Israel attacked the capital of Iran early on Friday, as explosions flourished throughout Tehran, and Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites.
The attack comes at a time when tensions have reached new horizons on the nuclear program, which is rapidly advancing in Tehran. The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday supervised Iran for not working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced that it would establish a third site for enrichment in the country and exchange some centrifuges for more.
For years, Israel has warned that it would not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, which Tehran insists that it does not want – although officials there have been warned again and again. The United States is preparing for something to happen, withdrawing some diplomats from the capital of Iraq and providing voluntary evacuation to the families of the American forces in the broader Middle East.
People in Tehran woke up to the sound of the explosion. Government television admitted the explosion.
It was not immediately clear what was hit, although smoke might rise from Chitagar, which is alive in western Tehran. There are no known nuclear sites in this field – but it was not immediately clear whether anything happens in the rest of the country.
An Israeli military official says that his country targeted Iranian nuclear sites, without specifying them.
The official spoke to the journalists, provided that his identity is not disclosed to discuss the ongoing operation, which also targets military sites.
No immediate comment from the White House
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that his country had carried out the attack, without saying what it targeted.
“In the wake of Israel’s preventive attacks against Iran, missile attacks and drones are immediately expected against Israel and its civilian residents,” he said in a statement.
The statement added that Katz “signed a special matter to announce the state of emergency on the internal front.”
“It is necessary to listen to instructions from the leadership of the internal front and the authorities to stay in protected areas,” she said.
The White House had no immediate comment on Thursday night.
As the explosions began in Tehran, US President Donald Trump in the White House garden was mixing with members of the US Congress. It was not clear whether he was informed, but the president continued to shake hands and take pictures for several minutes.
More in the future
https://i.cbc.ca/1.7560180.1749776126!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_1180/smoke-rising-in-iranian-capital-of-tehran-after-israeli-attack.jpg?im=Resize%3D620
Source link