Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Israel initiated a war
Iran launched a fresh barrage of retaliation strikes on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, killing one woman, injuring dozens and sending terrified civilians into shelters.
Israel said the military’s defense systems have been intercepting the missiles throughout the day Friday, and that most were intercepted or fell short. Air raid sirens could once again be heard across Israel as the sun began to rise on Saturday.
The strikes were in retaliation to Israel’s blistering attacks on the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military structure overnight Friday, a barrage it said was necessary before Iran got any closer to building an atomic weapon.
At least 78 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in the strikes on Iran, the country’s ambassador told the U.N. Security Council. He said “the overwhelming majority” of victims were civilians.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel initiated a war and it would not be allowed to do “hit and run” attacks without grave consequences. He vowed not to let Israel “escape safely from this great crime.”
Earlier on Friday, Israel said 200 fighter jets took part in strikes on more than 100 targets in Iran overnight in an escalation that threatens to spark a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Aerial bombardment rocks Tel Aviv as Israel-Iran conflict escalates
Fears of all-out war in Middle East rise after Israel strike Iran’s nuclear sites
Israel has long threatened to carry out military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, claiming Tehran was secretly building an atomic bomb.
The strikes were carried out Friday, raising the prospect of a regional war between the longtime foes over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had started a “targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”
“This operation will take as long as is needed to complete the task of fending off the threat of annihilation against us,” he added.