- Iran’s state media confirms hundreds of ballistic missiles have been launched in response to recent Israeli strikes
- Top three Iranian military generals, 6 nuclear scientists killed in Israeli attacks with 200 bombers, attack drones
- President Pezeshkian admins vows Iran will avenge blood of every single individual killed in Israeli strikes
- Iranian state media says forces downed two Israeli fighter jets and detained one pilot
- Supreme Leader Khamenei vows ‘this crime will not go unpunished’
TEL AVIV/TEHRAN: Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded on Friday night across Israel following what the country’s military spokesman said was the firing of missiles from Iran.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said hundreds of ballistic missiles had been launched in retaliation for Israel’s biggest ever attacks on Iran, blasting Iran’s huge underground nuclear site at Natanz and wiping out its top military commanders.
Iranian state media said the country’s forces downed two Israeli fighter jets and detained one pilot. “At least two Israeli fighter jets were shot down in Iranian skies,” the official IRNA news agency reported, without elaborating.
Israeli rescuers said that seven people were injured on Friday in the centre of the country, shortly after Iran fired a salvo of missiles at Israel.
Speaking on Israel’s Channel 12, Eli Bin, the spokesman for the Magen David Adom rescue service, said that seven people were lightly injured in central Israel. Images on Channel 12 showed what appeared to be a building hit by a missile.
Iranian media declared that Tehran’s response to Israel had “officially begun,” marking a sharp escalation in regional tensions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they carried out attacks against dozens of targets in Israel in retaliation for the latter’s biggest attacks ever against Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected calls on Tehran to show restraint following Israel’s large-scale deadly attack on the Islamic republic.
Araghchi “rejected calls for Iran to show restraint in the face of Israeli aggression” in call with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, according to an Iranian foreign ministry statement.
Iranian senior official told Reuters that nowhere in Israel will be safe, adding that the country’s revenge will be painful.
Air raid sirens blared across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Friday as Israel’s military confirmed the launch of multiple missiles from Iran. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) instructed civilians to seek shelter immediately and remain there until further notice.
Loud explosions were heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, with AFP and Reuters correspondents reporting booms consistent with missile interceptions. Iran’s state media confirmed that hundreds of ballistic missiles had been launched in response to recent Israeli strikes.
An Israeli military spokesperson said the country was actively intercepting the incoming threats and emphasized that Israel could defend itself without foreign assistance.
A televised briefing by the spokesperson was abruptly cut short, reportedly due to an incoming missile targeting central Israel.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that the country’s armed forces would respond “with all might” to Israeli attacks that killed several senior commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians across multiple Iranian cities.
The Zionist regime will not escape safely from the heinous crime they’ve committed.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 13, 2025
In a televised address to the nation, Khamenei said the Islamic Republic “will not compromise” in the face of Israeli aggression, promising that the Iranian military would leave the “scoundrel Zionist regime miserable.”
“This crime will not go unpunished,” he said, warning that Israel must now prepare for “severe punishment.”
Let the dear Iranian nation know this, be certain and assured that every effort will be made in this regard.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 13, 2025
The Supreme Leader said that Israel initiated a war and said it will not be allowed to do “hit and run” attacks without grave consequences. The Iranian nation must be guaranteed that our response will not be half-measured.
Tehran’s defence system intercepted fresh projectiles as several explosions were heard in the city and its surrounding areas on Friday evening, Iranian state media reported, more than 12 hours after a massive wave of Israeli attacks on the country.
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“There were reports of explosions heard in the west of Tehran province,” in the cities of Shahriar and Malard and around the neighbourhood of Chitgar in Tehran city, state news agency IRNA reported, while Mehr agency reported a blast in Pakdasht southeast of the capital.
Tehran’s defence system intercepted fresh projectiles as several explosions were heard in the city and its surrounding areas on Friday evening, Iranian state media reported, more than 12 hours after a massive wave of Israeli attacks on the country.
“There were reports of explosions heard in the west of Tehran province,” in the cities of Shahriar and Malard and around the neighbourhood of Chitgar in Tehran city, state news agency IRNA reported, while Mehr agency reported a blast in Pakdasht southeast of the capital.
IRNA said Tehran’s defences were activated. “News received indicates that enemy projectiles have been intercepted by Tehran’s defences,” it said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the Mehr news agency said a “massive explosion” was heard in Isfahan, a major city in central Iran, in a province that is home to several nuclear facilities.
“A few minutes ago, a massive explosion was heard in Isfahan,” Mehr said without immediately elaborating.
The Israeli military said it struck Iran’s nuclear facility in Isfahan as it pressed on with its strikes on the Islamic Republic’s military and nuclear sites. “I can now confirm that we struck the nuclear facility in Isfahan. The operation is still ongoing,” military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told journalists.
He said Israel had so far struck more than 200 targets across Iran since it began the wave of air strikes. “We are continuing to strike,” Defrin added.
Israel’s army chief said the military was keeping up “full force” to achieve its goals after launching the wave of strikes.
“We are continuing with full force, at a high pace, in order to meet the goals we have set for ourselves,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.
“There will be difficult moments, we need to be prepared for the range of scenarios we have planned for, very high readiness and discipline are required on the home front. “
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at 1900 GMT (12am PKT) following Israel’s wave of airstrikes, current presidency Guyana announced.
The meeting was requested by Iran, and supported by Russia and China, a diplomatic source told AFP.
Iran said Israel’s deadly strikes on its military and nuclear facilities were a “declaration of war” and called on the UNSC to act.
Israel launched widescale strikes against Iran earlier today, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders, and that this was the start of a “prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon”.
Iran promised a harsh response and the Israeli military said Iran launched around 100 drones, with air defences intercepting them outside Israeli territory, while neighbouring Jordan said it targeted drones and missiles that violated its airspace.
But around 0800 GMT (1pm PKT), Israeli media said an order to citizens to remain near protected areas had been lifted, suggesting that most or all the drones had been neutralised.
In a letter to the United Nations, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as a “declaration of war” and called on the UNSC to immediately address the issue, the ministry said.
Araghchi requested the meeting in a letter to the 15-member body, saying Israel “has now crossed every red line, and the international community must not allow these crimes to go unpunished”.
He wrote: “Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and will respond decisively and proportionately to these unlawful and cowardly acts.”
Article 51 of the UN Charter covers the individual or collective right of states to self-defence against armed attack.
An Israeli security source said Israeli Mossad commandos had operated deep inside the Islamic Republic before the attack and the Israeli spy agency and military had led a series of covert operations against Iran’s strategic missile array.
Israel also established an attack-drone base near Tehran, the source added.
The military said it had carried out a large-scale strike against Iran’s air defences, destroying “dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers”. Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions, including at the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its top commander, Hossein Salami, had been killed and state media reported the unit’s headquarters in Tehran had been hit. Several children were killed in a strike on a residential area in the capital, they said.
At least 95 people were wounded in Israel’s attack and taken to medical centres in 12 different provinces that were targeted, national emergency services spokesperson Mojtaba Khaledi told state TV.
The IRGC confirmed later in the day that its aerospace commander had been killed with fellow officers in an Israeli air strike on their command centre.
“Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps aerospace force Major General Amirali Hajizadeh … along with a group of brave and dedicated fighters of this force, were martyred” in an Israeli attack on their command centre, the Guards said in a statement.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swiftly appointed new Revolutionary Guards and armed forces chiefs to replace those killed.
In separate decrees, Khamenei named Mohammad Pakpour to replace Salami as IRGC commander and Abdolrahim Mousavi to replace Mohammad Bagheri as chief of the armed forces general staff. Major General Ali Shademani was appointed as the commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters.
Pakpour threatened to open “the gates of hell” in retaliation for Israel’s attacks that killed his predecessor.
“In retribution for the blood of our fallen commanders, scientists and citizens, the gates of hell will soon be opened upon this child-killing regime,” Pakpour said of Israel in a message carried by state news agency IRNA.
A senior adviser to Khamenei was wounded during the attack, state media reported.
“Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the supreme leader… was injured in today’s attack by the Zionist regime,” according to state TV.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message: “We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history.
“Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
Khamenei said in a statement that Israel had “unleashed its wicked and bloody” hand in a crime against Iran and that it would receive “a bitter fate for itself”.
An Israeli military official said Israel was striking “dozens” of nuclear and military targets, including the facility at Natanz in central Iran. The official claimed Iran had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days.
The United States said it had no part in the operation, which raises the risk of a fresh escalation in tensions in the Middle East, a major oil-producing region.
Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the ambassador of Switzerland, which represents US interests in Tehran, state media said.
“During the meeting, the Islamic Republic of Iran conveyed its deep outrage and strong protest over this act of aggression by Israel and the support extended to it by the United States,” IRNA reported.
Alongside extensive air strikes, Israel’s Mossad spy agency led a series of covert sabotage operations inside Iran, Axios reported, citing a senior Israeli official. These operations were aimed at damaging Iran’s strategic missile sites and its air defence capabilities.
At least six nuclear scientists were killed in Israel’s attacks, media outlets in the Islamic Republic reported.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency named the six scientists, including Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was the president of the Islamic Azad University of Iran. Fereydoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, was also among the scientists killed, it added.
The organisation added that most of the damage from Israeli air strikes targeting its underground uranium enrichment facility at Natanz was at ground level.
“Most of the damage is on the surface level,” said the organisation’s spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, adding that there had been “no casualties” at the facility where the enrichment centrifuges are housed underground.
A fresh round of explosions was heard in northwestern Iran, state television reported, following Israel’s wave of early morning strikes on multiple cities.
“A few minutes ago, new explosions were heard in East Azerbaijan,” the broadcaster said, as the Tasnim news agency said an earlier wave of strikes had hit 10 sites in the province, killing at least three people.
The death toll from Israeli strikes in northwestern Iran increased to 18, state media reported, revising an earlier figure of eight dead.
“So far, as a result of this brutal aggression, 18 individuals have attained martyrdom and 35 of our fellow citizens have been injured,” IRNA quoted East Azerbaijan provincial authorities as saying, reporting attacks on 11 locations in the province.
A loud blast was heard later in the afternoon near a military airbase in Iran’s western Hamedan province, state media reported.
“A few hours ago, a loud blast was heard near Hamedan,” more than 300 kilometres from Tehran, the IRNA state news agency said, adding that “it was heard near the Nojeh airbase”.
Meanwhile, Israel’s embassy to Sweden said that Israel would close its diplomatic missions around the world in light of recent developments and that consular services would not be provided. It did not say how long the missions would be closed.
Pezeshkian administration: Iran will write the ending to this story
The administration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has released a statement, announcing that Iran will avenge the blood of every single individual killed in Israeli strikes, IRNA reported.
“With a savage regime as this,” the statement read, referring to Israel, “one shall not speak but with the language of power.”
“As of this moment, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government has begun the necessary defensive, political and legal measures to make the illegitimate Israel regret [its aggression] and will deny the Israelis a moment’s rest,” it said.
“The world now better understands Iran’s insistence on its right to enrichment and nuclear technology and missile power.”
Iran has in the past 200 years never started a war, the statement said, but would not hesitate for a second to defend itself.
“The ending to this story will be written by Iran.”
Pezeshkian said that Iran would make Israel “regret” its deadly attack.
“The Iranian nation and the country’s officials will not remain silent in the face of this crime, and the legitimate and powerful response of the Islamic Republic of Iran will make the enemy regret its foolish act,” Pezeshkian said in a video statement aired on state TV.
Trump urges Iran to make a deal
US President Donald Trump urged Iran to “make a deal”, warning that there will be more “death and destruction” after Israel launched the deadly strikes.
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left … just do it before it’s too late,” he said.
He said there was still time for the country to prevent further conflict with Israel.
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Speaking to ABC News, Trump added the Israeli attack on Iran was “excellent” and warned there was much more to come.
“I think it’s been excellent. We gave them a chance and they didn’t take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you’re going to get hit. And there’s more to come. A lot more,” Trump was quoted as saying by an ABC reporter on X.
The outlet reported that when asked if the US participated in the attack in any way, Trump responded by saying, “I don’t want to comment on that.”
Trump told Reuters in a phone interview that it was unclear if Iran still has a nuclear programme following Israeli strikes on the country.
Trump told Reuters the US still has nuclear talks planned with Iran on Sunday, but that he is not sure if they will still take place. He said it was not too late for Iran to make a deal.
“I tried to save Iran humiliation and death,” Trump said.
He said he is not concerned about a regional war breaking out as a result of Israel’s strikes.
Earlier in the day, Trump said that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and that the US was hoping to get back to the negotiating table, in an interview with Fox News after the start of the Israeli air strikes on Iran.
“We will see,” Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin quoted Trump as saying in a post on X.
Trump would convene a meeting of the National Security Council on Friday morning, the White House said. He had said on Thursday that an Israeli strike on Iran “could very well happen” but reiterated his hopes for a peaceful resolution.
The US military is planning for the full range of contingencies in the Middle East, including the possibility that it might have to help evacuate American civilians, a US official told Reuters.
Iran’s armed forces spokesperson said Israel and its chief ally, the US, would pay a “heavy price” for the attack, accusing Washington of providing support for the operation.
While the US tried to distance itself from Israel’s military operation, an Israeli official told public broadcaster Kan that Israel had coordinated with Washington on Iran.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the country was not involved in the strikes and Tel Aviv had acted unilaterally for self-defence.
“We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a statement.
“Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” he added.
The State Department issued an advisory saying that all US government employees in Israel and their family members should “shelter in place until further notice”.
Lebanese group Hezbollah condemned Israel’s wave of strikes, warning that they threaten to “ignite the region”.
“This enemy adheres to no logic or laws and knows only the language of killing, fire, and destruction,” Hezbollah said in a statement that condemned the strikes as a “brutal” aggression.
UN nuclear watchdog chief ready to travel to Iran to assess situation
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said he was ready to travel to Iran to assess the situation there after Israel’s strikes hit the sprawling nuclear complex at Natanz.
In a statement to a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, Grossi said the other main enrichment centre in Iran, Fordow, was not hit, and neither was another nuclear facility in Esfahan, citing Iranian authorities.
There are no elevated radiation levels at Natanz, he added.
“I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation. I reiterate that any military action that jeopardises the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond,” Grossi said in his statement.
“I have indicated to the respective authorities my readiness to travel at the earliest to assess the situation and ensure safety, security and non-proliferation in Iran.”
He did not say what the extent of the damage at Natanz was or what parts of the site were hit. The site includes a vast underground uranium enrichment plant and a smaller, above-ground pilot enrichment plant.
Iran is enriching to up to 60 per cent purity, close to the roughly 90pc of weapons-grade, at the pilot plant, but it is producing smaller quantities of that material there than at Fordow, a site dug into a mountain that military experts have said would be difficult for Israel to destroy through bombardment.
“Despite the current military actions and heightened tensions, it is clear that the only sustainable path forward — for Iran, for Israel, the entire region, and the international community — is one grounded in dialogue and diplomacy to ensure peace, stability, and cooperation,” Grossi said.
Earlier today, Grossi said that nuclear facilities “must never be attacked”.
The UN nuclear watchdog said that Iranian authorities told it that no increase in radiation levels was observed at the Natanz uranium enrichment site following Israeli strikes.
“Iranian authorities have informed the IAEA … that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the Natanz site,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a post on X, after earlier confirming that the facility was “among targets” of the strikes.
It added that Iran’s only nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr had not been targeted.
An exceptional meeting of the watchdog’s Board of Governors will be held on Monday to discuss Israel’s strikes after at least one country on the board requested one at Friday’s regular, quarterly session of the body, diplomats said.
Any country on the board of the IAEA can call a meeting under its rules.
Iran, which is not on the board, requested a meeting and its call was supported by board members Russia, China and Venezuela, diplomats said. The diplomats gave differing accounts as to which board member was the first to clearly make the request.
The meeting will start at 10am (0800 GMT) on Monday, diplomats at Friday’s closed-door meeting said before any public announcement of the emergency meeting.
There was no sign of any push for a resolution or other action on Monday by the 35-nation board, said the IAEA’s top policymaking body.
However, Iran’s atomic energy organisation confirmed in a statement that its nuclear facility in Natanz had been damaged, but investigations had not shown any radioactive or chemical contamination outside the site.
“The attack has damaged several parts of the facility. Investigations are ongoing to assess the extent of damages,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Israel’s neighbouring country Jordan’s military said it intercepted drones and missiles that had violated the kingdom’s airspace.
“Royal Air Force aircraft and air defence systems intercepted on Friday morning a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace,” a military statement said.
Air raid sirens sounded in the Jordanian capital after Israel’s attack on Iran, while the public security directorate urged people to stay at home.
“Adhere to the guidelines and stay in your homes,” said an announcement on loudspeakers in Amman.
Jordan had earlier said it would not allow its airspace to be violated and vowed not to become a “battleground” in any regional conflict. “Jordan has not and will not allow any violation of its airspace, reaffirming that the Kingdom will not be a battleground for any conflict,” government spokesperson Mohammad Momani told AFP.
The government condemned Israel’s attack, with foreign ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah warning of “the consequences of such escalatory actions”.
Jordan also called the attack “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of a United Nations member state and a clear breach of international law and the UN Charter”.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel’s air defence units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.
“Following the pre-emptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, a missile and UAV (drone) attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate time frame,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said tens of thousands of soldiers had been called up and “prepared across all borders”.
“We are amidst a historic campaign unlike any other. This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat, by an enemy who is intent on destroying us,” he said.
Israeli Minister Gideon Saar was holding a “marathon of calls” with counterparts around the world regarding Israel’s attack on Iran, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan was among several countries and international actors which condemned Israel’s strikes, with the Foreign Office calling it “unjustified and illegitimate aggression by Israel.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned “in the strongest possible terms today’s unprovoked attack on Iran by Israel”.
“I convey my deepest sympathies to the Iranian people on the loss of lives in this attack. This grave and highly irresponsible act is deeply alarming and risks further destabilising an already volatile region,” he said in a post on X.
“We urge the international community and the United Nations to take urgent steps to prevent any further escalation that could imperil regional and global peace.”
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar condemned the blatant Israeli aggression and reiterated Pakistan’s strong support for Iran in a telephonic conversation with FM Bagchi.
The National Assembly also unanimously passed a resolution against Israel’s attack on Iran, which was jointly presented by the government and opposition.
The attacks triggered sharp falls in stock prices in Asian trade on Friday, led by a selloff in US futures, while oil prices jumped as investors scurried to safe havens such as gold and the Swiss franc.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned any military escalation in the Middle East, said deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.
“The secretary general asks both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford,” Haq said.
Flight disruptions, airspace closure
Emirates airline said flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran had been cancelled after Israel’s strikes sparking concerns of a wider escalation.
Several flights scheduled for Friday and one Tehran flight on Saturday were listed as cancelled on the airline’s website, with the Dubai International Airport also reporting that “some flights at [DXB] and DWC — Al Maktoum International have been cancelled or delayed due to airspace closures over Iran, Iraq, and Syria” in a statement on X.
The United Arab Emirates capital’s international airport warned of flight disruptions.
“Flight disruptions are expected through today at Zayed International Airport. Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest status of their flights before travelling to the airport,” the Abu Dhabi airport said in a statement on X.
Qatar Airways said it had temporarily cancelled flights to Iran and Iraq “due to [the] current situation in the region”, the airline said in a statement.
German airline Lufthansa also said it had suspended all flights to and from Tehran.
“Lufthansa Group flights to and from Tehran will be suspended until further notice due to the current situation,” the company said in an emailed statement, adding it would also avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspace for now.
Air France said it was suspending its flights to and From Tel Aviv “until further notice” and was “closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East in real-time,” a spokesman for the French airline told AFP, adding that “the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority.”
Air India diverted or called back 16 flights between India and London and cities in Canada and the United States “due to the emerging situation in Iran”.
The New Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights were about to enter Iranian airspace when Israel launched its attack, forcing the planes to turn back to their origin, according to aircraft tracker Flight Aware.
Iraq also closed its airspace. “The ministry of transport closes Iraqi airspace and suspends air traffic at all Iraqi airports,” the Iraq News Agency reported.
It filed a complaint later with the UN Security Council over Israel’s “violation of Iraqi airspace” in a major attack on Iran, Baghdad’s foreign ministry said.
“These practices constitute a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” the ministry said, calling on “the Security Council to assume its responsibilities” and act to “prevent the recurrence of such violations”.
Nuclear talks
US and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran’s escalating uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday, according to officials from both countries and their Omani mediators.
A US official said those talks were still scheduled to proceed despite the Israeli attack.
The Israeli military said that it was forced to act based on new intelligence information showing that Iran was “approaching the point of no return” in the development of a nuclear weapon.
“In recent months, this programme has accelerated significantly, bringing the regime significantly closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon,” it said in a statement, without disclosing the purported evidence.
A source familiar with US intelligence reports said there had been no recent change in the US intelligence assessment that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei had not authorised the restarting of the nuclear weapons programme that was shuttered in 2003.
IRNA said Tehran’s defences were activated. “News received indicates that enemy projectiles have been intercepted by Tehran’s defences,” it said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the Mehr news agency said a “massive explosion” was heard in Isfahan, a major city in central Iran, in a province that is home to several nuclear facilities.
“A few minutes ago, a massive explosion was heard in Isfahan,” Mehr said without immediately elaborating.
The Israeli military said it struck Iran’s nuclear facility in Isfahan as it pressed on with its strikes on the Islamic Republic’s military and nuclear sites. “I can now confirm that we struck the nuclear facility in Isfahan. The operation is still ongoing,” military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told journalists.
He said Israel had so far struck more than 200 targets across Iran since it began the wave of air strikes. “We are continuing to strike,” Defrin added.
Israel’s army chief said the military was keeping up “full force” to achieve its goals after launching the wave of strikes.
“We are continuing with full force, at a high pace, in order to meet the goals we have set for ourselves,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.
“There will be difficult moments, we need to be prepared for the range of scenarios we have planned for, very high readiness and discipline are required on the home front. “
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at 1900 GMT (12am PKT) following Israel’s wave of airstrikes, current presidency Guyana announced.
The meeting was requested by Iran, and supported by Russia and China, a diplomatic source told AFP.
Iran said Israel’s deadly strikes on its military and nuclear facilities were a “declaration of war” and called on the UNSC to act.
Israel launched widescale strikes against Iran earlier today, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders, and that this was the start of a “prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon”.
Iran promised a harsh response and the Israeli military said Iran launched around 100 drones, with air defences intercepting them outside Israeli territory, while neighbouring Jordan said it targeted drones and missiles that violated its airspace.
But around 0800 GMT (1pm PKT), Israeli media said an order to citizens to remain near protected areas had been lifted, suggesting that most or all the drones had been neutralised.
In a letter to the United Nations, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as a “declaration of war” and called on the UNSC to immediately address the issue, the ministry said.
Araghchi requested the meeting in a letter to the 15-member body, saying Israel “has now crossed every red line, and the international community must not allow these crimes to go unpunished”.
He wrote: “Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and will respond decisively and proportionately to these unlawful and cowardly acts.”
Article 51 of the UN Charter covers the individual or collective right of states to self-defence against armed attack.
An Israeli security source said Israeli Mossad commandos had operated deep inside the Islamic Republic before the attack and the Israeli spy agency and military had led a series of covert operations against Iran’s strategic missile array.
Israel also established an attack-drone base near Tehran, the source added.
The military said it had carried out a large-scale strike against Iran’s air defences, destroying “dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers”. Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions, including at the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its top commander, Hossein Salami, had been killed and state media reported the unit’s headquarters in Tehran had been hit. Several children were killed in a strike on a residential area in the capital, they said.
At least 95 people were wounded in Israel’s attack and taken to medical centres in 12 different provinces that were targeted, national emergency services spokesperson Mojtaba Khaledi told state TV.
The IRGC confirmed later in the day that its aerospace commander had been killed with fellow officers in an Israeli air strike on their command centre.
“Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps aerospace force Major General Amirali Hajizadeh … along with a group of brave and dedicated fighters of this force, were martyred” in an Israeli attack on their command centre, the Guards said in a statement.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swiftly appointed new Revolutionary Guards and armed forces chiefs to replace those killed.
In separate decrees, Khamenei named Mohammad Pakpour to replace Salami as IRGC commander and Abdolrahim Mousavi to replace Mohammad Bagheri as chief of the armed forces general staff. Major General Ali Shademani was appointed as the commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters.
Pakpour threatened to open “the gates of hell” in retaliation for Israel’s attacks that killed his predecessor.
“In retribution for the blood of our fallen commanders, scientists and citizens, the gates of hell will soon be opened upon this child-killing regime,” Pakpour said of Israel in a message carried by state news agency IRNA.
A senior adviser to Khamenei was wounded during the attack, state media reported.
“Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the supreme leader… was injured in today’s attack by the Zionist regime,” according to state TV.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message: “We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history.
“Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
Khamenei said in a statement that Israel had “unleashed its wicked and bloody” hand in a crime against Iran and that it would receive “a bitter fate for itself”.
An Israeli military official said Israel was striking “dozens” of nuclear and military targets, including the facility at Natanz in central Iran. The official claimed Iran had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days.
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The United States said it had no part in the operation, which raises the risk of a fresh escalation in tensions in the Middle East, a major oil-producing region.
Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the ambassador of Switzerland, which represents US interests in Tehran, state media said.
“During the meeting, the Islamic Republic of Iran conveyed its deep outrage and strong protest over this act of aggression by Israel and the support extended to it by the United States,” IRNA reported.
Alongside extensive air strikes, Israel’s Mossad spy agency led a series of covert sabotage operations inside Iran, Axios reported, citing a senior Israeli official. These operations were aimed at damaging Iran’s strategic missile sites and its air defence capabilities.
At least six nuclear scientists were killed in Israel’s attacks, media outlets in the Islamic Republic reported.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency named the six scientists, including Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was the president of the Islamic Azad University of Iran. Fereydoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, was also among the scientists killed, it added.
The organisation added that most of the damage from Israeli air strikes targeting its underground uranium enrichment facility at Natanz was at ground level.
“Most of the damage is on the surface level,” said the organisation’s spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, adding that there had been “no casualties” at the facility where the enrichment centrifuges are housed underground.
A fresh round of explosions was heard in northwestern Iran, state television reported, following Israel’s wave of early morning strikes on multiple cities.
“A few minutes ago, new explosions were heard in East Azerbaijan,” the broadcaster said, as the Tasnim news agency said an earlier wave of strikes had hit 10 sites in the province, killing at least three people.
The death toll from Israeli strikes in northwestern Iran increased to 18, state media reported, revising an earlier figure of eight dead.
“So far, as a result of this brutal aggression, 18 individuals have attained martyrdom and 35 of our fellow citizens have been injured,” IRNA quoted East Azerbaijan provincial authorities as saying, reporting attacks on 11 locations in the province.
A loud blast was heard later in the afternoon near a military airbase in Iran’s western Hamedan province, state media reported.
“A few hours ago, a loud blast was heard near Hamedan,” more than 300 kilometres from Tehran, the IRNA state news agency said, adding that “it was heard near the Nojeh airbase”.
Meanwhile, Israel’s embassy to Sweden said that Israel would close its diplomatic missions around the world in light of recent developments and that consular services would not be provided. It did not say how long the missions would be closed.
Pezeshkian administration: Iran will write the ending to this story
The administration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has released a statement, announcing that Iran will avenge the blood of every single individual killed in Israeli strikes, IRNA reported.
“With a savage regime as this,” the statement read, referring to Israel, “one shall not speak but with the language of power.”
“As of this moment, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government has begun the necessary defensive, political and legal measures to make the illegitimate Israel regret [its aggression] and will deny the Israelis a moment’s rest,” it said.
“The world now better understands Iran’s insistence on its right to enrichment and nuclear technology and missile power.”
Iran has in the past 200 years never started a war, the statement said, but would not hesitate for a second to defend itself.
“The ending to this story will be written by Iran.”
Pezeshkian said that Iran would make Israel “regret” its deadly attack.
“The Iranian nation and the country’s officials will not remain silent in the face of this crime, and the legitimate and powerful response of the Islamic Republic of Iran will make the enemy regret its foolish act,” Pezeshkian said in a video statement aired on state TV.
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78 killed, 329 injured in Israeli attacks: Iranian media
At least 78 people were killed and 329 others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the Iranian capital Tehran early Friday, local media reported.
“The unofficial death toll from today’s terrorist attack by the Zionist regime in Tehran province is estimated at 329 injured and 78 martyred,” the Iranian semi-official news agency Fars said.
Israel launched a large-scale attack early Friday, deploying around 200 aircraft to target Iran’s nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities. Several senior Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists were killed in the strikes.
Iran has vowed “severe punishment,” and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to hold Israel accountable for its actions.
Killings in Tabriz
Israeli strikes on Friday killed at least 18 people and wounded 12 others in Iran’s northwestern Tabriz city, airports and its surroundings, the provincial governor told Iranian news agency ISNA.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that airstrikes struck the city of Tabriz, reportedly near the airport. State television confirmed that additional explosions were heard minutes later in East Azerbaijan province, where Tabriz is located.
Trump urges Iran to make a deal
US President Donald Trump urged Iran to “make a deal”, warning that there will be more “death and destruction” after Israel launched the deadly strikes.
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left … just do it before it’s too late,” he said.
He said there was still time for the country to prevent further conflict with Israel.
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Speaking to ABC News, Trump added the Israeli attack on Iran was “excellent” and warned there was much more to come.
“I think it’s been excellent. We gave them a chance and they didn’t take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you’re going to get hit. And there’s more to come. A lot more,” Trump was quoted as saying by an ABC reporter on X.
The outlet reported that when asked if the US participated in the attack in any way, Trump responded by saying, “I don’t want to comment on that.”
I just spoke to President Trump and asked him about the Israeli attack on Iran. Here’s what he told me:
“I think it’s been excellent. We gave them a chance and they didn’t take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you’re going to get hit. And there’s…
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) June 13, 2025
Trump told Reuters in a phone interview that it was unclear if Iran still has a nuclear programme following Israeli strikes on the country.
Trump told Reuters the US still has nuclear talks planned with Iran on Sunday, but that he is not sure if they will still take place. He said it was not too late for Iran to make a deal.
“I tried to save Iran humiliation and death,” Trump said.
He said he is not concerned about a regional war breaking out as a result of Israel’s strikes.
Earlier in the day, Trump said that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and that the US was hoping to get back to the negotiating table, in an interview with Fox News after the start of the Israeli air strikes on Iran.
“We will see,” Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin quoted Trump as saying in a post on X.
Trump would convene a meeting of the National Security Council on Friday morning, the White House said. He had said on Thursday that an Israeli strike on Iran “could very well happen” but reiterated his hopes for a peaceful resolution.
The US military is planning for the full range of contingencies in the Middle East, including the possibility that it might have to help evacuate American civilians, a US official told Reuters.
Iran’s armed forces spokesperson said Israel and its chief ally, the US, would pay a “heavy price” for the attack, accusing Washington of providing support for the operation.
While the US tried to distance itself from Israel’s military operation, an Israeli official told public broadcaster Kan that Israel had coordinated with Washington on Iran.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the country was not involved in the strikes and Tel Aviv had acted unilaterally for self-defence.
“We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a statement.
“Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” he added.
Statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its… pic.twitter.com/5FFesh3dkF
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 13, 2025
The State Department issued an advisory saying that all US government employees in Israel and their family members should “shelter in place until further notice”.
Lebanese group Hezbollah condemned Israel’s wave of strikes, warning that they threaten to “ignite the region”.
“This enemy adheres to no logic or laws and knows only the language of killing, fire, and destruction,” Hezbollah said in a statement that condemned the strikes as a “brutal” aggression.
UN nuclear watchdog chief ready to travel to Iran to assess situation
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said he was ready to travel to Iran to assess the situation there after Israel’s strikes hit the sprawling nuclear complex at Natanz.
In a statement to a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, Grossi said the other main enrichment centre in Iran, Fordow, was not hit, and neither was another nuclear facility in Esfahan, citing Iranian authorities.
There are no elevated radiation levels at Natanz, he added.
“I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation. I reiterate that any military action that jeopardises the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond,” Grossi said in his statement.
“I have indicated to the respective authorities my readiness to travel at the earliest to assess the situation and ensure safety, security and non-proliferation in Iran.”
He did not say what the extent of the damage at Natanz was or what parts of the site were hit. The site includes a vast underground uranium enrichment plant and a smaller, above-ground pilot enrichment plant.
Iran is enriching to up to 60 per cent purity, close to the roughly 90pc of weapons-grade, at the pilot plant, but it is producing smaller quantities of that material there than at Fordow, a site dug into a mountain that military experts have said would be difficult for Israel to destroy through bombardment.
“Despite the current military actions and heightened tensions, it is clear that the only sustainable path forward — for Iran, for Israel, the entire region, and the international community — is one grounded in dialogue and diplomacy to ensure peace, stability, and cooperation,” Grossi said.
Earlier on Friday, Grossi said that nuclear facilities “must never be attacked”.
The UN nuclear watchdog said that Iranian authorities told it that no increase in radiation levels was observed at the Natanz uranium enrichment site following Israeli strikes.
“Iranian authorities have informed the IAEA … that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the Natanz site,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a post on X, after earlier confirming that the facility was “among targets” of the strikes.
“Iranian authorities have informed the IAEA that the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has not been targeted and that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the Natanz site.” – DG @rafaelmgrossi https://t.co/3oDMwFZKPq
— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) June 13, 2025
It added that Iran’s only nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr had not been targeted.
An exceptional meeting of the watchdog’s Board of Governors will be held on Monday to discuss Israel’s strikes after at least one country on the board requested one at Friday’s regular, quarterly session of the body, diplomats said.
Any country on the board of the IAEA can call a meeting under its rules.
Iran, which is not on the board, requested a meeting and its call was supported by board members Russia, China and Venezuela, diplomats said. The diplomats gave differing accounts as to which board member was the first to clearly make the request.
The meeting will start at 10am (0800 GMT) on Monday, diplomats at Friday’s closed-door meeting said before any public announcement of the emergency meeting.
There was no sign of any push for a resolution or other action on Monday by the 35-nation board, said the IAEA’s top policymaking body.
However, Iran’s atomic energy organisation confirmed in a statement that its nuclear facility in Natanz had been damaged, but investigations had not shown any radioactive or chemical contamination outside the site.
“The attack has damaged several parts of the facility. Investigations are ongoing to assess the extent of damages,” the statement said.
“Iranian authorities have informed the IAEA that the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has not been targeted and that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the Natanz site.” – DG @rafaelmgrossi https://t.co/3oDMwFZKPq
— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) June 13, 2025
Meanwhile, Israel’s neighbouring country Jordan’s military said it intercepted drones and missiles that had violated the kingdom’s airspace.
“Royal Air Force aircraft and air defence systems intercepted on Friday morning a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace,” a military statement said.
Air raid sirens sounded in the Jordanian capital after Israel’s attack on Iran, while the public security directorate urged people to stay at home.
“Adhere to the guidelines and stay in your homes,” said an announcement on loudspeakers in Amman.
Jordan had earlier said it would not allow its airspace to be violated and vowed not to become a “battleground” in any regional conflict. “Jordan has not and will not allow any violation of its airspace, reaffirming that the Kingdom will not be a battleground for any conflict,” government spokesperson Mohammad Momani told AFP.
The government condemned Israel’s attack, with foreign ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah warning of “the consequences of such escalatory actions”.
Jordan also called the attack “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of a United Nations member state and a clear breach of international law and the UN Charter”.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel’s air defence units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.
“Following the pre-emptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, a missile and UAV (drone) attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate time frame,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said tens of thousands of soldiers had been called up and “prepared across all borders”.
“We are amidst a historic campaign unlike any other. This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat, by an enemy who is intent on destroying us,” he said.
Israeli Minister Gideon Saar was holding a “marathon of calls” with counterparts around the world regarding Israel’s attack on Iran, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned any military escalation in the Middle East, said deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.
“The secretary general asks both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford,” Haq said.
Flight disruptions, airspace closure
Emirates airline said flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran had been cancelled after Israel’s strikes sparking concerns of a wider escalation.
Several flights scheduled for Friday and one Tehran flight on Saturday were listed as cancelled on the airline’s website, with the Dubai International Airport also reporting that “some flights at [DXB] and DWC — Al Maktoum International have been cancelled or delayed due to airspace closures over Iran, Iraq, and Syria” in a statement on X.
The United Arab Emirates capital’s international airport warned of flight disruptions.
“Flight disruptions are expected through today at Zayed International Airport. Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest status of their flights before travelling to the airport,” the Abu Dhabi airport said in a statement on X.
⚠️
Flight disruptions are expected through today at Zayed International Airport. Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest status of their flights before travelling to the airport.— Zayed International Airport (@AUH) June 13, 2025
Qatar Airways said it had temporarily cancelled flights to Iran and Iraq “due to [the] current situation in the region”, the airline said in a statement.
German airline Lufthansa also said it had suspended all flights to and from Tehran.
“Lufthansa Group flights to and from Tehran will be suspended until further notice due to the current situation,” the company said in an emailed statement, adding it would also avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspace for now.
Air France said it was suspending its flights to and From Tel Aviv “until further notice” and was “closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East in real-time,” a spokesman for the French airline told AFP, adding that “the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority.”
Air India diverted or called back 16 flights between India and London and cities in Canada and the United States “due to the emerging situation in Iran”.
The New Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights were about to enter Iranian airspace when Israel launched its attack, forcing the planes to turn back to their origin, according to aircraft tracker Flight Aware.
Iraq also closed its airspace. “The ministry of transport closes Iraqi airspace and suspends air traffic at all Iraqi airports,” the Iraq News Agency reported.
It filed a complaint later with the UN Security Council over Israel’s “violation of Iraqi airspace” in a major attack on Iran, Baghdad’s foreign ministry said.
“These practices constitute a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” the ministry said, calling on “the Security Council to assume its responsibilities” and act to “prevent the recurrence of such violations”.
Nuclear talks
US and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran’s escalating uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday, according to officials from both countries and their Omani mediators.
A US official said those talks were still scheduled to proceed despite the Israeli attack.
The Israeli military said that it was forced to act based on new intelligence information showing that Iran was “approaching the point of no return” in the development of a nuclear weapon.
“In recent months, this programme has accelerated significantly, bringing the regime significantly closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon,” it said in a statement, without disclosing the purported evidence.
A source familiar with US intelligence reports said there had been no recent change in the US intelligence assessment that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei had not authorised the restarting of the nuclear weapons programme that was shuttered in 2003.
