Iran says Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities are ‘declaration of war’ 

Iran quickly retaliated, sending a swarm of drones at Israel as its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of 'severe punishment'

The scene of an explosion at a block of flats in northern Tehran (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Israel launched a blistering attack on the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military structure on Friday, deploying warplanes and drones smuggled into the country to target key facilities and kill top generals and scientists, in what Tehran described as "a declaration of war".

Israel said the barrage was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.