Israel’s defence minister warned Saturday that “Tehran will burn” and its residents pay dearly if Iran continues its missile strikes against Israeli civilians.

“The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing about a reality in which they –- especially the residents of Tehran -– will pay a heavy price because of the criminal harm to Israeli civilians,” said Israel Katz.

“If (Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles toward the Israeli home front –- Tehran will burn,” the minister added.

The threat came as Israel and Iran exchanged fire a day after Israel unleashed strikes that Iran said hit its nuclear facilities, “martyred” top commanders and killed dozens of civilians.

Iran has hit back with waves of drone and missile strikes, with a barrage of dozens lighting up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv overnight, killing three people and wounding dozens.

Following decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time that Israel and Iran have traded fire with such intensity, with fears of a prolonged conflict engulfing the region.

Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran early Friday, only days before Iran and the United States had been due to hold a sixth round of talks on the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme.

The operation — dubbed “Rising Lion” — has since killed Iran’s highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, among other senior generals.

On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had Tehran in its sights after strikes on dozens of missile launchers and air defences in the area around the Iranian capital.

“The way to Iran has been paved,” the military’s chief of staff and air force chief were quoted as saying in a statement.

The military “is proceeding according to its operational plans, and (Israeli air force) fighters jets are set to resume striking targets in Tehran,” it added.

(With inputs from AFP)

Damascus, SANA-Syrian Airlines announced Friday the temporary suspension of all flights until the situation in the region improves and the airspace returns to normal

In a statement published on its Facebook page, the Syrian Airlines said that that decision comes out of concern for the safety of passengers and crews and as situation in the region is tense.

Flight RB444 from coming Istanbul would be diverted to Aleppo International Airport instead of Damascus International Airport.

05:11 (IST) Jun 14

Israel launched blistering attacks on the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military structure on Friday, deploying warplanes and drones previously smuggled into the country to assault key facilities and kill top generals and scientists — a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.

Iran retaliated late on Friday by unleashing scores of ballistic missiles on Israel, where explosions flared in the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook the buildings below.

In a second round of attacks, sirens and explosions, possibly from Israeli interceptors, could be heard booming in the sky over Jerusalem early on Saturday. The Israeli military urged civilians, already rattled by the earlier wave of missiles, to head to shelter.

The Iranian outlet Nour News, which has close links with the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said a wave was being launched. Associated Press journalists in Tel Aviv could see at least two Iranian missiles hit the ground, but there was no immediate word of casualties.

“We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a recorded message on Friday in which he vowed revenge. Iran’s UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in Israeli attacks.

Israel’s paramedic services said 34 people were wounded in the barrage on the Tel Aviv area, including a woman who was critically injured after being trapped under rubble. In Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, an Associated Press journalist saw burned out cars and at least three damaged houses, including one where the front was nearly entirely torn away.

US ground-based air-defence systems in the region were helping to shoot down Iranian missiles, said a US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the measures.

Israel’s ongoing airstrikes and intelligence operation and Iran’s retaliation raised concerns about an all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.

Israel had long threatened such a strike, and successive American administrations sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran’s dispersed and hardened nuclear programme.

But a confluence of developments triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack — plus the reelection of US President Donald Trump — created the conditions that allowed Israel to finally follow through on its threats. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the US was informed in advance of the attack.

On Thursday, Iran was censured by the UN’s atomic watchdog for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

Countries in the region condemned Israel’s attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate deescalation from both sides.

The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday afternoon at Iran’s request. In a letter to the council, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the killing of its officials and scientists “state terrorism” and affirmed his country’s right to self-defence.

Israel’s military said about 200 aircraft were involved in the initial attack on about 100 targets. Its Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran ahead of time, and used them to target Iranian air defences and missile launchers near Tehran, according to two security officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

It was not possible to independently confirm the officials’ claims.

Among the key sites Israel attacked was Iran’s main nuclear-enrichment facility in Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. It also appeared to strike a second, smaller nuclear-enrichment facility in Fordo, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) southeast of Tehran, according to an Iranian news outlet close to the government that reported hearing explosions nearby.

Israel said it struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan, too, and said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Iran confirmed the strike at Isfahan.

Israel military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the Natanz facility was “significantly damaged” and that the operation was “still in the beginning”.

Above-ground section of Natanz facility destroyed

UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. He said all the electrical infrastructure and emergency power generators were destroyed, as well as a section of the facility where uranium was enriched up to 60 per cent.

The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to have been hit, but the loss of power could have damaged the infrastructure there, he said.

The first wave of strikes had given Israel “significant freedom of movement” in Iran’s skies, clearing the way for further attacks, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss details of the attack with the media.

The official said Israel is prepared for an operation that could last up to two weeks, but that there was no firm timeline.

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Last Updated: June 14, 2025, 18:02 IST

A photo released by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official Sepah News Telegram channel on June 13 shows smoke billowing from a site reportedly targeted by an Israeli strike in Tehran early on Friday. (AFP)

Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: Iran launched a barrage of missile strikes against multiple targets in Israel on Friday night and early Saturday, retaliating against Israeli airstrikes that killed several high-ranking military officials on Iranian soil. The attack included over 100 drones directed towards Israel.

Israel, anticipating retaliation, reported intercepting most of the drones outside its borders. This escalating situation represents one of the most perilous flashpoints in the region in years, significantly heightening tensions.

This escalation comes after Israeli armed forces took Iran by surprise and conducted multiple overnight airstrikes, targeting Iran’s nuclear and military sites under ‘Operation Rising Lion’. Further, Israel’s air strikes against Iran on Friday claimed lives of 60 people, including 20 children.

Justifying the strikes, Israel has said that it had intel indicating that Iran’s nuclear programme had almost reached the ‘point of no return’. Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the recent Israeli airstrikes on Iran, echoing his prior criticism of attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iranian media on Friday reported multiple explosions in areas east of Tehran. The reports did not immediately confirm the cause of the blasts or whether there were any casualties or damage.

TEHRAN, Iran — Anger mixed with worry as Iranians in the capital of Tehran woke up Saturday to images of their country’s retaliatory attacks on Israel. Iranian state television, long controlled by hard-line supporters of the country’s theocracy, repeatedly aired footage of missile strikes on Tel Aviv throughout the morning. The broadcaster also showed people cheering in front of a large screen set up in Tehran to follow the strikes as if they were watching a soccer match.

Traffic was lighter than normal on the capital’s streets. The change was due in part to a religious holiday; even before the attacks began, many Iranians had traveled outside the city to enjoy days off in places along the nearby Caspian Sea.

The holiday mood made news of Israel’s assault that much more shocking, particularly when the strikes on Friday killed many ranking members of Iran’s military and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, something unseen since Iran’s war with Iraq in the 1980s.

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“Israel killed our commanders and what do they expect in return? A kiss?” said Mahmoud Dorri, a 29-year-old taxi driver. “We will go after them to punish them: an eye for an eye.”

In downtown Tehran, 31-year-old teacher and mother of two Pari Pourghazi expressed her joy over Iran’s attack, linking it to Israel’s devastating war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip .

“Someone should stop the Israelis. They think they can do anything they want at any time,” she said. “Iran showed the Israelis are wrong, though they could suppress people in Gaza or Lebanon by heavy bombing.”

Auto mechanic Houshang Ebadi, 61, also backed the Iranian strike but said he opposed a full-fledged war between Iran and Israel.

“I support my country. The Israelis made a mistake in launching attacks on Iran but I hope this comes to an end,” Ebadi said. “War will not bear fruit for any side.”

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Others expressed concerns, verbally or through their actions. At one Tehran gas station, some 300 vehicles waited to fill up, with drivers growing frustrated.

“Sometimes there is a queue because people fear that the refineries may be targeted, sometimes there is a line because of a power outage,” said Nahid Rostami, a 43-year-old stylist. “When is this emergency situation going to end?”

Fruit seller Hamid Hasanlu, 41, said his twins couldn’t sleep Friday night with the sounds of explosions and anti-aircraft batteries firing.

“The leaders of both countries should know that people are suffering,” he said.

Bakeries also drew crowds as people sought to buy supplies including traditional Iranian bread, a staple of meals.

“I buy more bread since I think maybe there is no flour or electricity because of the war,” said Molouk Asghari, a 56-year-old homemaker. “I have children and grandchildren. I cannot see them in a hard situation without food, water and electricity.”

Across the country, people faced the continued strain of the conflict as Iran’s airspace remained closed.