War explodes across Middle East: Israel wipes out head of Iranian army and nuclear scientists in massive air strikes as Tehran attacks Israel and vows to strike the US – live updates

War explodes across Middle East: Israel wipes out head of Iranian army and nuclear scientists in massive air strikes as Tehran attacks Israel and vows to strike the US – live updates. by elena salvoni and brittany chain for dailymail.com. published: | updated:. israel has bombed iran ‘s nuclear facilities and assassinated leading military officials in a devastating wave of air strikes – escalating fears the middle east is on the brink of all-out war. benjamin netanyahu said operation rising lion, which involved more than 200 israeli jets, targeted an iranian nuclear facility in natanz and the country’s ballistic missile program. washington distanced itself from the strikes and warned iran not to attack us bases in the region in retaliation, while tehran warned that the us would pay ‘a heavy price’ along with israel. iran has vowed to enact ‘bitter revenge’ after the strikes, which also hit sites in the capital tehran, with supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei warning that israel will face ‘severe punishment’. explosions boomed across tehran as simultaneous raids took place at nuclear and military sites, as well as the homes of highly sought after targets with knowledge of the state’s nuclear program. islamic revolutionary guard corps commander hossein salami was among the military leaders killed in the strikes, with six leading nuclear scientists also confirmed dead by state media. bracing for retaliation, israel’s military warned friday morning that more than 100 iranian drones had been launched at the country, which it said it was working to intercept. follow along for updates. how israel’s operation rising lion unfolded, according to insiders. israeli media has quoted security officials as saying that three coordinated operations formed the basis of its attack on iran overnight. 1. commando teams sent into iran. special mossad units entered iran to deploy precision-guided weapons, in open areas near the location of iranian surface-to-air missile systems. as the israeli air force launched its air strikes, these were activated and precision strikes were launched simultaneously. 2. strike systems planted in civilian vehicles. mossad covertly planted attack technologies in civilian vehicles across iran. when the operation commenced, these launched powerful munitions at their assigned targets. 3. covert drone base established inside iran. mossad established a secret base of explosive-laden drones in the heart of iran, smuggling them in long before the strike. during the overnight attack, these were activated and launched at iranian surface-to-surface missile launchers. israel says all iranian drones have been intercepted. israel has intercepted all iranian drones headed to the country, the military has said. the israeli defence forces said they have ‘control over the situation’ after iran launched at least 100 drones earlier today. israel’s home front command – which issues shelter warnings – said people no longer need to stay close to shelters but that gatherings are still restricted and people should remain alert. turkey urges israel to halt ‘aggressive actions’. turkey has urged israel to stop ‘aggressive actions’ following a wave of strikes on iran. ankara strongly condemned israeli airtrikes as a ‘clear violation of international law’. in may, istanbul played host to nuclear negotiations between iran and european powers. in a statement, the turkish foreign ministry said:. the fact that the strikes come at a time of intensified negotiations on iran’s nuclear programme shows that the (benjamin) 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. we call on the international community to take urgent action to prevent the spread of war. video: crowds gather as ‘red flag of revenge’ raised over iran’s jamkaran mosque. a red flag symbolising ‘vengeance’ has been raised over jamkaran mosque in the iranian city of qom. protesters who gathered outside the mosque waved iranian flags and chanted anti-israel slogans as they demanded a ‘severe punishment’ against israel following its deadly strikes. the red flag has been flown in the past during calls for revenge against israel, for example following following the assassination of hamas leader ismail haniyeh in tehran last year. china offers to broker peace talks. china has said it is ready to help broker talks to bring peace and stability to the middle east following israel’s strike on iran. chinese foreign ministry spokesman lin jian said the county was ‘deeply concerned’ about the strikes as it offered to ease tensions. he told a press briefing:. the chinese side is deeply worried about the severe consequences that such actions might bring. relevant parties to take actions that promote regional peace and stability and to avoid further escalation of tensions. video: explosions in natanz as israel strikes iranian nuclear site. israel army says destroyed ‘dozens’ of radars, missile launchers in iran strikes. the israeli army says it has destroyed ‘dozens’ of radars and missile launchers in its strikes on iran. the air force strikes amounted to an ‘extensive blow’ against iran’s air defenses in the west of the country, the idf said. why are israel and iran enemies? israel’s massive strike on iran on friday morning came after decades of hostilities between the bitter enemies. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has long identified iran as its greatest threat, citing the country’s nuclear program, its hostile rhetoric and support for anti-israel proxy groups across the region. iran meanwhile has pointed to israel’s repeated assassination and sabotage attacks targeting it, as well as its devastating war on hamas in the gaza strip, for its enmity. while the two countries have long appeared to be on a collision course, a series of recent developments, including israeli blows against iran and its allies and the re-election of president donald trump, helped lay the groundwork for friday’s attack. following iran’s 1979 islamic revolution, the country’s leadership immediately identified the us and israel as its main enemies. this was connected in large part to american and israeli ties to iran’s last shah, mohammad reza pahlavi, who fled iran while fatally ill ahead of the revolution and despised by iran’s new leaders. over the past two decades, israel has repeatedly accused iran of developing nuclear weapons. iran insists it has maintained its nuclear program for peaceful purposes only. israel sees a nuclear-armed iran as an existential threat, and breaking iran’s regional network of militant proxy groups has been a major goal. britain ‘will not protect israel when iran retaliates’. britain will not protect israel when iran retaliates as it did during tehran’s missile attacks in october 2024, the defence editor of the times, larisa brown, reports. video: destruction following israeli airstrikes on tehran. mossad ‘launched sabotage attacks to damage iranian air defences before strikes’. mossad launched behind-the-scenes sabotage attacks targeting iranian strategic missile systems and air defence capabilities, officials have been quoted as saying. axios reporter barak david quoted a senior israeli official as saying: ‘alongside extensive airstrikes by the israeli air force, the mossad led a series of covert sabotage operations deep inside iran. ‘these operations were aimed at damaging iran’s strategic missile sites and its air defense capabilities.’. graphic: the iranian nuclear and military sites in israel’s crosshairs as jets target natanz facility. israel preparing for attack on iran ‘to last two weeks’. israeli officials have warned the attack on iran could last for two weeks, local media has quoted officials as saying. earlier, prime minister benjamin netanyahu warned citizens to be prepared, to buy food and to remain near shelters after a state of emergency was declared in the country. airline announces flight cancellations and planes evacuated from israeli airport. emirates airline said flights to and from iraq, jordan, lebanon and iran had been cancelled, after israel launched strikes on iran on friday, sparking concerns of a wider escalation. earlier we reported how jordan has closed its airspace following israel’s strikes on iran in the early hours. iran, israel and iraq have also shut their airspace. meanwhile israeli airline israir said it was evacuating and relocating its aircraft from tel aviv’s ben gurion airport, adding this was part of a contingency plan developed over the past few days. keir starmer urges restraint amid escalating tensions. ‘no nuclear contamination so far’ after israel attack on iran enrichment site. israel’s attack on a key nuclear facility in iran on friday did not result in any nuclear contamination, state media reported. ‘the attack on natanz has not resulted in any nuclear contamination so far,’ the official irna news agency quoted the deputy police chief of isfahan province as saying, adding that there have been no reported deaths from the attack as of yet. the international atomic energy agency (iaea), who said it has been monitoring the situation closely, confirmed that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the site. the iaea also said it had been informed by iranian authorities that the bushehr nuclear plant was not targeted in the attack. key updates as israel strikes iran. if you are just joining us, here is what we know so far. more than 200 israeli fighter jets have carried out strikes across iran, targeting the ‘heart’ of the country’s nuclear programme and sites in the capital tehran. iran’s islamic revolutionary guards chief hossein salami and leading nuclear scientists were killed in the attack, iranian media has confirmed. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said operation rising lion was carried out ‘to roll back the iranian threat to israel’s very survival’, claiming that ‘if not stopped, iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time.’. more than 100 drones have been launched by iran at israel in recent hours, according to the israeli military. us secretary of state marco rubio has said the us was not involved in the strikes. at least six nuclear scientists killed in israel attacks on iran. ‘abdolhamid minouchehr, ahmadreza zolfaghari, amirhossein feqhi, motalleblizadeh, mohammad mehdi tehranchi, and fereydoun abbasi were the nuclear scientists martyred’ in israel’s attack, iran’s tasnim news agency said. pictured: smoke rises from explosions in natanz after israeli strikes on iran nuclear facilities. israeli jets ‘still attacking’ iran nuclear sites. the israeli military said at around 6am bst that jets were still conducting strikes against iranian military and nuclear sites. ‘our pilots attacked and are still attacking military targets and targets related to the nuclear programme in various areas in iran,’ spokesman brigadier general effie defrin told journalists. jordan closes its airspace after israeli strikes on iran. jordan has closed its airspace following israel’s strikes on iran early friday. iran, israel and iraq have also closed their airspace. jordan’s civil aviation authority says the airspace will be closed for all flights over the country. jordan news agency said the temporary measure is out of concern for any dangers related to the escalation in the region. iran cancels scheduled nuclear negotiations with us after airstrikes. iranian officials just confirmed on state television that scheduled talks in oman to negotiate nuclear capabilities will no longer go ahead. any discussions are now halted until further notice, they said. israel deployed 200 warplanes to strike over 100 targets in assault, officials say. israeli leaders have confirmed that at least 200 warplanes were involved in striking more than 100 targets in iran during friday’s early morning attacks. iran’s oil facilities were not damaged in attack, officials say. iran’s national oil company confirmed fuel distribution is continuing unaffected despite attacks on other high value targets. vacations, a wedding and a ‘washington decoy’: inside israel’s plot to lull iran into false sense of security. in the days leading up to the strike, israel reportedly deliberately concealed efforts to discuss and plan the attack with a series of strategic moves designed to lull iranian officials into a false sense of security. netanyahu ordered a thursday night cabinet meeting which was publicly identified as a chance to ‘discuss hostage negotiations’, when in reality they were meeting to green light the pre-dawn strikes on iran. a senior israeli source told the jerusalem post on friday ministers were briefed in advance that the cabinet meeting was regarding hostages in gaza, and that ‘the aim was to put iran to sleep.’. inside the meeting, the iran strikes were addressed and every minister was reportedly required to sign a non-disclosure agreement known as a ‘guardian of the secret’ document. simultaneously, netanyahu’s aides briefed media about an upcoming vacation he was planning to take, and mentioned that his son was getting married next tuesday. he was due to holiday in galilee, his team said. a statement was also issued claiming that two of netanyahu’s allies were heading to washington on friday to hold a ‘sixth round’ of meetings with us envoy steve witkoff about iran’s nuclear capability. no such meeting was ever planned, and neither man left israel. finally, netanyahu’s team refused to comment on false leaks and reports that he had fallen out with trump, stoking the rumors and allowing them to reach iran. in doing so, his team reportedly hoped it would lower iran’s concerns about an imminent threat. iran strikes back: more than 100 drones launched at israel. the israeli military claims iran has launched over 100 drones at israel in the last few hours. idf spokesman effie defrin said the drones will take at least several more hours to reach israel, and that officials are working to shoot as many down as they can. watch: how israel launched strikes on iran’s nuclear program. house speaker mike johnson defends israel’s airstrikes. new pictures emerge of buildings razed in iran. america prepared to defend itself and israel if iran retaliates, trump warns. trump told fox news that he was given a heads up about the impending attack on iran before it occurred, but insists the united states did not help. ‘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,’ trump said. trump reportedly added that the united states will defend itself, and israel, if iran retaliates, which it has vowed to do. israel expects iranian response to begin ‘within hours’ as israelis are warned to hunker down. israel’s top officials anticipate iran will begin retaliatory strikes within hours, according to local media. defense assessments suggest the risk is exponentially greater, and netanyahu has warned his citizens to prepare for spending long spans of time in reinforced bomb shelters as the attacks begin. oman slams israeli escalation days before iran-us negotiations. oman yesterday announced negotiations to be held in the capital between iranian and american officials on sunday. now, amid escalations in tensions between the nations, the government has hit out at israel. ‘oman holds israel responsible for this escalation and its repercussions, and calls on the international community to take a clear and firm position to stop this dangerous approach,’ the government said in a statement. the statement continued to warn israel’s airstrikes ‘threaten to exclude diplomatic solutions and undermine the security and stability of the region. iran was in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. for the first time in 20 years, the international atomic energy agency (iaea) this week declared iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. iran failed to provide the watchdog with credible explanations as to how uranium was detected at undeclared sites, despite the agency having investigated the matter for years. nineteen of the 35 countries on the board of the iaea voted for the motion to declare the breach. the motion was submitted by the ‘quad’ of nations – the us, uk, france and germany – who said ‘states will be held to account if they do not live up to their obligations’. iran says the decision was ‘political’ and said they would respond by setting up a new uranium enrichment facility. the united states told embassy staff in iraq to evacuate yesterday amid fears israel was poised to strike iran even without american support. president donald trump told media on wednesday that ‘they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place and we’ll see what happens.’. asked why family members of military personnel were allowed to voluntarily leave the region, he ominously replied: ‘you’ll have to see.’. iranian foreign ministry insists united states is partially to blame for attack. in a chilling warning to americans, the iranian foreign ministry has laid blame for israel’s attack squarely at the feet of the united states. this comes despite repeated denials from us officials of involvement in the coordinated attacks. ‘the dangerous and far-reaching effects and consequences of the zionist regime’s aggression against our beloved homeland of iran will be the responsibility of this regime and its supporters,’ the ministry said in a statement to al jazeera. ‘the zionist regime’s aggressive actions against iran cannot have been carried out without the coordination and authorization of the united states. ‘accordingly, the united states government, as the main supporter of this regime, will also be responsible for the dangerous effects and consequences of the zionist regime’s adventure.’. iran vowed to ‘target us bases’ if they were attacked. throughout the week as the threat of an attack on iran reached fever pitch, iranian defence minister aziz nasirzadeh warned that if talks fail and ‘a conflict is imposed on us’, iran ‘will target all us bases in the host countries.’. concerns over radiation levels as international atomic energy agency confirms strike on iran’s uranium enrichment facility. the international atomic energy agency confirmed that an israeli strike hit iran’s uranium enrichment facility at natanz. iaea’s head rafael mariano grossi wrote on x: ‘the iaea is closely monitoring the deeply concerning situation in iran. ‘the agency is in contact with iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. we are also in contact with our inspectors in the country.’. top iran military chiefs killed in airstrikes, including second highest commander. major general mohammad bagheri has been confirmed killed in the airstrikes. bagheri is the chief of staff of the armed forces in iran, making him the second highest commander after the supreme leader. his death is considered a significant blow to iran’s chain of command. local media also identified major general gholam ali rashid, the commander of iran’s central headquarters, along with his son, as ‘martyrs’ to friday morning’s attack. earlier it was confirmed that the head of iran’s paramilitary revolutionary guard, gen. hossein salami, was among the dead. additionally, two highly important nuclear scientists, fereydoun abbasi, the former head of the atomic energy organization of iran, and mohammad mehdi tehranchi, a physicist and president of the islamic azad university in tehran, have been killed. pictured: mohammad bagheri. where are iran’s nuclear facilities? watch: flights rapidly diverted immediately after the strikes. netanyahu praises trump in his address to the nation. netanyahu addressed president trump in his address to the nation shortly after the attack, saying: ‘he has made clear time and again that iran cannot have a nuclear enrichment program. ‘today, it is clear that iran was just buying for time.’. strikes came days before iran and us were set to hold talks as iranians take to the streets to chant: ‘death to america’. israel’s strikes come days before a sixth round of talks were scheduled between iran and the us over tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. officials from both the us and iran were due to meet this sunday in oman to discuss a potential agreement. the trump administration has been seeking a deal that would halt iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. it wasn’t immediately clear how the strikes would affect plans for the talks. while secretary of state rubio tried to get ahead of any potential conflict and maintain israel acted unilaterally in striking iran, iranian state television aired footage of people chanting ‘death to israel’ and ‘death to america.’. pictured: extraordinary damage in tehran following israel’s strikes. watch: netanyahu addresses the public over airstrikes. president trump to convene national security council meeting on friday. president trump will convene a national security council meeting to discuss the israel-iran conflict on friday morning. the white house confirmed the meeting will take place at 11am local time. united states confirms it had ‘no involvement’ in attacks. secretary of state marco rubio categorically ruled out any involvement from the united states in the attacks on iran. he said: ‘we are not involved in strikes against iran and our top priority is protecting american forces in the region.’. rubio said israel had advised officials that they believed the strikes were a necessary measure of self defense. ‘let me be clear: iran should not target us interests or personnel,’ rubio warned. trump had earlier warned that israel could be gearing up to attack iran, despite ongoing negotiations over the nation’s nuclear capacity. iraq closes airspace amid attacks on iran. iraq’s ministry of transportation has announced a ‘temporary closure of iraqi airspace’ and complete suspension of air traffic. meanwhile, israel’s airports authority said ben-gurion international airport, the country’s main airport, has been closed until further notice.’. iran says two top nuclear scientists were killed in targeted attacks on their homes. iranian state media has named nuclear scientists mohammad mehdi tehranchi and fereydoun abbasi as casualties in the latest round of attacks. reporting said the duo were ‘attacked their homes in targeted assassinations.’. israeli prime minister celebrates success of targeted attacks. in his celebratory address to the nation after the airstrikes, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu described iranian leaders as ‘tyrants of tehran’ who have ‘brazenly, openly called for israel’s destruction. ‘they’ve backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a program to develop nuclear weapons,’ he said. ‘in recent years, iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs, nine. in recent months, iran is taking steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponize this enriched uranium, and if not stopped, iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. ‘it could be a year, it could be within a few months, less than a year. this is a clear and present danger to israel’s very survival.’. netanyahu said the air strikes ‘struck at the heart of iran’s nuclear enrichment program.’. ‘we targeted iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the iranian bomb,’ he said. ‘we also struck at the heart of the iran ballistic missile program. last year, iran fired 300 ballistic missiles at israel…soon, those missiles could carry a nuclear payload, threatening the lives not of hundreds, but of millions.’. us embassy in israel directs all staff to shelter in place. the us embassy in jerusalem issued a directive to all employees and their families to shelter in place across israel amid fears of a retaliatory attack. the directive was shared by the us state department amid the rising tensions in the middle east. watch: explosions hit tehran during israeli airstrike. smoke rises from iranian nuclear facility. black smoke rose friday over iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at natanz though it wasn’t clear how bad the damage was. iranian state television briefly showed the live picture with a reporter. natanz is partially above ground, partially below ground, with multiple halls of centrifuges spinning uranium gas for its nuclear program. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu had said israel targeted the site in friday’s attack. natanz previously has been targeted by the stuxnet cyberattack and multiple sabotage campaigns likely carried out by israel. iran vows to respond to attacks. iran’s supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei said friday that israel will face “severe punishment” over its attack on the country. khamenei issued a statement confirming top military officials and scientists had been killed in the attack. israel ‘opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to commit a crime against our beloved country,’ khamenei said. in doing so, he said israel had revealed ‘its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers.’. ‘in the enemy’s attacks, a number of commanders and scientists were martyred. their successors and colleagues will immediately continue their duties, god willing. ‘with this crime, the zionist regime has brought a bitter and painful fate upon itself, and it will certainly face it.’. iran’s state-run irna news agency had earlier quoted an anonymous official saying iran will offer a ‘decisive’ response to israel’s attack. ‘the response to the israeli attack will be harsh and decisive,’ an official said. the official added that details of iran’s retaliation ‘are being discussed at the highest levels’ when asked whether the attack would be imminent. head of revolutionary guard is among the dead. iranian state television says the head of iran’s paramilitary revolutionary guard, gen. hossein salami, is presumed dead after an israeli attack. it added that one other top guard official, as well as two nuclear scientists, were also dead. iran’s revolutionary guard, created after its 1979 islamic revolution, is one of the main power centers within the country’s theocracy. it also controls iran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles, which it has used to attack israel twice during the ongoing israel-hamas war in the gaza strip. salami had warned israel and the west against any attacks less than 24 hours before his death in a statement vowing: ‘we say today that we stand fully ready for any scenarios, situations, and circumstances. ‘the enemy sometimes threatens us with military action. we are ready, and this is the reality we have been living with for years because being prepared for a war on any scale is our job and duty.’. salami warned iran’s enemies ‘not to make any miscalculations’ and shot down comparisons between iran and palestine. ‘the enemy thinks it can fight iran the same way it fights defenseless palestinians who are under an israeli siege. ‘we are war-tested and experienced.’. salami also noted his officials are always ‘monitoring the enemy.’. israel has launched ‘preemptive strikes’ against iran and declared a state of emergency as the country braces for retaliation. prime minister benjamin netanyahu said in an address that the attacks will continue ‘for as many days at it takes to remove this threat’ of iran’s nuclear program. netanyahu said that israel targeted iran’s main enrichment facility in natanz and the country’s ballistic missile program, as well as top nuclear scientists and officials. share or comment on this article: war explodes across middle east: israel wipes out head of iranian army and nuclear scientists in massive air strikes as tehran attacks israel and vows to strike the us – live updates. this article was originally published by a read the original article here.