TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: Israel launched a daylight strike on Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Saturday, with thick smoke seen rising from the city’s downtown area, including near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to witnesses and local reports.
The United States is participating in the operation, a U.S. official and a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press (AP), speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military activity.
The full extent of American involvement was not immediately clear, AP said.
It was also unclear whether the 86-year-old Khamenei was present at the time of the apparent strike. He has not been seen publicly in recent days as tensions between Tehran and Washington intensified.
Israeli strikes were targeting “regime and military sites including ballistic missiles,” Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported, citing an Israeli official. A ticker on the Kan 11 television channel read: “Regime targets and military sites are being attacked — including ballistic missiles.”
The attack comes as Washington has deployed a significant number of fighter jets and warships to the region in recent weeks, part of efforts to increase pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme.
Explosions were reported in multiple Iranian cities on Saturday following the initial blasts in Tehran, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. Detonations were heard in the central city of Isfahan, the holy city of Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah in western Iran, the agency said.
Several US media outlets, citing American officials, reported that Washington had begun strikes on Iran in a joint operation with Israel, which earlier confirmed carrying out attacks and closing its airspace.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
US embassies in Qatar and Bahrain instructed staff to seek shelter and advised American citizens to do the same after the strikes began. In separate statements, the embassies said they were “implementing a shelter-in-place for all personnel” and recommended that US citizens “find a secure location within your residence or another safe building until further notice.”
The developments mark a dramatic escalation in the long-running confrontation between Israel and Iran, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Earlier, Israel’s military said it launched a series of preventive strikes against targets inside Iran, marking a sharp escalation in long-running tensions between the two regional powers and triggering air-raid sirens across parts of the Middle East.
Explosions were reported in Tehran and other Iranian cities as Iran’s air defence systems were activated, according to local witnesses and media reports. Israel’s defence minister declared a state of emergency as the strikes unfolded.
Video and social media uploads verified by independent sources showed smoke rising over parts of Tehran following the attacks, and Iran’s capital appeared to be under heavy aerial activity.
The situation has drawn heightened international attention. The United States has begun evacuating non-emergency embassy staff from Israel amid fears of further escalation, including Iranian retaliation, US officials said.
Details on the precise targets struck by Israeli forces and the extent of damage or casualties in Iran remain unclear, and there has been no immediate official confirmation from Iranian authorities.
The developments follow months of mounting tensions over Tehran’s nuclear programme and military posture in the region, setting the stage for one of the most serious confrontations in years.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
