201 killed, 747 injured in US-Israeli strikes on Iran, state media says
US military bases in the region have come under heavy fire from Iranian missiles, as Iran continues to respond to US-Israeli attacks targeting Tehran and a number of other cities.
What's happening?
- Israel and US launch strikes on Iran
- President Donald Trump says action will give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers
- Israeli official says Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei targeted
- Sources say Iranian defence minister and Revolutionary Guards commander killed
- Iran says it struck Israeli and US bases in region
- Saudi says Iran has attacked its territory; blasts in UAE and Qatar
- Global airlines have cancelled flights across the Middle East
1am
Netanyahu says Israel destroyed Khamenei's compound
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Revolutionary Guards commanders and senior nuclear officials were killed.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
11:45pm
201 killed and 747 injured in Iran, Iranian media report
Iranian media, citing the Red Crescent, also said the US and Israeli attacks hit 24 provinces in Iran.
9:52pm
Death toll at Iranian school rises to 85, state media reports
The death toll has risen to 85 in a strike on a girls primary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab, according to the local prosecutor cited by state media.
9:42pm
UAE intercepted new wave of Iranian missiles and drones, state news says
The United Arab Emirate's state news agency WAM reported the defense ministry as saying it intercepted a new wave of Iranian missiles and drones.
Earlier, state media reported one person had been killed in Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile in Bahrain, the Ministry of Interior said the all clear siren sounded throughout the country.
The ministry asked residents not to go out unless necessary and until authorities have completed procedures.
Bahrain earlier confirmed an attack inside its territory and said a service center of the US Fifth Fleet had been struck.
Several Gulf Arab states have said they were targeted by Iranian missiles.
9:32pm
Iran's Araqchi says no communication with US
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was currently "no communication" with the United States in an interview with NBC News.
He also said that "if Americans want to talk to us, they know how they can contact me," adding that Iran is "ready for de‑escalation" but that US and Israeli attacks must stop first.
Araqchi said the latest strikes were "unprovoked" and "illegal," and repeated that Iran is capable of defending itself without outside help.
9:28pm
Israeli military says it is currently striking missile launchers in Iran.
8:58pm
Khamenei to give speech within minutes, Iran's Al-Alam TV says.
8:53pm
'We may have lost a few commanders,' Iran's foreign minister is quoted as saying
Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday that "we may have lost a few commanders, but that's not such a big problem," according to an NBC News reporter on X.
Earlier, we reported that Iran's defence minister and Revolutionary Guards commander were believed to have been killed in Israeli attacks.
8:25pm
Iran's Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour are believed to have been killed in Israeli attacks, two sources familiar with Israel's military operations and one regional source told Reuters.
8:18pm
Saudi Arabia confirms Iran targeted Riyadh, eastern region
A statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Iran targeted Riyadh and the kingdom's eastern region, adding that the attacks were repelled, reports Al Jazeera.
"These attacks cannot be justified under any pretext or in any way, and they came despite the Iranian authorities knowing that the Kingdom had confirmed that it would not allow its airspace and territory to be used to target Iran," it added.
8:03pm
Iranian state media denies reports senior officials and army chief killed
Iranian state media have denied reports that senior political officials and the country's army chief were killed in a wave of US-Israeli strikes on the country today, reports BBC.
President Masoud Pezeshkian is safe, his executive deputy, Mohammad Jafar Qaempanah said in a post on X. The president's son, Youssef Pezeshkian, wrote on Telegram that "this time their assassination attempts have not succeeded".
The army has denied the death of its commander Maj Gen Amir Hatami, and the hardline Fars News Agency says Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and the head of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani remain unharmed.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said its strikes in Tehran targeted locations where senior political and security figures were gathered, according to BBC.
7:20pm
Some oil companies suspend fuel shipments in Strait of Hormuz: Reports
Amid the attacks in the region, some top oil and trading companies have suspended shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports.
"Our ships will stay put for several days," one top executive at a major trading company told the Reuters.
About 20 million barrels of crude oil and other fuel types travel through the arterial waterway, which passes between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, with any suspensions threatening major global disruptions.
6:50pm
At least 51 people killed in Israeli attack on school in southern Iran: State media
The number of people killed in Israeli attack on the girls' elementary school in Iran's southern city of Minab has risen to 51, with 60 others injured, reports IRNA news agency.
Mohammad Radmehr, a city official, was quoted by the agency as saying that Israel "directly attacked" the school this morning.
He said 170 students were in the facility when the strike happened, so there was a possibility that the death toll would rise again as the rescue operation was still under way.
6:30pm
The Israeli military says another wave of missiles launched from Iran towards Israel
6:25pm
Death toll at Iranian school rises to 40, state media reports
Earlier it was reported that at least 24 had been killed in Israeli strike on a school in Minab in southern Iran.
State media now reports the death toll at the school, a girls' primary, has risen to 40.
5:35pm
US and Israel target Iranian leadership
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting its leadership and plunging the Middle East into a new conflict.
Trump said the move would end a security threat to the United States and give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers.
"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," Trump said in a video message published on social media.
The strikes put nearby oil-producing Gulf Arab countries on edge as fears of escalation in the region grew.
5:30pm
24 killed in Israeli attack on school in southern Iran
An Israeli strike hit an elementary girl's school in Minab, a city in the Hormozgan province of southern Iran, killing 24 people, Iran's Fars news agency reports.
5:15pm
Latest updates from the region:
- Five killed in Israeli attack on elementary school in Iran
- More explosions heard in Qatar's capital Doha
- Saudi Arabia condemns attacks on Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Kuwait
- British Airways cancels Tel Aviv, Bahrain flights
- Turkish Airlines suspends flights to 10 Middle East nations
5:00pm
Iran vows to press on with missile campaign until enemies are defeated
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its military campaign would continue without pause until its adversaries are decisively beaten, claiming that Israeli and US military targets across the Middle East have already been hit by Iranian missiles.
In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said all US assets in the region are now regarded as legitimate targets, warning of further strikes, reports Al Jazeera.
4:50pm
New wave of Iranian missiles launched toward Israel, army says
Israel's military reported that a fresh salvo of missiles fired from Iran triggered sirens in multiple parts of Israel shortly before the statement was issued.
According to the army, the launches were detected coming from Iran, prompting immediate defensive action.
"At this time, the Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat," the military said in a message on Telegram.
4:35pm
Iran's supreme leader was targeted, Israeli official says
An Israeli official said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were both targeted in US-Israeli strikes, reports Reuters. The results of the strikes were unclear, the official said.
A source with knowledge of the matter earlier told Reuters that Khamenei was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.
An Iranian source close to the establishment said several senior Revolutionary Guard commanders and political officials were killed in the strikes.
Iranian media has also reported that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is safe.
4:25pm
One dead in Abu Dhabi after UAE intercepts Iranian missiles
At least one person was killed in Abu Dhabi after several missiles fired from Iran were intercepted, the state news agency of the United Arab Emirates reported.
In a statement, the UAE said the attack amounted to a blatant breach of its national sovereignty and a violation of international law, stressing that it reserves the full right to respond to what it described as a dangerous escalation, reports Al Jazeera.
4:12pm
Explosions reported in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The AFP news agency is reporting explosions in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh.
3:56pm
Iran confirms it targeted sites in Gulf region
Iran has confirmed that it targeted multiple sites in the Gulf region, according to the Fars news agency.
The reported targets include Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait and Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, reports Al Jazeera.
Fars also reported that Iran targeted the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain.
3:40pm
Airstrikes kill at least two in Iraq's Jurf al-Sakhar, PMF spokesperson says
At least two Iraqi Hashid Shaabi fighters were killed and three others seriously wounded after at least four explosions occurred following airstrikes in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad, a Popular Mobilization Forces spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday.
Search operations are ongoing for possible casualties, he added.
The PMF, known in Arabic as Hashd al-Shaabi, is an umbrella group of mostly Shi'ite paramilitary factions that was formally integrated into Iraq's state security forces and includes several groups aligned with Iran.
3:26pm
Bahrain says HQ of US Navy's 5th Fleet targeted
Bahrain has confirmed that a missile attack targeted the headquarters of the US Navy's 5th Fleet, reports Al Jazeera.
3:09pm
'We can't take it anymore' - Trump on Iran
2:58pm
Iranian missile intercepted over Qatar
Qatar's Defence Ministry is saying that an Iranian missile has been intercepted by the Patriot defence system, says Al Jazeera.
2:56pm
All US, Israel assets in region a 'legitimate target', says senior Iranian official
A senior Iranian official has told Al Jazeera that they are telling Israel to "prepare for what is coming, and our response will be public, and there are no red lines".
"All American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become a legitimate target. There are no red lines after this aggression, and everything is possible, including scenarios that were not previously considered," the official said, says Al Jazeera.
"The United States and Israel have started an aggression and a war that will have wide and long-lasting repercussions. We were not surprised by the joint American-Israeli aggression and we have a complex response with no time limit," the official stated, adding that any calls for Iran to show restraint or surrender are "unacceptable and mere wishful thinking".
2:47pm
Iran in midst of near-total internet blackout: Netblocks
We have an update from Netblocks, the global internet watchdog, about connectivity currently in Iran.
In a social media post, it said network data show Iran is now "in the midst of a near-total internet blackout", with national connectivity at four percent, says Al Jazeera.
"The incident comes amid US and Israeli combat operations and matches measures used during last year's war with Israel," it added.
2:45pm
Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon
The Israeli military conducted a series of air strikes across southern Lebanon on Saturday, targeting the al-Tuffah region and the town of Markaba, according to local and international reports.
2:32pm
Netanyahu calls for regime change in first statement about US-Israel strikes on Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for regime change in Tehran on Saturday morning in his first video statement about the US-Israel strikes on Iran, says CNN.
Netanyahu called on "all parts of the Iranian people" to "cast off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peaceful Iran." He said, "Our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.
During the 12-day war with Iran in June, Netanyahu had also called on the Iranian people to rise up against the regime.
Netanyahu began his video statement by thanking President Donald Trump "for his historic leadership."
"This murderous terrorist regime must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons that would enable it to threaten all of humanity," Netanyahu said.
2:25pm
Trump repeats claims of Iranian threats to US, which sources say aren't supported by US intel
Describing the decision to launch a "major" military operation against Iran Saturday morning, President Donald Trump said in a video posted to social media that Iran was developing "long-range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas, and could soon reach the American homeland."
"They rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can't take it anymore," he said, reports CNN.
Trump has made the claim that Iran was working on missiles that could reach the US several times in recent days, though sources told CNN that the assertion is not supported by US intelligence. There is no intelligence, sources said, that Iran would soon have a missile capable of hitting the US. However, Iran does have short-range ballistic missiles that could threaten US troops and military bases in the Middle East, the sources said.
In his video address on Saturday, Trump also listed a series of grievances against Iran, including its backing of proxy groups in the region that have threatened US troops and commercial shipping, and its support of Hamas.
2:14pm
Iran launches missiles towards Israel: Israeli army
Israeli army says missiles launched from Iran were identified heading towards Israel, prompting sirens in several areas of the country, says Al Jazeera.
"The public is requested to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command," it said. "At this time, the Israeli Air Force is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat."
"The defense is not hermetic, and therefore it is essential that the public continue to adhere to the Home Front Command's guidelines. The public is requested to continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command."
2:02pm
US, Israel strike Iran amid talks yet again
Talks over Iran's nuclear programme have again been abruptly cut off by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
In June last year, US attacks targeted Iran during talks. The US's Operation Midnight Hammer came towards the end of a 12-day war Israel initiated with Iran that month, says Al Jazeera.
Since those strikes, Trump had repeatedly hailed the attack, saying it eliminated Iran's nuclear programme and led to "peace" in the Middle East.
Eight months later, US and Israel have launched yet another attack as both sides had just ended a round of talks in Geneva.
2:00pm
Concern in Lebanon at being 'dragged' into Israel, US, Iran conflict
In the past few days there has been an escalation, a pattern of escalation.
On Thursday night, for example, the Israeli army carried out a wave of air strikes in the east of the country, the Bekaa area, an area which the Israeli military believes is the operational base of Hezbollah, reports Al Jazeera.
So this escalation of attacks has really caused a lot of concern in Lebanon that the country could be dragged into a potential conflict, which is now happening, between Israel, Iran and the United States, because Hezbollah is Iran's strategic and ideological ally.
1:55pm
No official statement from Iranian gov't over attack
Until now, we do not have any official statement from the Iranian government but we have lots of lines from the Fars news agency.
It has been talking about strikes not only in Tehran but also in several other cities, including Qom, not far from the capital, and also Isfahan, as the centre of the country, says Al Jazseera.
News lines talk about strikes on one of the most important airports in Iran and also the district of Pasteur, where the presidential palace is, but so far, we do not have any confirmation, any information about any high-ranking officials being killed in the attack.
There are reports of people being wounded in the area of Pasteur, and they are being evacuated to the hospitals.
1:57pm
Israeli official says joint attack date was decided weeks ago
The Israeli operation against Iran on Saturday was coordinated with the US, an Israeli defence official told Reuters.
The operation was planned for months and the launch date was decided weeks ago, the official added.
1:56pm
Israel names operation against Iran "Roaring Lion"
Israel announced that the name of its new operation against Iran would be called "Roaring Lion," according to the Prime Minister's Office, reports CNN.
This name follows the operation in the 12-day war in June that Israel dubbed "Rising Lion."
1:52pm
Israeli attacks target Iranian ministries, Atomic Energy Organisation
Al Jazeera reports that Israeli attacks on the Iranian capital have targeted:
- Ministry of Intelligence
- Ministry of Defense
- Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran
- Parchin military complex
1:47pm
President Pezeshkian remains unharmed: State media
Iran's IRNA news agency, quoting a source in the presidential office, is reporting that President Pezeshkian remains unharmed, reports Al Jazeera.
1:46pm
Sources suggest US aiming to 'decapitate' Iran's government
Sources have told Al Jazeera that, based on their understanding, the strikes were concentrated on locations where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may have been sheltering, suggesting the intent was to target the head of the regime and assess the fallout afterward.
The sources added that several countries had cautioned the United States against carrying out such an attack and had sought clarity on the plan for the "day after," warning there was no guarantee that removing the supreme leader would result in the formation of a pro-U.S. government.
1:45pm
Iranian news agencies, including IRNA, facing cyberattack
Iran's Tasnim news agency has reported that Iranian news websites, including the Iranian state news agency IRNA, are facing cyber attacks, says Al Jazeera.
So far, IRNA's telegram account is still functioning
1:44pm
Trump says US carrying out 'major combat operations' in Iran
US President Donald Trump has now commented on the Iran strikes. Here are his key statements:
- A short time ago the US began major combat operations in Iran
- Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime
- Iran can never have a nuclear weapon
- Iran attempted to rebuild its nuclear program
- Iran is developing long range missiles that threaten the US and others
- We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground
- We're going to annihilate their navy
- We will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon
1:35pm
The US has built up a large military presence in the region
The United States has deployed aircraft carriers, fighter jets, guided-missile destroyers and other capabilities to the Middle East in recent weeks.
US President Donald Trump has described it as a massive naval armada.
It includes two of the largest US warships – the Gerald R. Ford and the Abraham Lincoln.
The Ford is the United States' newest and the world's largest carrier. It has a nuclear reactor on board and can hold more than 75 military aircraft. It also includes sophisticated radar that can help control air traffic and navigation.
The Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered carrier which can hold some 90 military aircraft, moved to the region from the Asia-Pacific in January.
In early February one of its fighter jets shot down an Iranian drone that "aggressively" approached the ship, the US military said.
1:32pm
Tehran preparing for retaliation, Iranian official says
Iran is preparing for retaliation after Israel launched an attack on Saturday, an Iranian official told Reuters.
The official said the response is set to be crushing.
1:37pm
Flight tracker over Iran as airspace closed following Israeli strikes
1:22pm
US has begun air and sea strikes on Iran
US strikes against Iran are being carried out by air and sea, a US official told Reuters on Saturday.
1:21pm
Israeli military announces closure of work places, schools
The Israeli military has announced a "prohibition on educational activities, gatherings, and workplaces" after Israel launched what the defence minister said was a pre-emptive attack against Iran.
"Essential sectors" were exempted, the military said.
1:06pm
Israeli attack comes after US-Iran negotiations
The US and Iran renewed negotiations in February in a bid to resolve the decades-long dispute through diplomacy and avert the threat of a military confrontation that could destabilise the region.
Israel, however, insisted that any US deal with Iran must include the dismantling of Tehran's nuclear infrastructure, not just stopping the enrichment process, and lobbied Washington to include restrictions on Iran's missile programme in the talks.
Iran said it was prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions but ruled out linking the issue to missiles.
Tehran also said it would defend itself against any attack.
It warned neighbouring countries hosting US troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington struck Iran.
1:06pm
Israel has launched attack against Iran
Israel says it launched a "pre-emptive" attack against Iran on Saturday.
The attack pushes the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dims hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West.
Saturday's new Israeli strike comes after Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day air war in June.
It follows repeated US-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
"The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel," Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
Explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian media reported.
