Update: President Trump announced on Saturday morning that the US is engaging in “major military action against Iran” after Israel reported that it had launched a “first strike” against Iran. follow the latest live stream here.
Israel launched what it described as a “first strike” in Iran On Saturday morning, Israeli officials said as explosions were seen and heard throughout Tehran.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that it had launched the strike because it expected “a deluge of missiles and aircraft” from Iran “in the near future.”
The extent and location of the attack was not yet clear. Iranian media reported strikes across the country. It is reported that there is a strike near the offices of the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is not clear whether Khamenei, 86, was in his office at the time.
Roads leading to Khamenei’s compound in the city of Tehran were closed by authorities as more explosions erupted in the capital. He has not been seen in public in days as tensions with the US escalate.
AFP via Getty Images
The US military declined to immediately comment on the attack. It comes as the US has deployed dozens of warplanes and warships to the region trying to pressure Iran in the agreement on its nuclear program.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced that he has declared a state of emergency throughout Israel.
“You must obey the instructions of the Home Front Command and the authorities and stay in secure areas,” the statement read.
Bells rang throughout Israel at the same time as Katz’s announcement. The Israeli military said it had issued a warning “to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being fired into Israeli territory.”
The American embassy in Qatar announced on social media that it has used the accommodation for all employees.
“We recommend that all Americans do the same until further notice,” the ambassador wrote.
Iraq’s Ministry of Transport said on Saturday that the country’s airport was closed. The ministry’s spokesman Mitham al-Safi told the state-run Iraqi News Agency about the closure, saying “the closure was preceded by the withdrawal of all aircraft from Iraqi airspace.”
President Trump is seeking a deal to stop Iran’s nuclear program, and he sees an opportunity as the country struggles at home with rising tensions following protests across the country. Iran had hoped to stop the war, but it maintains that it has the right to enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, such as its long-range missile program or support for armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
On Friday, the Trump administration officially appointed Iran as a state sponsor of arbitrary detention.
