Iran launches waves of missiles at Israel in response to airstrikes

Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the country's two largest cities, before dawn, sending residents rushing into shelters. The military said its air defence systems were operating, seeking to intercept Iranian missiles.

"In the last hour, dozens of missiles have been launched at the state of Israel from Iran, some of which were intercepted," the Israeli military said.

It said rescue teams were operating at a number of locations across the country where fallen projectiles were reported, without commenting on casualties.

Several explosions were heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The Fars news agency said two projectiles hit Tehran's Mehrabad airport, and Iranian media said flames were reported there. Close to key Iranian leadership sites, the airport hosts an air force base with fighter jets and transport aircraft.

Israeli media said a suspected missile came down in Tel Aviv, and a Reuters witness heard a loud boom in Jerusalem. It was unclear whether Iranian strikes or Israeli defensive measures were behind the activity.

The Fars news agency said Tehran launched a third wave of airstrikes on Saturday after two salvos on Friday night.

Those were in response to Israel's attacks on Iran early on Friday against commanders, nuclear scientists, military targets and nuclear sites.

In central Tel Aviv, a high-rise building was hit during a wave of missile attacks, damaging the lower third of the structure, which stands in a densely populated urban area. An apartment block in nearby Ramat Gan was destroyed.

Israel's ambulance service said 34 people were injured on Friday night in the Tel Aviv area, most with minor injuries. Police later said one person had died.

The US military helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed for Israel on Friday, two US officials said. Israel's military said Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles on Friday and that most were intercepted or fell short. Several buildings in and around Tel Aviv were hit.

The Israeli strikes on Iran throughout the day and the Iranian retaliation raised fears of a broader regional conflagration, although Iran's allies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, have been decimated by Israel.

TRUMP SAYS: NOT TOO LATE

Iran's state news agency IRNA said Tehran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel after Israel blasted Iran's huge Natanz underground nuclear site and killed its top military commanders. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.

Israeli officials said it may be some time before the extent of damage at Natanz is clear. Western countries have long accused Iran of refining uranium there to levels suitable for a bomb rather than civilian use.

The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz has been destroyed, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council on Friday. He said the UN was still gathering information about Israeli attacks on two other facilities, the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and at Isfahan facility.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused Israel of starting a war. A senior Iranian official said that nowhere in Israel would be safe, and revenge would be painful.

Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people, including senior military officials, were killed in Israel's strikes on Iran, and more than 320 people were wounded, most of them civilians.

He accused the US of being complicit in the attacks and said it shared full responsibility for the consequences.

Israel's UN envoy, Danny Danon, said intelligence had confirmed that within days, Iran would have produced enough fissile material for multiple bombs. He called Israel's operation "an act of national preservation."

Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only. The UN nuclear watchdog concluded this week that it was in violation of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty.

US President Donald Trump said it was not too late for Tehran to halt the Israeli bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear programme.

Tehran had been engaged in talks with the Trump administration on a deal to curb its nuclear programme to replace one that Trump abandoned in 2018. Tehran rejected the last US offer.

Israel shuts global embassies after attack on Iran

Israel is shutting its embassies around the world and has urged citizens to stay alert and not display Jewish or Israeli symbols in public places, statements posted on embassy websites said on Friday after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran.

The statements said Israel would not be providing consular services and urged citizens to cooperate with local security services if faced with hostile activity.

No timeframe was given for how long the embassies would be closed. A person picking up the phone at the embassy in Berlin gave no further details, and Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

Israelis abroad were encouraged to fill out a form to update the foreign ministry on their location. This was also done after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel to coordinate the return of reservists and organise rescue flights.

"In light of recent developments, Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided," the statement said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, said Germany was stepping up protection of Jewish and Israeli sites.
The area around the Israeli embassy in Berlin was largely quiet and empty except for some police and police cars.

Visible security was increased outside the Great Synagogue of Stockholm, with a police van and car parked near the building, a Reuters witness said.

Earlier, Israel said it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories in Iran and had killed a swathe of military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

US President Donald Trump suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting US demands in talks to restrict its nuclear programme, and urged it to make a deal, "with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal".

Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes

Iran said several top commanders and six nuclear scientists were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders to prevent Tehran from developing an atomic weapon.

At least 20 senior Iranian commanders, including the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, were killed in Israel's strikes on Iran on Friday, two regional sources told Reuters.

Below is a list of the commanders and scientists killed:

HOSSEIN SALAMI

Salami was commander-in-chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appointed Salami, who was born in 1960, as head of the IRGC in 2019.

MOHAMMAD BAGHERI

A former IRGC commander, Major General Bagheri, was the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces from 2016. Born in 1960, Bagheri joined the Guards during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s.

AMIR ALI HAJIZADEH

Hajizadeh was the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force. Israel has identified him as the central figure responsible for directing aerial attacks against its territory. In 2020, Hajizadeh took responsibility for the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which occurred shortly after Iran launched missile strikes on US targets in Iraq in retaliation for the US drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani.

GHOLAMALI RASHID

Major General Rashid was head of the IRGC's Khatam al Anbia headquarters. He previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and fought for Iran during the 1980s war with Iraq.

FEREYDOUN ABBASI-DAVANI

Abbasi, a nuclear scientist, served as head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation from 2011 to 2013. A hardliner, Abbasi was a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024.

MOHAMMAD MEHDI TEHRANCHI

Tehranchi, a nuclear scientist, was head of Iran's Islamic Azad University in Tehran.
Four other scientists killed in Friday's strikes are Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi and Motalibizadeh.