The Israeli prime minister has already spoken to Freidrich Merz, the German chancellor, Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, and President Macron of France, his office said.

“The leaders showed understanding toward Israel’s need to defend itself against the Iranian annihilation threat,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

The United Nations security council is to hold an emergency meeting on Friday on the Israeli strikes in Iran, at Tehran’s request.

Iran has halted all domestic and international flights, according to the state-affiliated Fars news agency, citing the civil aviation authority.

Israeli airstrikes continued on Friday across Iran, including in Tabriz, Kermanshah, Hamedan, Qasr-e Shirin and Kangavar, as reported by state media.

According to the Israel Defence Forces, Israeli jets have already destroyed dozens of missile launchers, storage facilities and additional military sites, including a concealed launch system hidden inside shipping containers in western Iran.

By Richard Spencer

President Trump has said it is time for his counterpart in Tehran to make a deal. He is absolutely correct that Iran has been on the horns of a dilemma since Israel’s last attack on its territory, in October last year, took out most of its air defences.

The destruction of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the decapitation of its leadership, has also removed Iran’s capability to retaliate vicariously from the north — a key part of its strategy in building up the group over four decades.

The dilemma was that once Iran’s military threat had been exposed as essentially a sham, the choices faced by its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were all extremely unpalatable. Those choices, as Trump pointed out, have only got starker overnight.

• Read in full: Iran’s supreme leader has little left to lose after Israel attacks

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, will speak to President Trump later today, according to an Israeli official.

Netanyahu is also expected to hold a situational assessment with his senior aides and military commanders on Friday, the official said.

An Israeli security official has claimed the leaders of Iran’s aerospace force were tricked into gathering for a meeting where they could all be targeted by an air strike on their command centre.

“We carried out specific activities to help us learn more about them, and then used that information to influence their behaviour,” the unnamed official told Fox News. “We knew this would lead them to meet — but more importantly, we knew how to keep them there.”

The official added that the strikes were more successful than Israel had anticipated.

The IRGC has confirmed that Amir Ali Hajizadeh — whom Israel blames for past ballistic missile and drone attacks — and several of his officers were killed.

This is a “big moment” for Iran to decide how to respond, Nicholas Hopton, the former UK ambassador to Iran, has told Times Radio.

“They can either escalate or they might choose to make a symbolic response. We’re hearing reports that perhaps they have already launched a hundred drones or so in retaliation … that might amount to a symbolic response if it’s no more than that.”

Although the Revolutionary Guards had been weakened with the assassination of some of its top commanders, he noted that “Iran’s IRGC and military generally have strength in depth … The supreme leader will be drawing on advice from a range of voices within the regime.”

Hopton, who also served as ambassador to Libya, Qatar and Yemen, added: “What Israel does seem to have achieved through this action is distancing itself further from those Arab countries with which it was trying to build a more normal relationship.”

An estimated 78 people were killed and 329 injured in Tehran province alone during Israel’s strikes early today, according to an Iranian news agency.

The semi-official agency Fars reported the figures as “the unofficial death toll from today’s terrorist attack by the Israeli regime”.

President Macron of France has said he has spoken to world leaders today including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, the King of Jordan, Sir Keir Starmer and President Trump.

“Peace and security for all in the region must remain our guiding principle,” he said in a statement on X.

Israeli diplomatic missions around the world have been closed and citizens abroad have been advised to take security precautions and notify the foreign ministry of their whereabouts.

All Israelis overseas are asked to fill in an online form, similar to that provided by the ministry after the October 7, 2023 attacks. The information enables the return of reservists to Israel and the organisation of rescue flights, if necessary.

“Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided,” the foreign ministry said.

Iran’s powerful paramilitary force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has confirmed that its aerospace chief was killed along with fellow officers in an Israeli airstrike on their command centre.

“Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps aerospace force Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh … along with a group of brave and dedicated fighters of this force, were martyred,” the IRGC said in a statement.

The Israel Defence Forces said Hajizadeh had been responsible for ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israel.

Israeli media reported that that Esmail Qaani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force — the network of Iranian proxy forces across the Middle East — had also been killed in the Israeli strikes.

General Hossein Salami, the overall head of the IRGC, was also among those killed overnight.

The Israeli air force is continuing to strike Iran, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, a military spokesman, said. “The operation is only beginning,” he said, and Israel was “preparing for a response from Iran”.

He said: “At this hour, the IDF is continuing the attack plan, [to achieve] the goals of the operation, alongside strong defence of Israel.”

Israel had intercepted most of the drones launched from Iran in response to air strikes on military and nuclear sites, he said.

There are also reports of a large explosion near an airbase close to the city of Hamedan, in northwestern Iran.

Trump described the Israeli attacks on Iran as “excellent” and said there was “a lot more” to come.

ABC News said a correspondent had spoken to the president by phone on Friday morning. Trump had said: “I think it’s been excellent. We gave them a chance and they didn’t take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you’re going to get hit. And there’s more to come. A lot more.”

Asked if the US had participated in the attack in any way, Trump said: “I don’t want to comment on that.”

President Trump said he had given Iran a 60-day ultimatum to make a deal with the US over its nuclear programme.

“They should have done it! Today is day 61,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!”

Britain and Greece have advised their merchant shipping fleets to avoid the Gulf of Aden and to log all voyages through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Ministry of Transport advised all UK-flagged vessels, which include those registered to Gibraltar and Bermuda, to avoid sailing through the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Vessels that do venture into those areas should adhere to their highest level of security measures and limit the number of crew on deck.

The Greek Ministry of Shipping has urged ship owners to log details of vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz with the maritime ministry.

By Haroon Janjua

Witnesses to the latest Israeli strikes on a military airport in Tabriz have described explosions, shaking buildings and panicking people screaming in fear.

Samer, 27, said: “I saw and heard huge missile strikes. There were loud explosions, fire erupting and plumes of smoke rising. Four to five missiles were launched, and it panicked the people.

“I saw people screaming in the streets of Tabriz as buildings shook, creating a sense of chaos in the city. I fear further attacks. I am concerned about the serious escalation, and we are afraid for our lives, our children and our safety.”

Mohammad Mehdi, 31, of Saadat Abad in northern Tehran, another area targeted in last night’s strikes, said: “I woke up with the whole house shaking. I was very scared, not knowing what had happened.”

Another resident said: “We have no reliable information, and there are rumours that this could occur every night. Should we remain at home? The uncertainty is overwhelming.”

Many were shocked that Israel targeted civilian areas and buildings. “I never thought that would happen,” said one Tehran resident. “If these military leaders can’t guarantee their own safety, how can they protect us from Israeli attacks?” another said.

The Community Security Trust, a Jewish organisation in Britain, has warned that synagogues could be targeted after the strikes on Iran.

It said it “strongly requests that our community be vigilant and follows the strict security measures that are in place at communal buildings, events and areas”. It added: “This is not based upon specific intelligence, but Iran has long used terrorism against Jews and Israelis around the world.”

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “We express our deep solidarity with the Israeli people at this time, and pray for their safety and security.

“We affirm Israel’s right to defend itself against threats in the region, and call on the UK government to maintain its active support for Israel’s defence against the murderous Iranian regime.”

Israel said it was fully ready to strike any Iranian ally that may attempt to retaliate for the airstrikes.

“If any other country in the region will enable any Shia Iranian proxy to carry out attacks from their countries against Israel, Israel is fully ready to retaliate immediately and in a very aggressive way,” a senior security source told The Times.

Reports have suggested that Iran is attempting to mobilise its proxies in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq against Israel.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group supported by Iran, has condemned the attack. But ad official said on Friday that it would not independently launch a retaliatory attack.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has replaced two senior military commanders killed in a wave of Israeli airstrikes early on Friday.

According to state television, General Abdolrahim Mousavi is the new head of the armed forces, replacing General Mohammad Bagheri. Mousavi was previously the top army commander.

Mohammad Pakpour is the new chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, replacing Hossein Salami.

The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, created after the 1979 revolution, is one of the main power centers within Iran’s theocracy.

Russia has issued an angry critique of Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, calling them “atrocities” and a violation of the UN Charter and international law.

The Russian foreign ministry said it was “especially cynical” that the strikes took place as the US and Iran prepared for the latest round of indirect talks in Oman.

“Unprovoked military strikes on a sovereign state and UN member, its citizens, peaceful, sleeping cities and sites of nuclear energy infrastructure are categorically unacceptable,” the ministry said.

“The international community cannot allow itself to be indifferent to such atrocities, which destroy peace and harm regional and international security.”

Russia also blamed western governments, saying they had “whipped up anti-Iran hysteria” and should take responsibility for the consequences.

Jack Barnett, Economics Correspondent

The escalation between Israel and Iran will be felt via two main channels: oil prices and foreign exchange rates.

If it leads to disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, a main artery of the global oil trade between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, there is a serious risk that supply will be tightly constrained.

Already, in the immediate aftermath of the Israeli attacks on Iran, oil prices have risen sharply and were on track for their largest gain since 2020. The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the global benchmark, leapt by nearly 6 per cent to more than $75.

The rise in oil prices will magnify anxieties that the American economy is hurtling towards another period of stubborn inflation if President Trump’s tariffs eventually end up being punitive after the 90-day reprieve ends in July.

• Read in full: Israel’s strike on Iran pours fuel on economic tinderbox

It had long been assumed that Iran’s two main nuclear enrichment facilities were hidden so deeply into the country’s mountains that it would prove challenging for the Israeli military to destroy them.

That has not stopped Israel trying. The wave of strikes on Friday morning aimed to destroy Iran’s capacity to manufacture a bomb. But experts questioned whether the attacks would do anything more than temporarily set back the nuclear programme.

Israel’s attack on Iran was, therefore, a massive gamble. Either it has degraded Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities sufficiently enough to halt further production, or the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has emboldened Tehran to accelerate its race to build a nuclear bomb.

• Read in full: Does Iran have nuclear weapons? Why Israel is attacking now

The Israeli military says it is still intercepting incoming drones launched from Iran.

“The Israeli air force continues to operate to intercept unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran toward the state of Israel”, the IDF said.

Earlier it said Iran had launched about 100 drones and none had reached Israel so far.

Iranian state media have reported a fresh Israeli attack on the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.

The underground complex, north of the city of Isfahan, was targeted and damaged by Israeli bombs overnight.

Iran admitted that “several parts of the facility” had been damaged in the first wave of strikes but there was no indication of a radiation leak.

The Fars news agency reported a daylight strike in Tabriz, apparently near the northwestern city’s airport. A video online showed a large plume of smoke.

Other explosions were reported at an alleged missile site in Kermanshah, a western city, and in Shiraz.

President Trump has warned Iran it “must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire”.

He posted on his Truth Social platform at 5.55am local time: “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it’, but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done.

“I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the world, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come — and they know how to use it.

“Certain Iranian hardliners spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.

“No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!”

Israel has claimed it damaged the uranium enrichment centrifuges at Iran’s vast underground Natanz facility as part of the wave of strikes earlier this morning.

“The underground area of the site was damaged. This area contains a multistorey enrichment hall with centrifuges, electrical rooms and additional supporting infrastructure,” the Israel Defence Forces said in a statement.

“In addition, critical infrastructure enabling the site’s continuous operation and the Iranian regime’s ongoing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons were targeted.”

Earlier Iran admitted that “several parts of the facility” had been damaged but there was no indication of a radiation leak.

Videos have been posted online allegedly showing Mossad agents and drones inside Iran.

One grainy clip filmed at night appears to show at least two figures wearing masks and night-vision goggles on the ground.

Videos of apparent drone strikes on targets including a large missile on a launcher and individual vehicles were also shared by an unofficial Mossad account and war monitoring sites.

The codename for Israel’s attack against Iran, Operation Rising Lion, appears to refer to a Bible verse that promises a victorious future for a powerful Israel.

In Numbers 23 it says: “Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.”

This verse is part of the first oracle of Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet and diviner, in which he foretells the strength and power of Israel, comparing it to a lion that will not rest until it has satisfied its hunger.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called Israel’s strikes “satanic”.

• Read in full: Why is Israel attacking Iran? Operation Rising Lion explained

Most of the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air force was eliminated in a targeted strike on Friday, Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, has said, attributing the information to a military assessment.

The top brass of the IRGC’s air command had convened at an underground command centre, according to a statement issued by Katz’s office.

Israel is prepared for a confrontation with Iran to continue over several days, depending in part on how Tehran responded, an Israeli military official has said.

The official, speaking to a group of foreign reporters on condition of anonymity, said the air force had launched simultaneous strikes on multiple targets, including Iranian ballistic missiles.

“We have already achieved a lot,” he said.

All Israeli pilots involved in Friday’s strike on Iran have returned safely home, the official said.

A senior Russian politician has made clear the country’s support for Iran and warned that after Israel’s strikes “a full-scale war in the region is absolutely possible”.

“That is without doubt,” Konstantin Kosachev, vice-speaker of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, said. “We can and must hope for another demonstration of restraint from Iran. One must always hope for the best, but naturally there are limits to [Iran’s] patience.”

Kosachev said halting further escalation was “only possible in the case of a monolithic unity of consensus of the international community in rejecting what Israel is doing and in affirming that Iran has a right to a nuclear programme for civilian purposes.”

He added: “Alas, there is no — and will be no — such consolidated unity.”

Dmitry Peskov, President Putin’s spokesman, told reporters: “Russia is worried and condemns the sharp escalation in tension.”

On Wednesday Russia offered to remove highly enriched uranium from Iran and convert it into civilian reactor fuel as a potential way to narrow differences between Washington and Tehran.

Iranian state media channels have broadcast footage of last night’s strikes, apparently showing heavily damaged buildings.

One location hit was identified as a State Welfare Organisation office in Qasr-e Shirin in western Iran, on the border with Iraq.

One employee was killed there and several others injured, the Tasnim news agency claimed. It released a video of a building reduced to rubble but it was not immediately possible to verify the claim.

Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, said the decision to strike nuclear and military targets in Iran came “at the last possible minute, after all other avenues had been exhausted”.

Speaking to German and Italian counterparts on Friday, Saar said, according to his office: “The whole world saw and understood that the Iranians were not ready to stop and we had to stop them. The latest IAEA report illustrated the serious Iranian violations. We know that challenging days lie ahead, but we have no other choice.”

Long queues have been seen at Iranian grocery shops and petrol stations on Friday morning, as the population braced for uncertainty and the risk of war.

Ahmed, 46, a father of three who lives in Tehran, described the night as terrifying and fearful. “The windows were shaken with the explosions, then I woke up and heard more continuous explosions that have not stopped and our children were terrified and they were still reeling from the explosions as the dawn broke.”

The Iranian government has not provided a complete count of casualties, only stating that several civilians, including children, had been killed, and dozens more injured.

Israel’s military has claimed it destroyed Iranian ballistic missiles “aimed at the state of Israel,” in a post on X accompanied by aerial footage of explosions.

The Ayatollah has promised “harsh punishment” in revenge for Israel’s overnight airstrikes.

Despite being severely weakened over the past couple of years by sanctions and becoming increasingly isolated, Iran has thousands of medium-range missiles that can reach US bases scattered across the Middle East.

A conflict with Iran would be “messy”, the US has warned, and would risk plunging the entire region into war.

• Read in full: How might Iran retaliate against Israel? Five potential scenarios

Israel’s civilian protection command has lifted warnings to stay close to bomb shelters, saying the drones launched by Iran had been intercepted outside of Israeli territory.

More than 100 drones were detected, and were expected to take hours to fly the 1,500 km between the two countries.

The Israeli military said they had all been shot down outside Israeli territory. Jordanian and Israeli media reported interceptions above Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, has said that Israel’s strikes against Iran were “deeply concerning”.

“I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment,” Rafael Grossi said. “Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security.”

The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have previously accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has repeatedly denied.

On Wednesday the IAEA passed a resolution accusing Iran of non-compliance with its obligations, which the country’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, rejected as “extremist”.

Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz was damaged in an Israeli attack on Friday, the country’s atomic energy organisation said in a statement. It added that investigations have not shown any radioactive or chemical contamination outside the site.

“The attack has damaged several parts of the facility. Investigations are ongoing to assess the extent of damages,” the statement said.

The uranium enrichment complex is buried 100 metres underground.

Turkey has condemned Israel’s airstrikes as a “provocation that serves Israel’s strategic policy of destabilisation in the region”.

“Israel must put an immediate end to its aggressive actions that could lead to further conflicts,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

In May, Istanbul played host to nuclear negotiations between Iran and European powers.

“The fact that the strikes come at a time of intensified negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme shows that the Netanyahu government is unwilling to resolve any issue through diplomatic means and is not averse to putting regional stability and global peace at risk for its own interests,” the foreign ministry said.

“We call on the international community to take urgent action to prevent the spread of war.”

Israel said it had struck an “extensive blow” against Iran’s air defences in the west of the country, including attacks on dozens of radars and anti-aircraft missile launchers.

Releasing footage of at least one target being hit, apparently a mobile missile launcher, the Israel Defence Forces said the strikes “improve the freedom of action in the air” for Israeli jets.

Iranians awoke to flames and confusion after the Israeli strike overnight, witnesses have said.

Mina Rahem, a resident of Tehran, saw missile strikes around 3am local time in the densely populated Sharara district.

Rahem told The Times: “Two missiles struck within seconds, and there was fire and smoke everywhere. People came out in the streets and roads in the darkness, unsure of what had happened. Our government should respond and launch attacks on Israel for violating our sovereignty.”

A resident of the western Chazabeh region, which borders Iraq, said: “Dozens of drones were flying in the sky, heading towards Iraq and Israel. Jets are also hovering above, and it feels like a full-scale war is imminent.”

Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, “built a base for explosive-laden drones” that were smuggled into Iran and activated during the overnight airstrikes, according to an Israeli security source quoted by Haaretz newspaper.

The report said the drones were launched toward surface-to-surface missile launchers at a base near Tehran.

At the same time Mossad commando units were operating in central Iran, deploying precision-guided weapons systems in open areas near surface-to-air missile batteries.

“These systems were activated as the Israeli air assault began,” the source said.

Airlines and airports in the Middle East have cancelled and diverted flights on Friday in response to the strikes and expected retaliation.

Emirates said flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran had been cancelled. Several flights scheduled for Friday and one Tehran flight on Saturday were listed as cancelled on the airline’s website.

Dubai airport and the nearby Al Maktoum airport said some flights had been cancelled or delayed because of airspace closures over Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

Jordan and Iraq have closed their airspace to flights.

The UK was not involved in the Israeli airstrikes on Iran last night, Sarah Jones, the industry minister, told Times Radio this morning.

However, she did not rule out British involvement in the defence of Israel if Iran fired ballistic missiles, as happened in October.

Jones said it was a “dangerous moment” and urged both sides to show restraint. The minister refused to say the UK would consider stopping selling arms to Israel, and did not rule out recognising a Palestinian state.

Air raid sirens have sounded over Jordan’s capital, Amman, after Iran launched a wave of drones towards Israel.

Jordan said that it had intercepted a number of drones and missiles that entered its airspace on Friday morning.

Two of Iran’s most prominent nuclear sites were affected by the first wave of Israeli airstrikes, the UN nuclear watchdog has said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that the Iranian authorities confirmed to them that the Isfahan nuclear power plant in central Iran was “not targeted” in the overnight attacks.

And the Fordow uranium enrichment facility in northern Iran “not been impacted,” the IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said.

Earlier the IAEA said there were no increased levels of radiation detected in the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while another major site, the Bushehr power plant, had not been targeted.

About 100 Shahed-136 kamikaze drones were deployed from Iran and are expected to enter Israeli skies shortly. This is likely to be an attempt to try to overwhelm Israel’s air defence systems so Iran can follow up with missile strikes on key installations.

In previous operations Britain and France, as well as the US, have come to Israel’s defence. However, British defence sources said they were not providing support to Israel this morning.

Another senior Iranian military commander was among those assassinated in the overnight strikes, Israel’s military said.

Major General Gholam Ali Rashid headed the emergency command and was deputy head of the army. The deaths of Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff, and Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guards, were confirmed earlier.

All of them appeared to have been killed in strikes on their homes. Missiles damaged several apartment blocks in the capital.

Iranian media also showed footage of a strike against the home of a nuclear scientist, one of several targeted by Israel overnight.

Ali Shamkhani, a personal aide to the Aytotollah who helped to oversee nuclear policy, was also targeted. There were conflicting reports about whether he was killed in the strike on his home, or survived with severe injuries.

David Lammy, the British foreign secretary, has urged against further escalation, saying stability in the Middle East is “vital for global security”.

“Further escalation is a serious threat to peace and stability in the region and in no one’s interest,” he said in a post on X.

“This is a dangerous moment and I urge all parties to show restraint.”

Defrin, the IDF spokesman, said the second part of the threat involved Iran building thousands of ballistic missiles “with plans to double and triple them”.

“The third component: the Iranian regime continues to arm, fund and direct its proxies across the Middle East against the State of Israel,” he added. “Our operation’s goal is to eliminate the threat.”

In another statement the IDF said it had gathered materials showing the “Iranian regime had a concrete plan to destroy the state of Israel”, which was named “The Destruction of Israel Plan”.

“The state of Israel was left with no choice. The IDF is obligated to act in order to defend the citizens of the State of Israel and will continue to do so,” it said.

In a separate briefing to journalists, the Israeli army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said Israeli jets had also “attacked and damaged” Iranian air defence systems.

Defrin said Israel saw a three-pronged threat from Iran. First, Iran was “rushing towards a nuclear bomb”, he said.

“We are now revealing for the first time, based on intelligence, that the Iranian regime has established a secret programme.

“As part of this programme, senior nuclear scientists in Iran secretly conducted experiments to advance all the necessary components for building a nuclear weapon. This is unequivocal proof that the Iranian regime is working to acquire nuclear weapons in the near future.”

Israel’s military said on Friday that the strikes came as Iran was approaching the “point of no return” in its capability to produce a nuclear weapon.

“In recent months, accumulated intelligence information has provided evidence that the Iranian regime is approaching the point of no return,” it said in a statement.

“The convergence of the Iranian regime’s efforts to produce thousands of kilogrammes of enriched uranium, alongside decentralised and fortified enrichment compounds in underground facilities, enables the Iranian regime to enrich uranium to military-grade levels, enabling the regime to obtain a nuclear weapon within a short period of time.”

By Larisa Brown

This appears to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq. A long time in the planning, some 200 Israeli aircraft, including F-16s and F-35s, were involved in the strikes, and hit about 100 targets in the first few hours, according to the Israeli army chief spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin. Dozens of military sites were struck, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran.

Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, was among those assassinated in the Israeli strikes, according to reports. The operation would have required timely intelligence on the movements of key figures on the ground and months if not years of painstaking analysis of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Oil prices jumped more than 7 per cent, hitting their highest level in months, after Israel’s strike on Iran raised concerns about disruption to supplies.

Brent crude rose more than $5, or 8 per cent, to above $75 a barrel by 6.30am, the highest since April 2 and the most dramatic move in more than three years as analysts warned the strikes could herald the start of a prolonged conflict.

The gold price was up 1 per cent to $3,422 as investors sought refuge in the safe haven asset.

Tony Sycamore, an analyst for IG based in Sydney, said: “While details are sparse regarding the targets, risk asset markets are not in the mood to wait and find out.”

• Read in full: Oil price surges above $75 as Iran attack stokes tension

Friday’s attack by Israel comes as the Trump administration was trying to negotiate a new deal to keep Iran’s nuclear programme peaceful.

The US president’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was due to lead negotiations with Tehran on Sunday, but that meeting now looks unlikely.

Trump had said he wished to avoid a conflict but had predicted that Israel could strike Iran and had evacuated US troops and diplomats from Iraq due to the risk of retaliation.

Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK urged “all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently” after Israeli strikes on Iran,.

He added that “now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy”.

Footage of Iranian attack drones apparently heading towards Israel has started emerging online. This footage apparently shows a drone flying over Iraq.

After Israelis were woken to an unusual alert that overrode silent modes on their phones at 3am, the country started Friday morning to a total shutdown.

On what is usually a bustling weekend day, cafes and beaches were closed and the planned Gay Pride parade cancelled. Pharmacies, supermarkets and essential services remained open, but offices and businesses were shut.

With Ben Gurion shut, many passengers were left stranded at Israel’s main airport, with a special train service running to evacuate them but no other trains in operation, and buses limited to hospital routes and essential destinations.

Israel’s military said Iran has sent over 100 drones toward the country as its defence capabilities attempt to intercept them.

The drones can take nine hours to make the 1,500 km journey from Iran to Israel.

The move may be a precursor to a ballistic strike in an attempt to overwhelm Israel’s aerial defence system. Israel’s main airport remains closed and neighbouring Jordan has also temporarily shut its airspace ahead of the counterstrike.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran’s first commercial nuclear facility was not targeted in Israel’s strikes on Tehran.

“Iranian authorities have informed the IAEA that the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has not been targeted and that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the Natanz site”, Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

Saudi Arabia denounced Israel’s strikes on Iran as a “flagrant violation of international law”.

The kingdom, which hosts joint US bases and is the world’s top oil exporter, had lobbied President Trump against a war with Iran, fearing it could engulf the region in conflict.

Binyamin Netanyahu warned the Israeli public that they may have to spend prolonged periods in bomb shelters before an anticipated retaliatory strike by Iran.

Netanyahu, speaking in a video released by his office, also said that Israeli strikes had hit senior Iranian commanders but did not identify them.

The US and UK pulled out three aircraft from the Udeid military base in Qatar hours after the Israeli strikes on Iran.

Two American and a British reconnaissance RC-135 were seen departing and heading west on flight trackers.

Udeid is the largest US base in the region and could come under Iranian attack. Iran had threatened to bomb US bases if its nuclear sites were attacked.

President Trump said he had been aware that Israel would launch strikes on Iran and had informed another Middle East ally of the imminent attack.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump denied that the US played a role and said he hoped the strikes would further the negotiations with Iran.

“Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back,” he said.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said his country’s initial strikes on Iran were “very successful” in a post on X.

“We are off to a very successful start, and with God’s help, we are going to achieve many great achievements,” he said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Israel will pay a heavy price for its attack which killed the Guards’ top commander, Hossein Salami, warning of a decisive retaliation against its “sworn enemies”.

“The Israeli attack was carried out with full knowledge and support of the wicked rulers in the White House and terrorist US regime,” the Guards’ statement said.

A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has been wounded in Israel’s strikes on Tehran, the nation’s state media has reported.

The Iranian news agency Nour News reported that Ali Shamkhani, senior adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a former secretary of the national security council, was seriously injured.

Iran has confirmed the death of Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of its armed forces.

Israel said it had no choice but to attack Iran, adding that it gathered intelligence that Tehran was approaching “the point of no return” in its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

“The Iranian regime has been working for decades to obtain a nuclear weapon. The world has attempted every possible diplomatic path to stop it, but the regime has refused to stop,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

The military did not disclose the purported evidence that it had recently accumulated.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said Israel will receive “harsh punishment” for its attacks that killed several military commanders.

“The Zionist regime [Israel] unleashed its wicked and bloody hand in a crime against Iran this morning and revealed its vile nature. With this attack, the Zionist regime has prepared a bitter fate for itself, which it will definitely receive,” Khamenei said in a statement.

Iranian state television reported a fresh wave of explosions in Tehran on Friday morning.

“New explosions were heard in Tehran; aerial defence responding,” the broadcaster said. The explosions were also heard by AFP correspondents in the city.

Residents in Tehran reported another round of explosions in the past few minutes, according to the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear whether the explosions were air defence systems going off or another wave of Israeli attacks.

Israel’s attack on Iran was a “a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence”, Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, said in a statement.

“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,” the Rhode Island senator said.

Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, said the Israeli strikes were “clearly intended to scuttle the Trump administration’s negotiations with Tehran.”

The attacks were “further evidence of how little respect world powers — including our own allies — have for President Trump,” Murphy wrote on X.

The Republican leadership in Congress have voiced their full support for the Israeli strikes on Iran.

“Israel IS right — and has a right — to defend itself,” Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, wrote in a post on X alongside a picture of an Israeli flag.

John Thune, the Senate majority leader, said in a statement that “Iran must never gain access to a nuclear weapon”.

“The US Senate stands ready to work with President Trump and with our allies in Israel to restore peace in the region and, first and foremost, to defend the American people from Iranian aggression, especially our troops and civilians serving overseas,” Thune said.

An Iranian official has threatened a “decisive” response to the Israeli attack, according to a report from the IRNA state-run news agency.

Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was confirmed to have been killed in the Israeli strikes, according to Iranian state media.

Salami was at the IRGC headquarters in Tehran when the building was attacked.

Iranian state media also reported that the strikes had killed Gholam Ali Rashid, a senior official in the IRGC; Fereydoon Abbasi, a nuclear scientist and former atomic energy chief; and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a nuclear scientist.

The US state department has has directed all government employees and their families in Israel to shelter until further notice.

The embassy stressed the need for “caution and increased personal security awareness”, in the event that Iran retaliates with missile fire or drone attacks.

“The security environment is complex and can change quickly,” the state department said in a statement.

President Trump will convene the US National Security Council in the White House situation room at 11am ET (4pm UK time) on Friday to discuss the Israeli attack on Iran, the White House has said.

A senior Israeli security official confirmed to The Times that it appeared Israel had been “successful” in eliminating many senior Iranian figures.

The official said Iran was “not sincere” in their negotiations as the Americans are expected to head to the fifth round of direct talks aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme.

“Had they been sincere Israel wouldn’t have acted. They were buying time to continue their enrichment and other offensive capabilities,” they said.

The source said Israel had adopted a wider regional strategy since October 7, which stops threats before they develop, adding that the country was “not targeting the Iranian people” but the regime.

“The Iranian people are happy tonight, they deserve leaders that can give them respectful living, not spend their money on leading the global axis of evil while they are starving and with no electricity.”

The security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran had a way out from continued bombardment through “sincere” negotiations with the US.

“Their choice now is to either enter an agreement or continue being hit.”

Israel’s chief of staff said the country had “no other choice” but to hit Iran in an “historic campaign”.

“We have begun this operation because the time has come, we are at the point of no return,” Eyal Zamir said in a video address.

“We are amid a historic campaign unlike any other. This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat, by an enemy who is intent on destroying us.

“The Iranian regime will attempt to attack us in response, the expected toll will be different to what we are used to. The IDF is prepared to defend the Israeli home front and I ask you to be responsible, for yourselves, for your family and your communities and listen to the instructions.

“We have been preparing this operation for a long time — unprecedented efforts have been made across all branches and directorates to achieve readiness against the tangible and present threat.”

Iranian state television said that General Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is feared dead after the Israeli attack.

It added that one other top IRGC official, as well as two nuclear scientists, were also believed to have been killed.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was created after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and is one of the main power centres within the Islamic theocracy.

The roads in Tel Aviv fell silent in the early hours of Friday and the sound of military planes filled the sky.

As the news of the strikes on Iran quickly spread, Israelis turned on their televisions to watch the operation unfold and hear the latest information. Avid WhatsApp users, many Israelis woke to message each other and ask what they were doing in the coming hours as uncertainty spread whether or not to head immediately to shelters.

Shops, cafés and beaches will not open and there will be very little movement as the country anticipates Iran’s response.

An Israeli defence official told Axios that Israel had targeted the entire Iranian military general staff, the main co-ordinating body across all branches of its armed forces, and senior nuclear scientists.

“There is increasing likelihood that they were all eliminated,” the official said.

Netanyahu said that the hardest decision any leader had to make was to thwart a danger before it is fully materialised.

“Nearly a century ago, facing the Nazis, a generation of leaders failed to act in time. They were paralysed by the horrors of the First World War. They were determined to avoid war at all costs, and they got the worst war ever.

“They adopted a policy of appeasement, and they closed their eyes and ears to all the warning signs. That failure to act resulted in the Second World War, the deadliest war in history.

“After that war, the Jewish people and the Jewish state vowed ‘never again’. Well, never again is now,” he said.

“Today Israel has shown that we have learnt the lessons of history, believe them. When enemies build weapons of mass death, stop them.”

Israeli officials estimate that Iran’s army chief and top nuclear scientists were killed in the strikes.

Binyamin Netanyahu thanked President Trump for his “leadership in confronting Iran”, and said the strikes would make the world a safer place.

“Remember, Iran calls Israel the small Satan. It calls America the great Satan. And this is why for decades it’s led millions in the chants of death to Israel and death to America.

“That is why today Israel is responding to those genocidal calls with action, and with a call of our own. Long live Israel and long live America. Our action will help make the world a much safer place.

“I want to thank President Trump for his leadership in confronting Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. He has made clear time and again that Iran cannot have a nuclear enrichment programme.

“Today, it is clear that Iran is just buying for time. It refuses to agree to this basic requirement of peaceful nations. That is why we had no choice but to act, and act now.”

Israelis woke up to air raid sirens at 3am local time, with a special alert on their phones telling them to stay close to shelters. Many Israelis went into public underground shelters, unsure if a retaliatory attack was imminent, while others stayed in safe rooms.

In a message to civilians, Rafi Milo, the commander of the home front, said that during the campaign, Israel “anticipates widespread alerts”.

Civilians have been instructed to avoid unnecessary movement outside and refrain from driving on the roads.

“There are challenging and complicated days ahead of us,” Milo said.

Penny Wong, the Australian foreign minister, said her country was “alarmed by the escalation between Israel and Iran”.

“This risks further destabilising a region that is already volatile,” she said, calling on “all parties” to refrain from exacerbating tensions.

Netanyahu said Israel would not allow the “world’s most dangerous regime to get the world’s most dangerous weapons”.

“Iran plans to give those weapons, nuclear weapons, to its terrorist proxies. That would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism all too real,” he said.

He added that the increasing range of Iran’s ballistic missile programme “would bring that nuclear nightmare to the cities of Europe, and eventually to America”.

Netanyahu said he had a message for the “brave people of Iran”.

“Our fight is not with you. Our fight is with the brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years.

“I believe that the day of your liberation is near, and when that happens, the great friendship between our two ancient peoples will flourish once again.”

Netanyahu said that Iran had tried to encircle Israel in a “ring of fire” after the October 7 attacks.

“But the people of Israel, the soldiers of Israel rose like lions to defend our country,” he said. “We crushed Hamas, we devastated Hezbollah, we hit Iranian proxies in Syria and Yemen and when Iran directly attacked us twice last year, we struck back inside Iran itself.

“And in defending ourselves, we also defend others, we defend our Arab neighbours. They too have suffered from Iran’s campaign of chaos and carnage.

“Our actions against Iran’s proxies Hezbollah led to the establishment of a new government in Lebanon, and the collapse of Assad’s murderous regime in Syria.”

Binyamin Netanyahu said that Israel had struck Iran’s nuclear scientists, its ballistic missile programme and “the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme”.

“Eighty years ago the Jewish people were the victims of a Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi regime. Today the Jewish state refuses to be a victim of a nuclear Holocaust perpetrated by the Iranian regime,” he said.

“Now as prime minister, I’ve made it clear time and again Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation to develop the means to achieve that goal. Tonight Israel backs those words with action.”

Netanyahu continued: “For decades the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly, openly called for Israel’s destruction. They’ve backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a programme to develop nuclear weapons. In recent years, Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs.

“If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time, it could be a year, it could be a few months. This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”

As talks attempting to secure a nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran drag on, Israel is said to be preparing a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. A conflict with Iran would be “messy”, the US has warned, and would risk plunging the entire region into war.

Despite being severely weakened over the past couple of years by sanctions and becoming increasingly isolated, Iran still has the capacity to destabilise both the region and the global economy. So how might Iran respond?

• Read in full: How might Iran retaliate? Scenarios after Israel attacks Tehran

In a seven-minute address to the nation, Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said that Israel had launched a targeted military operation called Operation Rising Lion to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival”.

“This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”

Oil futures jumped more than 5 per cent on Thursday evening.

Brent crude oil, the global benchmark, rose by $3.87, or 5.6 per cent, to $73.23 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate jumped $3.94, or 5.8 per cent, to $72.04 per barrel.

Futures tied to the three major US stock market indices, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, all fell by more than 1 per cent.

President Trump was on the White House lawn mingling with members of Congress as the explosions started in Tehran. It was unclear if he had received advanced warning of the attacks but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes.

Trump said earlier on Thursday that he had urged Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to hold off from taking military action while negotiations were ongoing with Iran.

“As long as I think there is a [chance for an] agreement, I don’t want them going in because I think it would blow it,” Trump told reporters.

Israel closed its airspace, with all flights cancelled until further notice. Flights en route to Israel were turned back.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said in a statement: “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-defence. President Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”

Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina and foreign policy hawk, wrote on X: “Game on. Pray for Israel.”

US officials told CNN that they had not received advance warning of the raid, and no American aircraft were involved.

A few hours ago, President Trump posted on Truth Social that the US remained committed to a diplomatic resolution.

“My entire administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a great country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he wrote.

An Israeli military official said the operation against Iran was a “preemptive precise confined defensive to strike Iran’s nuclear programme and other military targets”, including dozens of strikes on their missile programme.

“Sirens were sounded to prepare the Israeli public for missile fire, waking up the people at 3am to explain what is happening and give them a chance to prepare,” the official explained in a special press briefing.

“It might be a long night, the threat as imminent as immediately,” he warned.

Today, “Iran is closer than ever to obtain a nuclear weapon which poses an existential threat to Israel.”

The official added that Israeli intelligence showed that Iran was advancing a secret programme to develop a nuclear weapon, enriching uranium for a bomb.

“The regime has enough fusion material for 15 nuclear bombs within days,” the official said, adding that Iran had thousands of ballistic missiles with a vast range and attempts by the Islamic Republic to rearm its proxies against Israel.

“We have reached the point of no return, we have no choice but to act,” he said.

Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, declared a special state of emergency in the home front throughout the entire country.

“A missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz wrote in a statement.

Reports in Iran said its missile defence system was activated.

Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, placed a note in the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday with a verse apparently predicting the strikes on Iran that came hours later.

“A people that rises up as a lioness, and as a lion lifts himself up,” the note said. The overnight attack by Israel’s air force has been codenamed Operation Rising Lion.