Israel strikes Iran with explosions booming across Tehran amid rising nuclear tensions

In a response, Iran immediately announced it would establish a third uranium enrichment facility and upgrade its centrifuges. For years now, Israel has warned that it will allow Iran to build a weapon– something Tehran denies pursuing, though Iranian officials have stated they have the capability if needed.

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the Fordo enrichment facility in Iran. (AP Photo)

An Israeli military official confirmed to the news agency AP that Israel targeted Iranian nuclear sites, without identifying them. Defence Minister Israel Katz also acknowledged the attack and warned of imminent missile and drone retaliation from Iran.

“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.

Smoke rises from a damaged building in Tehran, Iran, early Friday. (AP Photo)

‘Not involved’ in Israel’s strikes, says US

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel had taken “unilateral action against Iran,” and that Israel advised the US that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defence. In anticipation of potential fallout, the US had already withdrawn some diplomatic staff from Baghdad and offered voluntary evacuation to military families across the Middle East. Rubio also issued a warning to Iran that it should not target US interests or personnel.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said that some of the US troops were being moved out of the Middle East as he called it “a dangerous place” and added that America would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.  The US is also partially evacuating its embassy in Iraq’s capital Baghdad and have asked all its non-essential US embassy staff and their dependents to leave the Middle East location over heightened regional security risks, US and Iraqi sources confirmed the development to news agency Reuters reported.

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