What we know about Israel’s attacks on nuclear sites and Iranian military leaders

Israel says it has launched a new wave of air strikes on Iran, after it hit nuclear and military sites overnight.

On Friday evening, the Israeli Air Force said it continued to “attack missile launchers and infrastructure” in Iran.

There are reports of explosions throughout the country. The BBC has been achieved at least in at least one period of the capital, Tehran. Iran has not yet attached.

Israel said that its attack was overnight, targeting the “heart” of the Iranian nuclear program.

Those strikes Hussein Salami killedThe head of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Branch, in addition to many higher military figures and nuclear scientists.

Iran said that civilians, including children, were among those who were killed.

BBC is unable to independently verify these reports.

The Israeli army said that Iran fired about 100 drones towards Israel on Friday morning, which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it was objecting.

The state of emergency was declared in Israel.

On Friday evening, the Israeli army told residents all over the country to remain “near protected areas.” She said that the movement should be reduced in public areas, and general gatherings are avoided.

The United States said it had not participated in the strikes, but President Donald Trump said he was already aware of Israel’s plans.

The explosions were reported in the capital of Iran, Tehran, at about 03:30 local time (01:00 amput) on Friday.

Iranian state television said that the residential areas of Tehran had an explosion, and explosions, northeast of the capital.

In Israel, the residents woke up to the alarm siren at almost the same time and received emergency alerts.

The Israeli army said it struck “dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different regions of Iran.”

Hours after the initial strikes, an explosion was reported in the Natanz nuclear facility, which is located about 225 km (140 miles) south of the capital, according to Iranian government media.

The Israeli Defense Army later confirmed that it had hit the site and said that its attack had caused severe damage.

The International Nuclear Control Authority, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it is aware of the Iranian authorities that there was no increase in radiation levels in the Natanz factory.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grosso, said that nuclear facilities “should never be attacked” and that these strikes have “serious effects on nuclear safety, security and security, as well as regional and international peace and security.”

In a statement to the members of the Board of Directors, he called “all parties to exercise the maximum restrictions to avoid more escalation,” saying, “Any military action that presents the safety and security of nuclear facilities risk severe consequences for the people of Iran, the region and beyond.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the strikes – called the RISing Lion – were “A targeted military operation For the Iranian threat to the survival of Israel’s survival. “

He said that the operation “will continue for several days as it is required to remove the spread.”

Netanyahu said that Iran has taken steps to “weapons” in recent months and that, “if it does not stop, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time.”

An Israeli Military BBC told Iran that Iran has enough nuclear materials to create nuclear bombs “within days.”

Iran denied that it had a nuclear weapons program.

The strikes come at a time when the United States talks about the Iranian nuclear program, which began in April, has stopped in recent days. The next round of conversations was to be held on Sunday.

Trump was hoping to conclude a deal to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has long insisted that its nuclear activities are peaceful.

Earlier this week, Trump was said to have made a “tense” phone call with Netanyahu, who has long argued about a military, not diplomatic approach to Iranian nuclear capabilities.

Last year, Iran and Israel have launched a number of air strikes against each other In April and October – although Israel’s strikes last year did not think it was widely like its current work.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khounai, said that Israel “must expect a severe penalty,” while Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi described the attack as a “declaration of war.”

The IDF said that Iran fired about 100 drones towards Israel on Friday morning. The army said it was intercepting drones.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that its armed forces will not “hesitate to defend Iran’s sovereignty by the full force and the way it deems appropriate.”

In a statement, the ministry described that the process of Israel is “actions of aggression” and said that “the US government, as the main sponsor of this system, will also bear responsibility.”

Major General Mohamed Bakbour, who was quickly appointed to replace Hussein Salami, pledged to open the “gates of hell” in response to revenge.

In response to the strikes, Trump said he gave Iran “an opportunity after an opportunity” to conclude a deal, but “they could not do so.”

Trump wrote in a post on social media: “They spoke courageously, but they did not know what was about to happen,” adding: “They all died now.”

“There was already death and great destruction, but there is still time to make this massacre, with the upcoming attacks that were already more brutal, ended.

“Iran must make a deal, before nothing remains, and save what was known as the day of the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, just do so, before it is too late.”

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States He did not participate in the strikes He did not help. He said that the maximum priority for the White House was to protect the American forces in the region.

American citizens were informed of not traveling to Iran, on Friday, the US State Department urged those who are in the country to leave or “shelter in place.”

Late Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin made separate phone calls with Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Bezishian, the Kremlin said.

A statement said that Putin condemned the Israeli measures, and also “expressed his willingness to provide mediation services in order to prevent further escalation of tensions.”

Russia is a major military and political ally for Iran.

In another international reaction, Oman, who The American -Iranian nuclear talks have been mediatedShe said that Israel was responsible for “this escalation and its consequences.”

The United Kingdom, France, Australia and China were among the countries that expressed concern about the escalation and called for calm.

The Israeli Defense Army said that three Iranian military leaders “were eliminated in Israeli strikes throughout Iran.”

She was:

• Hussein Salami, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)
• Golameli Rashid, Commander of the headquarters of the Central Catam Catam
• Muhammad Baghri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces

IRGC later said that Amir, on his barn, the commander of the Air Force, was also killed alongside a group of other IRGC forces.

The Israeli army said that its attack during the night focuses on “more than 100 goals, including the higher figures of Iranian public officials and the leaders of the nuclear program.”

The news agency, which followed the IRGC Tasnim, mentioned six nuclear scientists who were killed in the strikes, five of them were named:

• FreyDoon Abbasi, the former Iranian Atomic Energy Organization in Iran
• Muhammad Mahdi Tahrashi, who accused Israel of participating in the Iranian nuclear weapons program and which Tehran denies exists
• Abdul Hamid Minotire, head of nuclear engineering at Shahid Behashti University, Iranian
• Ahmed Reda Zolfagari, Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Shahid Bishti University
• Amirhossein Feqhi, another nuclear professor at Shahid Bhashti University

Ali Shamkhani, chief adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, was reported seriously, according to the Iranian media.

The government media also said that civilians, including children, were also among those who were killed.

BBC is unable to independently verify these reports.

Iran has long preserved that its nuclear program is dedicated to peaceful civil purposes only. She has many facilities about Iran, at least some of them were targeted in Israeli strikes.

But many countries – as well as the International Nuclear Energy Agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency – is not convinced that the program is for civil purposes alone.

This week, the Council of Governors of the International Energy Agency He officially announced Iran in violating its obligations other than spreading For the first time in 20 years.

It cited “the many failures” of Iran to provide full answers about unannounced nuclear materials and Iran’s enriched uranium stocks.

A previous report at the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran had affected uranium to 60 % purity, near the degree of weapons, which is likely to be made nine nuclear bombs.