Explosions ring out across Iran’s capital as Israel claims it is attacking the country

Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, in strikes that targeted the country's nuclear program and raised the potential for a larger war between the two bitter adversaries.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday Israel will face "severe punishment," as state-run IRNA news agency confirmed top military officials and scientists had been killed in the attack.

An Israeli military official said that the Israeli Air Force targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, without identifying them. The official spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation.

Air-raid sirens preventatively rang out in Israel.

The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more advanced ones.

Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn't want - though officials there have repeatedly warned it could.

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Here’s the latest:

Iran's supreme leader threatens 'severe punishment'

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday that Israel will face "severe punishment" over its attack on the country.

Khamenei issued a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. It also confirmed that top military officials and scientists had been killed in the attack.

Israel "opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to commit a crime against our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers," Khamenei said.

Strikes come days before Iran, US were to hold talks in Oman

Israel's strikes come days before a sixth round of talks were planned between Iran and the US over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program this Sunday in Oman.

U.S. President Donald Trump's new administration has been seeking a deal that would halt Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

It wasn't immediately clear how the strikes would affect plans for the talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel acted unilaterally in striking Iran, but Friday morning, Iranian state television aired footage of people chanting "Death to Israel" and "Death to America."

Strikes pushed Israeli Air Force to its limits

The strike on Iran pushed the Israeli military to its limits, using its aging air-to-air refuelers to get its fighter jets close enough to attack.

It wasn't immediately clear if Israeli jets entered Iranian airspace or just fired so-called "standoff missiles" over another country. Israel has previously attacked Iran from over the border in Iraq.

People in Iraq heard fighter jets overhead at the time of the attack.

People in Iran's capital again hear explosions across the city

People in Iran's capital, Tehran, heard another round of explosions Friday morning after an initial Israeli attack.

It wasn't immediately clear if it was air defense systems going off or another attack.

Iranian state TV confirms head of paramilitary Revolutionary Guard killed

Iranian state television has confirmed the head of country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, was killed in an Israeli strike.

An anchor read a statement saying: "The news of assassination and martyrdom of Gen. Hossein Salami was confirmed."

The anchor did not elaborate.

The Guard is a major power center within Iran's theocracy, with vast business interests and oversees the nation's ballistic missile arsenal.

Israel’s UN ambassador urges world body to stand by Israel

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, says Israel launched Operation "Rising Lion" against Iran's nuclear and missile infrastructure with the aim of eliminating an existential and immediate threat to the citizens of Israel and the entire world.

The Iranian regime is blatantly violating international agreements, advancing towards nuclear weapons, and operating a regional terror network, he said.

Speaking to the UN Secretary-General and members of the Security Council, Danon said: "This is a moment to make moral decisions. Stand by Israel – or you will be partners in a dangerous silence."

Benchmark Brent crude prices spike over 8%

Benchmark Brent crude oil prices have spiked by more than 8% over the Israel’s strikes on Iran, which have targeted the country's nuclear program and raised the potential for an all-war war.

Iran will offer 'decisive' response to Israel’s attack

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency is quoting an anonymous official saying Iran will offer a "decisive" response to Israel's attack.

The report did not elaborate. However, Iranian state television put a black band over the corner of its broadcast, suggesting the attack had been significant enough to spark public mourning.

Black smoke seen over Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility

Black smoke rose Friday over Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz though it wasn't clear how bad the damage was.

Iranian state television briefly showed the live picture with a reporter.

Natanz is partially above ground, partially below ground, with multiple halls of centrifuges spinning uranium gas for its nuclear program.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said Israel targeted the site in Friday's attack. Natanz previously has been targeted by the Stuxnet cyberattack and multiple sabotage campaigns likely carried out by Israel.

Netanyahu, other officials decided Monday operation would start today

An Israeli security official says that Netanyahu and other top officials decided on Monday that the operation would start today. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.

By Josef Federman

Australia and New Zealand condemn strikes

Australia and New Zealand's governments condemned the Israeli strikes on Friday.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was "alarmed by the escalation" between Israel and Iran, which she said risked further destabilizing an already volatile region.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the strikes were "a huge concern" for his government and "potentially catastrophic" for the Middle East. "The risk of miscalculation is high," he said.

The two countries were among five that enacted travel and financial sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers Wednesday, accusing them of "inciting extremist violence" against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Iranian state TV says head of Revolutionary Guard is feared dead

Iranian state television says the head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, is feared dead after an Israeli attack.

It added that one other top Guard official, as well as two nuclear scientists, were also feared dead. The report offered few other details.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard, created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution, is one of the main power centers within the country's theocracy. It also controls Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, which it has used to attack Israel twice during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Headquarters of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is ablaze

An Israeli attack on Iran has set the headquarters of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard ablaze, state television reported Friday.

A reporter on air said he was unable to get closer due to the intensity of the fire in Iran's capital, Tehran.

Multiple sites in the capital had been hit in the attack, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said targeted both sites of and officials leading Iran's nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal.

Netanyahu says Israel struck nuclear and missile sites

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel targeted Iran's main enrichment facility in Natanz and the country's ballistic missile program, as well as top nuclear scientists and officials.

He said Iran was working on a new plan to destroy Israel after its old plan, its circle of proxies, failed. He called it an intolerable threat that must be stopped.

US Sen. Reed calls Israel's strike 'a reckless escalation'

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the Israeli strike "a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence."

"These strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces," he said. Reed added: "I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control."

Dozens of commercial flights over Iran as attack begins

Dozens of commercial airliners were in Iranian airspace as the strikes took place, according to flight tracking websites.

More than an hour after the Israeli attack, some were still making their way out of Iranian airspace, but some abruptly altered course to more quickly exit the area.

Many nations’ jets already did not overfly Iran because of regional tensions.

Scope of attack remains unclear

The extent of Israel’s strikes remained unclear early Friday.

Explosions could be heard across Tehran, Iran's capital city. There were some images circulating of damaged residential buildings.

Iranian state television also was being careful in how they described the assault, suggesting that some areas outside of Tehran that had also been hit.

Netanyahu says strikes respond to threat to Israel's survival

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address on YouTube that the country launched "a targeted military operation roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival."

He added that the attacks will continue "for as many days at it takes to remove this threat."

Israel closes its airspace

Israel closed its airspace in anticipation of Iranian retaliation.

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that attacks were expected.

"In the wake of the state of Israel's preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately," he said in a statement.

The statement added that Katz "signed a special order declaring an emergency situation in the home front."

"It is essential to listen to instructions from the home front command and authorities to stay in protected areas," it said

Rubio says Israel took ‘unilateral action’

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took "unilateral action against Iran" and that Israel advised the U.S. that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defense, while warning Iran not to target U.S. forces in retaliation.

In a statement, he said: "Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel."

Israeli official says Air Force is targeting nuclear and military sites

An Israeli military official says that his country targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, without identifying them.

The official spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation.

The Israeli official said Iran poses three threats to state of Israel: First, he alleged that the Iranian government is advancing a "secret program" to develop nuclear weapons. The U.S. intelligence community assesses that Iran is not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Second, the Israeli official said, Iran has thousands of ballistic missiles. Finally, he said Iran has been distributing weapons and arms to proxy groups across the region like Hezbollah and Hamas.

- Josef Federman

Trump on White House lawn as explosions begin

As the explosions in Tehran started, President Donald Trump was on the lawn of the White House mingling with members of Congress. It was unclear if he had been informed but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes.

Earlier in the day, Trump said an Israeli attack over Iran's nuclear program was not imminent "but it looks like it's something that could very well happen."

The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, pulling some diplomats from Iraq's capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.

The White House did not have an immediate comment Thursday night.