Israel attacked Iran with three waves of air strikes early Saturday, saying it was in response to the recent missile strikes from Tehran. The attack, which Israel described as “precise and targeted”, further escalates the conflict between the two adversaries and risks a wider war in the Middle East.
The attack began shortly after 2am local time as Iranian media reported explosions in Tehran and surrounding areas.
Iran’s air defences reportedly intercepted many of the Israeli drones and missiles over the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam, and Tehran said the attack caused only “limited damage”.
The Israeli military said in a statement that the attack had concluded and its objectives had been achieved.
Iran vowed a “proportional reaction” to the attack, with the local media reporting that it was forthcoming.
The US said Israel’s overnight strikes should end the direct exchange of fire between the two countries and warned Tehran of “consequences” should it respond.
Israel, meanwhile, continued to attack Gaza and Lebanon, with its military killing at least 88 Palestinians and 41 Lebanese on Friday, Al Jazeera reported.
Key Points
Breaking: Israel conducting ‘precise strikes’ against Iran in Tehran
WATCH: Israel announces ‘precise strikes’ against Iran
Photo: Israeli generals command attack on Iran from base in Tel Aviv
Iran describes minimal damage from strikes
Iran should not respond to Israeli attack, says Kier Starmer
07:59 , Namita Singh
Speaking at a press conference in Samoa, the British prime minister said: “I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression and I am equally clear that we need to avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to show restraint.
“Iran should not respond.
“We will continue to work with allies to de-escalate the situation across the region.”
Microsoft dismisses employees over vigil for Palestinians
07:50 , Namita Singh
Microsoft has dismissed two employees who organised an unsanctioned vigil at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, to honour Palestinians killed by the Israeli military in Gaza.
The employees, dismissed via phone call late on Thursday, hours after the vigil was held during lunch, were members of the “No Azure for Apartheid” coalition within Microsoft. The group has actively opposed the company’s provision of cloud computing services to the Israeli government. Both employees argued that the vigil mirrored other employee-led campaigns Microsoft has hosted in support of humanitarian causes.
“We have so many community members within Microsoft who have lost family, lost friends or loved ones,” said Abdo Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist. “But Microsoft really failed to have the space for us where we can come together and share our grief and honour the memories of people who can no longer speak for themselves.”
Asked for comment, Microsoft stated on Friday that it had “ended the employment of some individuals in accordance with internal policy” but declined to give specific details.
One of the dismissed employees, Mohamed, an Egyptian national, said he now faces the challenge of securing a new role within two months to retain his work visa and prevent deportation. His colleague, Hossam Nasr, explained that the vigil was aimed both to “honour the victims of the Palestinian genocide in Gaza and to call attention to Microsoft’s complicity in the genocide” due to the use of its technology by the Israeli military.
Iran to resume flights after Israel strikes, semi-official news agency says
07:30 , Namita Singh
Iran will resume flights as normal from 9am, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported this morning, following a brief suspension after Israel struck military targets in the country.
Malaysia denounces Israeli strikes on Iran as ‘violation of international law’
07:24 , Namita Singh
Malaysia has condemned Israel’s recent air strikes on Iranian sites, calling them a “clear violation of international law” that further destabilises an already tense region.
In a strongly worded statement, Malaysia’s foreign ministry urged an “immediate cessation of hostilities” and appealed for an end to what it described as a “cycle of violence”.
The ministry warned that Israel’s ongoing attacks against Middle Eastern countries risk edging the region closer to an expanded conflict. “Israel’s actions seriously undermine regional security,” the statement read, expressing concern over the potential for escalation.
Iraq announces resumption of flights at all airports, state news agency says
07:10 , Namita Singh
Iraq announced the reopening of its airspace and the resumption of flights, reported state news agency INA citing the ministry of transportation, following a brief suspension which it had attributed to regional tensions.
Saudi Arabia condemns military targeting of Iran as ‘violation of its sovereignty’, state news agency says
06:42 , Namita Singh
Saudi Arabia condemned the military targeting of Iran as a “violation of its sovereignty” and international laws, urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint and calling on the international community to take action towards de-escalation and ending conflicts in the region.
Blinken urges ceasefire talks as tensions rise in the Middle East
06:25 , Namita Singh
US secretary of state Antony Blinken met with Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati and other regional leaders in London on Friday, pushing for renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking on Friday, Mr Blinken highlighted the “sense of real urgency” to achieve a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reported the Washington Post.
He urged for “the full implementation” of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the framework established in 2006 to end major hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The discussions with Lebanon also focused on concerns over civilian casualties and the US’s continued support for Lebanon’s armed forces and United Nations peacekeepers, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
The talks come ahead of scheduled US-Israeli negotiations in Qatar, where Mossad director David Barnea is expected to join CIA director William J Burns and Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Sunday to discuss potential ceasefire conditions.
The upcoming diplomatic push follows the recent death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, whom US officials had identified as a key obstacle in ceasefire talks.
Israeli military kills three journalists in southern Lebanon
05:25 , Namita Singh
An Israeli air strike killed at least three journalists in southern Lebanon, striking their accommodation near Hasbaiyya, an area removed from active fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. The attack occurred at around 4am local time on Friday and killed two cameramen and a technician as they slept, with no prior warning given, according to eyewitness accounts.
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from southern Lebanon, described the attack as “a very serious incident”, noting that Hasbaiyya was under no evacuation orders and remained “relatively calm” until the strike. The slain journalists were identified as Ghassan Najjar, a cameraman, and Mohamed Reda, an engineer with Al Mayadeen, a pan-Arab news channel. Al-Manar TV, affiliated with Hezbollah, confirmed the third victim as its own camera operator, Wissam Qassim.
Eyewitnesses said the bungalow housing the journalists was directly hit.
Lebanon’s information minister, Ziad Makary, condemned the killing of the journalists as “a war crime”, asserting that it amounted to “an assassination, after monitoring and tracking, with premeditation and planning”.
According to Makary, 18 journalists from seven media organisations were present in the area at the time of the attack.
Israel military issues a statement after attack on Iran
05:23 , Namita Singh
Israel military said the planes returned safely after striking military targets in Iran, adding that the retaliatory strike has been completed and objectives achieved.
The sites targetted by IDF included missile manufacturing facilities used by Iran in its attack on Israel over the past year, said Israel.
Israeli airstrike attacks Syrian military targets, Sana says
05:04 , Namita Singh
Israel targeted some military sites in Syria’s central and southern parts with airstrikes early on Saturday, Syrian state news agency Sana reported. Israel has not confirmed striking Syria.
US warns Iran against responding to Israeli attack
05:04 , Namita Singh
The White House indicated that Israel’s strikes on Iran should end direct exchange of fire between the two enemy countries, while warning Tehran of “consequences” should it respond.
A senior White House official said the administration believed the Israeli operation should “close out” the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran, and said other allies were in agreement.
United States president Joe Biden was updated throughout the day on Friday as the operation was developing and by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, as the operation was carried out by the Israelis, the official said.
The official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said the Israeli operation “was extensive, it was targeted, it was precise”. The official underscored that the U.S. had no involvement in the strike.
US was notified by Israel in advance, official says
04:52 , Namita Singh
Israel said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, defence minister Yoav Gallant and other security officials were closely following the operation at the military’s command and control centre in Tel Aviv.
Mr Gallant spoke to US defence secretary Lloyd Austin shortly after Israel’s response began, a US defence official said.
The United States was notified by Israel ahead of its strikes on targets in Iran but was not involved in the operation, another US official told Reuters.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken, in the Middle East for another attempt to broker a peace deal, said on Wednesday Israel’s retaliation should not lead to greater escalation.
Even as it sought to convince Israel to calibrate its strikes, the United States moved to reassure its closest ally in the Middle East that it would aid in its defence should Tehran decide to stage a counter-attack.
This included Biden’s decision to move the US military’s Thaad anti-missile defences to Israel, along with about 100 US soldiers to operate them.
Iran plays down strikes
04:45 , Namita Singh
Iranian state TV quoted a military spokesperson as saying the explosions heard in Tehran were linked “to air defense systems reacting to efforts by the Zionist regime to attack three locations outside the city of Tehran”.
Footage carried by Iranian media showed air defences continuously firing at apparently incoming projectiles in central Tehran, without saying which sites were coming under attack.
The semi-official Iranian Fars news agency said several military bases in the west and southwest of Tehran had been targeted.
Iran cancels flights amid Israel attack
04:43 , Namita Singh
A spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation said flights on all routes were cancelled until further notice, state news agency IRNA reported.
Neighbouring Iraq also suspended flights in all of its airports until further notice, its state news agency said.
Iran says Israeli attacks thwarted, caused ‘limited damage’
04:31 , Namita Singh
Iran said its air defence system successfully countered Israel’s attacks but that “limited damage” was caused to some locations.
In a statement, the Iranian air defence said Israel attacked military targets in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam.
Operation against Iran over, says Israeli public broadcaster
04:19 , Namita Singh
Israeli public broadcaster said on Saturday the operation against Iran was over after three waves of strikes.
Israel announced launching airstrikes against Iran on Saturday, weeks after the Islamic Republic’s massive ballistic missile barrage, with the military saying the “precise strikes” targeted Iranian military sites.
‘Further escalation in no one’s interest,’ says Downing Street
04:14 , Namita Singh
The government has issued a statement after Israel launched a series of strikes against Iran.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “We are monitoring this situation closely.
“We support Israel’s right to self-defence and to protect itself in line with international humanitarian law. Further escalation is in no one’s interest.”
Video of Israel’s attack on Iran
03:15 , Graeme Massie
Israeli attacks expected to last one night: report
02:55 , Graeme Massie
According to ABC News, sources insist that the Israeli attacks are expected to last just one night.
PM Netanyahu at IDF HQ overseeing Iran attacks
02:28 , Graeme Massie
Photo: Israeli generals command attack on Iran from base in Tel Aviv
02:03 , Josh Marcus
Iran describes minimal damage from strikes
01:57 , Josh Marcus
Iranian state media is describing a negligible impact from Israel’s strikes on the country so far.
The IRNA news agency cited a security source claiming lound sounds heard in Tehran were caused by “defence activity in Tehran, and the air defense was successful during this incident,” according to Al Jazeera.
The agency added in a separate Telegram post that there were no reports of incidents requiring assistance and major airports were running as “normal.”
Explosions heard in Damascus: state TV
01:45 , Josh Marcus
As Israel acknowledged striking Iran overnight, explosions were also reportedly heard in Damascus, Syria, according to state TV reports cited by Reuters.
Israel has carried out strikes on the Iranian ally elsewhere in the post-October 7 conflict, including an attack widely attributed to the IDF on an Iranian consulate building in Syria in April, and a strike Thursday near Damascus.
WATCH: Israel announces ‘precise strikes’ against Iran
01:30 , Josh Marcus
Israel announced a new step in its campaign against Iran.
Here’s IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari describing the recent strikes.
In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel—right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran.
The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking… pic.twitter.com/OcHUy7nQvN
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 25, 2024
Breaking: Israel conducting ‘precise strikes’ against Iran in Tehran
01:29 , Josh Marcus
Israel has launched a series of “precise strikes” against Iran, according to the Israeli military.
“[L]ike every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond”, due to “the regime in Iran and its proxies in the region… relentlessly attacking Israel,” since 7 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces told the BBC.
Explosions were heard were heard early Saturday local time west of the Iranian capital of Tehran, according to local media.
At least five explosions were heard, according to Israeli newspaper Haartez.
More details in our full story.
Israel conducting ‘precise strikes’ against Iran in Tehran
Israel’s multi-front war continues
01:28 , Josh Marcus
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Israel’s multi-front war.
The IDF struck Iran early Saturday local time, with local media reporting multiple explosions around the capital of Tehran.
We’ll be following the latest news live.
