• Exchange of fire, rockets continues through the night
• 34 injured in Israel after Iran lobs ‘hundreds of missiles’ at Israel
• Around 80 dead, over 300 hurt after Israel launches attacks against Iranian nuclear installations, military targets
• Military leadership dealt crippling blow as several top commanders, scientists assassinated
• US says it had no part in attacks, warns Tehran against attacking its assets
• Trump claims foreknowledge of attacks, says ‘still not too late to make a deal’

JERUSALEM / TEHRAN: Israeli aggression against Iran triggered a round of intense conflict in the Middle East, with Tehran launching a series of retaliatory attacks after Tel Aviv dealt it a severe blow with widespread strikes targeting nuclear installations and military targets on Friday.

An early morning Israeli barrage targeted an underground nuclear site at Natanz and wiped out several top echelon Iranian military commanders, prompting Tehran to vow that it would “open the gates of hell” in retaliation.

As evening fell on Friday, Iranian media reported further explosions on the northern and southern outskirts of Tehran and at Fordow, near the holy city of Qom, a second nuclear site which had been spared in the first wave of attacks.

Later at night, Iranian media said that hundreds of ballistic missiles were launched towards Israel, marking the start of Tehran’s response, dubbed operation ‘True Promise 3’.

Explosions were heard across Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded, following what Israel’s military called the firing of missiles from Iran.

BBC News reported huge explosions in the sky over central Israel, with the IDF saying that the explosions “originate from interceptions or impacts”.

Iranian state media said at least two Israeli fighter jets have been shot down over Iran, although Israel denied this.

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.

Although Israeli authorities claimed that most of the around 100 missiles fired at it had been intercepted or fallen short, footage from central Tel Aviv showed fire and smoke rising from a condo tower, a large hole ripped open by an explosion at its base. Rescuers said that at least 34 people were injured.

“Firefighting crews are handling several major incidents, mainly in the Dan region” around Tel Aviv, a statement said, adding that “firefighters are working in a high-rise building to rescue trapped individuals and extinguish a fire, as well as responding to two additional destruction sites.”

Attacks on Iran

After Israel targeted military and nuclear sites across Iran, the Islamic Republic sent a fleet of drones, followed by two salvoes of missiles.

Then, in the early hours of Saturday, Iranian media once against reported explosions around Tehran, with an AFP correspondent saying that red blazes were visible in the sky.

Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel had “unleashed its wicked and bloody” hand, and would suffer “a bitter fate”.

Two regional sources said at least 20 Iranian military commanders were killed in Friday’s attacks, a stunning decapitation reminiscent of Israeli attacks that swiftly wiped out the leadership of Lebanon’s once-feared Hezbollah militia last year. Iran also said six of its top nuclear scientists had been killed.

Iranian media showed images of destroyed apartment blocks, and said nearly 80 civilians were killed in attacks that targeted nuclear scientists in their beds and wounded more than 300 people.

The IRGC vowed that Israel would pay a heavy price for its attack, warning of a decisive retaliation against its “sworn enemies”.

“The Israeli attack was carried out with full knowledge and support of the wicked rulers in the White House and terrorist US Regime,” the statement said.

US distances itself

Though Washington claimed it had no part in the Israeli attack, Trump suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting a US ultimatum in talks to restrict its nuclear programme.

Talks on this subject were scheduled to be held between the US and Iran in Oman on Sunday.

“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 on Friday in an interview with ABC News.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday called Israel’s strikes against Iran a “unilateral action” and said Washington was not involved, while also urging Tehran not to target US interests or personnel in the region.

“Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” he said, adding that their top priority was protecting American forces in the region.

However, a US official told AFP that Washington was helping Israel defend against Iranian missile attacks.

The US State Department also issued security alerts for several Middle Eastern countries, in some cases advising against travel and warning of possible missile attacks after Israel launched military strikes against Iran.

A day earlier, Washington had directed all US government employees and their family members in Israel to shelter in place until further notice.

However, President Trump, who had implored Israel not to attack Iran the previous day, claimed on Friday that his team “knew everything” about the attack in advance.

“We knew everything, and I tried to save Iran humiliation and death. I tried to save them very hard because I would have loved to have seen a deal worked out,” Trump said.

“They can still work out a deal, however, it’s not too late,” he added. Trump also said it was unclear if Iran still has a nuclear programme following Israeli strikes on the country. “Nobody knows. It was a very devastating hit,” Trump said.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2025