Israel launches daylight attack on Iran’s capital as tensions high over US nuclear talks with Tehran

The US and Israel launched an attack Saturday on Iran, with the first apparent strike happening near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian media reported strikes nationwide, and smoke could be seen rising from the capital.

President Donald Trump said in a video posted on social media that the U.S. had begun “major combat operations in Iran.”

“The United States’ military began major combat operations in Iran,” Mr Trump said in the message while he spent the weekend at his Florida golf club. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.

“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally — again — obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy.”

He offered the military there “immunity” or “certain death” and told Iranians the “hour of your freedom is at hand.”

Mr Trump acknowledged that there could be American casualties following Iran strikes, saying “that often happens in war”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the joint attack was to “remove an existential threat posed” by Iran.

“Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,” Mr Netanyahu said.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard says it responded by launching a “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting Israel.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old Khamenei was in his offices at the time. He hasn’t been seen publicly in days as tensions with the United States have grown. The attack comes as the United States has assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.

Roads to Khamenei’s compound in downtown Tehran had been shut down by authorities as other blasts rang out across the capital. Neighboring Iraq closed its airspace, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran’s military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information on the attack.

Mr Trump wanted a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program, and he sees an opportunity while the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests. Iran had hoped to avert a war, but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, like its long-range missile program or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Iran would immediately strike back, but it had warned that American military personnel and bases spread across the region would be targets for any retaliation.

Iran has said it hasn’t enriched since June, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed during a 12-day war then. Satellite photos analysed by The Associated Press have shown new activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.

Iran currently has a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile program, limiting their range to 2000km. That puts all the Mideast and some of eastern Europe in their range. There is no public evidence of Iran seeking to have intercontinental ballistic missiles, though Washington has criticised its space program as potentially allowing it to one day.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described Saturday’s attack as being done “to remove threats.” He did not immediately elaborate.

Several hospitals in Israel launched their emergency protocols, including moving patients and surgeries to underground facilities.

In Tehran, witnesses heard the first blast by Khamenei’s office. Iranian state television later reported on the explosion, without offering a cause.

Sirens sounded across Israel at the same time as it closed its airspace. The Israeli military said that it had issued a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel.”

More explosions struck Iran’s capital after Israel said it was attacking the country. Authorities have offered no casualty information from the strikes.

Meanwhile, Iran shut down its airspace and mobile phone services were cut.

The warning to pilots came out as explosions rang out across Tehran, the Iranian capital.

Iraq’s Ministry of Transport said that the country’s airspace has been closed following Israeli airstrikes on Iran, its neighbour.

The ministry’s spokesman Mitham al-Safi told state-run Iraqi News Agency about the closure, noting that “the closure was preceded by the evacuation of all air traffic from Iraqi airspace.”

The attack came two days after delegations from the Islamic Republic and US met in Switzerland for a third round of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear activities. While Iran sounded upbeat about the trajectory of the talks, Mr Trump said on Friday he wasn’t happy with how they were unfolding.

The US has in recent weeks amassed its largest military build-up in decades in the Middle East, with Mr Trump indicating more ambitious goals than the limited strikes he ordered against Iran’s atomic installations last year.

In addition to demanding that Iran give up its nuclear program, he vowed to support protesters who have faced deadly crackdowns from the Iranian government in recent months. US officials also called on Tehran to curtail its support for proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah, as well as its missile program, which they describe as a critical threat to Israel.

More to come...