Israel on Saturday launched a “preemptive strike” on Iran, with defence minister Israel Katz declaring a nationwide state of emergency.“The State of Israel has launched a preemptive strike against Iran. Defence minister Israel Katz has declared a special and immediate state of emergency throughout the country,” a ministry statement said.An explosion was reported near the offices of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, as per reports.It was not immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was present at the time. Khamenei has not appeared publicly in recent days amid rising tensions with the United States.Thick smoke was seen rising from downtown Tehran, and witnesses reported hearing a powerful blast. Iranian state television acknowledged the explosion but did not provide further details.
Sirens in Israel; airspace shut in Iran
As the strike unfolded, sirens sounded across Israel and citizens received phone alerts warning of an “extremely serious” threat.The Israeli military said the move was a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel.”Iran shut down its airspace following the attack, issuing warnings to pilots as explosions echoed across the capital.The United States is participating in the Israeli strikes on Iran, the Associated Press reported citing sources.Earlier, US deployed a large fleet of fighter jets and warships to the region, increasing pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme.On Friday, the US State Department authorised non-emergency personnel and their families to leave Israel, citing unspecified “safety risks,” CBS News reported.The advisory update followed continued negotiations between Washington and Tehran over a potential nuclear deal. A third round of talks was held in Geneva on Thursday.
Trump ‘not happy’ with Iran
US President Donald Trump has previously warned that Iran could face military action if it does not agree to rein in its nuclear ambitions.Speaking at an event in Texas on Friday, Trump said he was “not happy” with the progress of negotiations and stressed that Iran must commit to not developing nuclear weapons.“Now we have a big decision to make. You know that. Not easy. We have a very big decision to make. We have a country that has, for 47 years, been blowing people’s legs off, arms off, the face. They’ve been knocking out ships, killing people lots of people. Well, not only Americans, lots of people. It’s been terrible. 32,000 people killed over the last two, three months protesters,” Trump said.“32,000. That’s a number of people. They want to make a deal, but you’ve got to make a deal that’s meaningful. I spoke with Ted Cruz, John, all of them on the way here. I said you’ve got to make a deal that’s meaningful. We hit them real hard, as you know, with those beautiful B-2 bombers recently, knocked out their nuclear capability. But I’d rather do it the peaceful way. But they’re very difficult people. I want to tell you that. They’re very dangerous people, very difficult people,” he added.
