Retaliatory strikes reported across Middle East after US and Israel launch major attack on Iran
The US and Israel have launched a major attack on targets across Iran as Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to âtake over your governmentâ.
The first strikes appeared to target the compound of Iranâs 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in central Tehran. It was not clear if he was there at the time.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told that Mr Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive âas far as I knowâ.
The US president said in a video posted on social media: âFor 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries."
He urged Iranians to take cover during the strikes, but added: âWhen we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.â
The UN security council has called an emergency meeting after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes by Tehran.
The emergency session was requested by the permanent missions of France, Bahrain, China, Russia and Colombia, according to a statement by the permanent mission of Russia to the UN.
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In southern Iran, at least 85 people were reported killed after a girlsâ school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, the local governor told Iranian state TV.
Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said he was âaware of reportsâ that the school was struck and they were looking into them.
The violence quickly expanded with the Revolutionary Guard saying it had responded by launching a âfirst waveâ of drones and missiles targeting Israel, where a nationwide warning was issued as the military said it was bringing down Iranian fire.
Iranâs Foreign Ministry said the country âwill not hesitateâ in its response, adding: âThe time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemyâs military assault.âÂ
Elsewhere, Bahrain said a missile attack had targeted the US Navyâs 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom, witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to US Army Central, and explosions were heard in Qatar.
Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their air space and sirens sounded in Jordan. The UAE said one person had been killed by falling shrapnel and air defence fire was seen over its commercial hub Dubai.
Flight maps showed airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel and Bahrain virtually empty on Saturday evening.
The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior officials.
Mr Trump said the US had begun âmajor combat operations in Iranâ after the US assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear programme.
He claimed in the video that Tehran has continued to develop its nuclear programme and plans to develop missiles to reach the US. He acknowledged there could be American casualties in the conflict, saying âthat often happens in warâ.
Iran has said it has not enriched uranium 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 Tehran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.
Iran has a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile programme, limiting their range to 1,240 miles. That puts all the Middle East and some of eastern Europe in their range.
There is no public evidence of Iran seeking to have intercontinental ballistic missiles, though Washington has said its space programme could allow it to one day.
Tensions have soared in recent weeks as American warships moved into the region, and Mr Trump said he wanted a deal to constrain Iranâs nuclear programme. He saw an opportunity while the country struggles at home with growing dissent after 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 programme or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
But Mr Trumpâs statement indicated the US was striking for reasons far beyond any nuclear ambitions, listing grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack aimed to âremove an existential threat posedâ by Iran.
âOur joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,â he said.
Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iranâs military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official source.
Iranâs Revolutionary Guard had vowed to respond if attacked, including saying American military personnel and bases spread across the region would be targets.
Explosions rocked Israel as the country worked to intercept incoming Iranian missiles. There was no immediate word on any damage or casualties.
Several hospitals in Israel launched emergency protocols, including moving patients and operations to underground facilities.
US embassies or consulates in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Israel posted on social media that they had told staff to shelter in place and recommended all Americans âdo the same until further noticeâ.
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