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Iran launched retaliatory airstrikes on Israel late Friday, with explosions heard in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, following what is believed to be Israel’s largest-ever military strike against its longtime regional rival.
Air raid sirens blared across Israel as authorities urged the public to seek shelter. Missiles were seen streaking across Tel Aviv’s skyline, and the Israeli military said Iran had launched two salvos of missiles.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles, most of which were intercepted or fell short of their targets. Two U.S. officials confirmed that American forces assisted in intercepting some of the incoming missiles.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported that at least two people were critically injured, eight sustained moderate injuries, and 34 others suffered minor wounds, mostly from shrapnel.
Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, reported that Tehran had launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israeli attacks earlier in the day, including a strike on the Natanz nuclear complex that reportedly killed top Iranian military commanders.
Meanwhile, explosions were heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early on Saturday as Iran launched fresh missile attacks on Israel.
Three people were reported dead—one in Tel Aviv following an attack on Friday night, and two more in central Israel on Saturday morning.
In Iran, explosions were reported at an airport in Tehran that houses an air force base, as well as in the eastern neighbourhoods of Hakimiyeh and Tehranpars.
In report by The Guardian, Iran’s envoy to the UN Security Council, Amir Saeid Iravani, said 78 people, including senior officials, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Friday.
He added that more than 320 others were injured, most of them civilians.
Iravani accused the United States of being complicit in the attacks and accused Israel of trying “to kill diplomacy, sabotage negotiations, and drag the region into a wider conflict.”
Read more: Iran launches missile attack on Israel amid rising tensions
The role of the United States in the Israeli attack remained unclear, with President Donald Trump giving conflicting accounts regarding his prior knowledge and approval.
In the days leading up to the Israeli operation—reportedly involving 200 warplanes—Trump had publicly urged Israel to give diplomacy a chance, ahead of US-Iran talks planned for Sunday.
However, on Friday, he claimed he had been fully briefed on Israel’s intentions and described the strikes as “excellent.”
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