Raphael Kanu
Iran called Israel’s wave of strikes on Friday a “declaration of war”, after the Israeli military hit about 100 targets including nuclear facilities and killed senior figures, among them the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a “bitter and painful” fate over the attacks, while the Iranian military said there were “no limits” to its response.
In a letter to the United Nations, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Israel’s attack as a “declaration of war” and “called on the Security Council to immediately address this issue”, the ministry said.
The Israeli military said Iran launched around 100 drones, with air defences intercepting them outside Israeli territory, while neighbouring Jordan said it intercepted drones and missiles that violated its airspace.
US President Donald Trump told Fox News he had prior knowledge of the Israeli strikes, which Israel said involved 200 fighter jets. Trump also stressed that Tehran “cannot have a nuclear bomb”.
The United States underlined that it was not involved in the Israeli action and warned Iran not to attack its personnel or interests, but Tehran said Washington would be “responsible for consequences”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck at the “heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme”, taking aim at nuclear scientists and the main underground enrichment facility in Natanz.
men and children, were killed. Tasnim news agency said six nuclear scientists were among the dead.
Tehran’s streets were deserted except for queues at petrol stations, a familiar sight in times of crisis.
Air traffic was halted at Tehran’s main gateway, Imam Khomeini International Airport, while Iraq and Jordan also closed their airspace and suspended flights.
Gulf airlines cancelled flights to and from Iran, as well as Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Israel declared a state of emergency and closed its airspace, and hours later, the Jordanian military said its aircraft and air defence systems intercepted “a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace”.
There are “no limits in responding to this crime”, Iran’s armed forces said, accusing Israel of crossing “all red lines”.
Oil prices surged while stocks sank on the Israeli strikes, which came after Trump’s warning of a “massive conflict” in the region.
Trump had also said the United States was drawing down staff in the Middle East, after Iran had threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict broke out.
