the third holiest site for Muslims, and is located on the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.

With gates to the Al-Aqsa mosque closed by Israeli police, only the guards and employees of the holy site will be present for traditional Friday prayers, the site’s custodian has said.

The statement from the military did not specify where the drones and missiles came from.

It said it had assessed that the missiles and drones were likely to fall in Jordanian territory, including populated areas.

Jordan’s military said it had intercepted a number of missiles and drones that entered the country’s airspace on Friday morning.

“Europe urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint, de-escalate immediately and refrain from retaliation. A diplomatic resolution is now more urgent than ever, for the sake of the region’s stability and global security,” she said in a post on the Bluesky social media platform.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called the fresh outbreak of violence in the Middle East “deeply alarming.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution, is one of the main power centers within the country’s theocracy.

State TV said he tapped Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi as the new head of the armed forces, replacing Gen. Mohammad Bagheri. Mousavi was previously the top army commander.

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

They said Israel had also smuggled precision weapons into central Iran and positioned them near surface-to-air missile systems. They said it also deployed strike systems on vehicles. Both were activated as the strikes began, in order to target Iran’s defenses, the officials said.

The officials said a base for launching explosive drones was established inside Iran and that the drones were activated during Friday’s attack to target missile launchers at an Iranian base near Tehran.

Two security officials spoke on condition of anonymity on Friday to discuss the highly secretive missions. It was not possible to independently confirm their claims. There was no official comment.

Israeli security officials say the country’s Mossad spy agency smuggled weapons into Iran ahead of Friday’s strikes that were used to target its defenses from within.

Tajani called for “proportionality, calm and prudence,” as well as the urgent resumption of talks to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“I will insist on support for diplomacy,’’ Tajani told SKY TG24. “Our diplomatic action with Israel and with Iran is to avoid an escalation. It is a political commitment.”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he has urged Israel’s foreign minister in a call to avoid escalation. He added that he would make the same request to Iran’s foreign minister when they speak later Friday.

In a post on TruthSocial, the 47th US President stated, “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.”

On Friday, US President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Iran amid an ongoing conflict with Israel. He stated that Iran must reach an agreement before there is nothing left and save what once was known as the “Iranian empire”.

The operation saw the deployment of 200 fighter jets and the use of over 330 different munitions, including precision-guided weapons.

Moments after Israel launched a massive attack on Iran, targeting its nuclear and military sites and eliminating chiefs of two major Iranian forces, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released an address defending the strikes on Tehran and beyond.

Egypt and Jordan are among Arab countries that signed peace treaties with Israel and have normal relations with it.

The ministers also said Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip should stop to and a two-state solution is needed to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.

Jordan News Agency said the ministers called the strikes a “dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law.”

Jordan’s state media says the country’s foreign minister has discussed Israel’s strikes on Iran with his Egyptian counterpart, and warned that the attack pushes the region into more tension and conflict.

In a statement, the group issued condolences to Tehran for the leaders who were killed, but did not threaten to join in the retaliation.

The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has accused the U.S. of providing “approval, coordination, and direct cover-up” for Israel’s strikes, adding that Israel “has crossed all red lines, believing that by doing so, it will change the equations.”

In his first public comments since the Friday attacks, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that “there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end.”

U.S. President Donald Trump is again urging Iran to reach a deal with Washington on its nuclear program, warning that Israel’s attacks “will only get worse.”

Such moves have been done only in extraordinary circumstances in Iran, including the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and the coronavirus outbreak.

Museums in Iran are taking the extraordinary step of closing down until further notice after attacks by Israel, and were transferring valuable items to secure vaults, officials announced Friday.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge his death officially, though rumors of his death had been circulating for some time online.

Israel claimed Friday it killed Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s missile program in Iran.

It also linked those killed to an attack on Saudi Arabia in 2019.

“Hajizadeh publicly declared his commitment to Israel’s destruction at various events in recent years and played a central role in developing the Iranian regime’s plan for Israel’s destruction,” the Israelis said.

It did not offer details or information to support the claim.

The Israeli military said military jets hit a site where Revolutionary Guard officials had “assembled in an underground command center,” allegedly “to prepare for an attack on the state of Israel,” and killed Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh along with two other senior officials.

Iranian state television made the acknowledgment Friday afternoon. The confirmation came a short time after Israel said its strikes killed Hajizadeh.

Iran has confirmed that Israel killed Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s missile program.

The “Islamic Republic of Iran will give a severe, wise and strong answer to the occupier regime,” he said, referring to Israel.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says his nation would “strongly take action” against Israel after its attacks on the country.

Israel exports only very small quantities of oil and oil products, and China is Iran’s only customer due to Western sanctions. China could find alternative supplies from other Middle East exporters or Russia.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 7.8% to $74.89. “When Iran and Israel exchanged attacks previously, prices spiked initially but fell once it became clear that the situation was not escalating,” says Richard Joswick, head of near-term oil at S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Oil prices have surged after Israel’s attack on Iran, though analysts say the spike will likely be temporary if the fighting doesn’t spread to other countries and disrupt oil shipments.

“I think it’s been excellent. We gave them a chance and they didn’t take it,” Trump told ABC on Friday morning. “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.”

In an interview with ABC News, U.S. President Donald Trump called the Israeli strikes on Iran “excellent” and previewed more attacks.

Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on Friday, its largest direct military assault on Iran to date. The early morning attack — which targeted command centres, nuclear facilities and military leadership — marked a critical moment in a simmering conflict that had long hovered on the edge of open warfare. While the world awoke to a barrage of missiles and a spike in oil prices, what many missed was how methodically Israel had prepared for this moment. This campaign was not born overnight. It was the culmination of months, even years, of systematic weakening of Iran’s defences.

Sa’ar said the operation will continue to counter existential threats and thanked France for supporting Israel’s right to self-defense.

On Truth Social, former US President Donald Trump said Iran had failed to respond to a 60-day ultimatum to “make a deal,” adding that “today is day 61” and suggesting they “maybe” have a second chance.

He also mourned the deaths of senior Iranian leaders and others killed in the strike, condemning the attack as “cowardly.”

“We declare our solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of the brutal Zionist aggression, which primarily stems from Iran’s support for the Palestinian people and its significant backing of their honorable resistance fighters,” said Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing.

The statement, which appeared to come from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urged Israelis abroad to avoid displaying Jewish or Israeli symbols in public.

“Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided,” according to a statement posted to the websites of Israeli embassies in Berlin, Stockholm and Rome.

FlightRadar data showed airspace over Iran, Iraq and Jordan was empty, with flights directed towards Saudi Arabia and Egypt instead.

Israel’s El Al Airlines said it had suspended flights to and from Israel as did Air France KLM and budget carriers Ryanair and Wizz.

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed and Israel’s air defence units stood on high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.

Israel on Friday said it targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

Airlines steered clear of much of the Middle East on Friday after Israeli attacks on Iranian sites forced carriers to cancel or divert thousands of flights in the latest upheaval to travel in the region.

“Israel’s claims about the Iranian nuclear program are baseless, and it has no right to be the region’s policeman, given its nuclear arsenal.”

“Israel is an aggressive entity that threatens not only Palestine but also the security and stability of the region and the entire nation,” a statement read.

The political office for Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran, saying that Iran has the “right to defend itself and develop its nuclear program.”

Special envoy Steve Witkoff still plans to go to Oman this weekend for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, but it’s not clear if the Iranians would participate, officials said.

The officials were speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic discussions.

Israel told the Trump administration that large-scale attacks were coming and expected Iranian retaliation would be severe, U.S. officials said, leading the United States to order the evacuations of some nonessential embassy staffers and authorize the voluntary departure of military dependents in the region.

The sound originated from the vicinity of the Noje Airbase in Kabudarahang, west of Hamadan city. Details about the cause of the explosion remain unclear.

A loud explosion was reported near Hamadan, northwestern Iran, according to a local news reporter from Mehr News Agency.

The emergency session is likely to take place Friday afternoon, the mission said.

Iran’s U.N. Mission said it has asked for an emergency meeting of the Security Council following the Israeli attacks.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the sirens in several communities and areas near the border with Lebanon and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Israel’s military said sirens sounded in the country’s north on Friday, hours after Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iran.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office said that since late Thursday he had held calls with the leaders of Germany, India and France, and is expected to speak later with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken with several world leaders, his office said Friday after Israel’s strikes on Iran, adding that more calls are planned with the US and Russian presidents.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu began reaching out last night and has already spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Explosions rocked Tehran as Israel stated it was aiming at facilities tied to Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.

On Friday, Israel launched what is being described as its most expansive and consequential attack on Iranian soil in recent history — targeting nuclear and military installations deep within the Islamic Republic.

Oil & gold prices shoot up, flights disrupted: How Israel’s attack on Iran will impact you

President Donald Trump is meeting with his National Security Council principals to discuss the situation. The two US officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public.

The Navy has directed the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner to begin sailing toward the Eastern Mediterranean and has directed a second destroyer to begin moving forward, so it can be available if requested by the White House.

The United States is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to Israel’s strikes on Iran and a possible retaliatory attack by Tehran, two US officials said Friday.

“We had a clear US green light,” Axios quoted one of the officials as saying, claiming Trump’s public disapproval was a calculated move to mislead Tehran and prevent Iranian targets from relocating.

Despite publicly voicing opposition, US President Donald Trump privately gave Israel the go-ahead for its military operation against Iran, according to a report, citing two senior Israeli officials.

“Think of the Iranian shipping threat as similar in quality to the Houthi threat, but much larger in quantity,” Hinz said.

While Iran fired around 300 ballistic missiles at Israel last year, Hinz said, Tehran did not fire any of their short range missiles which could be used to attack U.S. bases.

That’s because there are multiple U.S. military bases in the region and Iran has a “huge arsenal” of shorter range missiles developed specifically to target U.S. bases as well as “lots of anti-ship capabilities,” Hinz said.

Iran’s current capabilities are potentially “more threatening to the U.S. military than to Israel,” said Fabian Hinz, an air warfare expert at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London.

The group shared the information in a graph posted to X Friday, saying their data corroborated “user reports of poor service.”

Internet usage in Iran dramatically declined Friday after Iranian authorities restricted access in the country following the Israeli attacks, according to internet-access advocacy group Net Blocks.org.

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Israel on Friday launched “preemptive strikes” on Iran, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said in a statement. Residents in the Iranian capital, Tehran, woke up to loud explosions that were heard in different parts of the city.

“Loud explosions being heard in different locations of the capital Tehran,” state TV reported without providing details. AFP correspondents also heard the blasts.

In a warning to Iran, Katz said, “Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future.”

Two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to Reuters said Israel had begun carrying out strikes on Iran, and there was no US assistance or involvement in the operation.

The blasts took place after US President Donald Trump warned that Israel could soon strike Iran’s nuclear sites.

Trump, whose administration is in talks with Iran in a bid to hammer out a deal over its nuclear programme, said he had urged ally Israel to hold off as he stressed his commitment to a diplomatic solution.

Meanwhile, Israel has declared a state of emergency in the country in anticipation of retaliation from Tehran. A statement from the Israeli defence ministry said, “Following Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate term.”