What we know as Israel-Iran conflict intensifies

Israel and Iran have been exchanging extra strikes, because the battle between the 2 nations, which started on Friday, continued to accentuate on Monday.

It began when Israel attacked nuclear and army websites in Iran, after which Iran retaliated with aerial assaults focusing on Israel.

Greater than 220 folks have been killed in Israeli strikes to this point, in keeping with Iran’s well being ministry, whereas Israel says Iranian assaults have killed 24 folks.

Here’s what we all know.

Explosions had been reported in Iran’s capital Tehran at about 03:30 native time (01:00 BST) on Friday.

Iranian state tv mentioned residential areas in Tehran had been hit, with blasts additionally heard north-east of the town.

Israel’s army mentioned it had launched strikes on “dozens of army targets, together with nuclear targets in numerous areas of Iran”.

In Israel, folks had been woken by air raid sirens and obtained emergency telephone alerts, as a state of emergency was declared in anticipation of retaliation from Iran.

Hours after the preliminary strikes, Israel focused the Natanz nuclear facility – about 225km (140 miles) south of Tehran. The Israel Protection Forces (IDF) mentioned its assault prompted vital harm.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the assault – referred to as Operation Rising Lion – focused “the center” of Iran’s nuclear program.

He claimed that “if not stopped, Iran may produce a nuclear weapon in a really quick time”.

The worldwide nuclear watchdog, the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA), has mentioned it has not detected a rise in radiation ranges on the plant.

Israel’s strikes killed Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and a number of other senior army figures and nuclear scientists.

Iran mentioned civilians, together with youngsters, had been additionally amongst these killed.

BBC journalists are unable to report from inside Iran as a consequence of restrictions by the nation’s authorities, making it troublesome to evaluate the harm brought on by Israel’s offensive.

The US has mentioned it was not concerned within the strikes, however President Donald Trump mentioned he was conscious of Israel’s plans beforehand.

Iran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mentioned Israel “ought to anticipate a extreme punishment”, whereas its overseas minister referred to as the strikes a “declaration of warfare”.

The overseas ministry mentioned “the US authorities, as the first patron of this regime, can even bear duty”.

Iran launched about 100 drones in direction of Israel on Friday morning, in keeping with the IDF, including that almost all had been intercepted.

Iran later launched a ballistic missile assault on “dozens of targets, army centres and airbases” in Israel, in an operation it referred to as True Promise 3. The IDF mentioned fewer than 100 missiles had been launched in direction of Israel in two waves.

Brilliant flashes might be seen over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as Israel’s Iron Dome defence system tried to intercept the assault.

The Israeli army informed residents throughout the nation to stay “near protected areas”, and to keep away from gatherings in public areas.

In Israel, sirens sounded in a number of areas, together with Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, in a single day into Saturday. Israel mentioned its air pressure had hit dozens of targets in Tehran.

At the very least two folks had been killed in Rishon LeZion on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Oil infrastructure was hit on each side, with an enormous hearth seen at Iran’s Shahran depot and flames breaking out close to the Haifa oil refinery in Israel.

On Sunday, the third day of strikes, six folks had been killed in Israel’s Bat Yam when a 10-storey block of flats was hit.

4 folks had been killed in Iranian assaults on the northern city of Tamra, emergency providers and the native hospital mentioned.

Israel’s army mentioned on Sunday that it had struck greater than 80 targets in Tehran all through the night time, together with the Iranian ministry of defence, and “extra targets the place the Iranian regime hid the nuclear archive”.

Late on Sunday, sirens blared in Israel as incoming missiles had been intercepted.

Iranian state tv mentioned Tehran had attacked Tel Aviv, Haifa and different cities in Israel with “tens of Iranian missiles and drones”.

Israel mentioned eight folks had been killed in a single day into Monday by Iranian assaults on cities together with Tel Aviv and Haifa.

By early afternoon, the IDF informed folks to go away a major a part of Tehran “instantly” as it might “function within the space” within the coming hours.

Elsewhere, Iran’s overseas ministry mentioned a hospital within the western metropolis of Kermanshah had been focused by Israeli strikes.

The BBC has verified footage of harm to Farabi Hospital, however can’t say if it was instantly focused.

Netanyahu mentioned on Friday that the strikes had been “a targeted military operation to roll again the Iranian menace to Israel’s very survival”.

He mentioned the operation would “proceed for as many days because it takes to take away the unfold”.

An Israeli army official informed the BBC that Iran had sufficient nuclear materials to create nuclear bombs “inside days”. Iran has mentioned that it has by no means sought to develop a nuclear weapon.

The strikes started as US talks over Iran’s nuclear programme, which began in April, appeared to have stalled.

The subsequent spherical of talks, as a consequence of happen on 15 June, had been cancelled. Iran had referred to as them “unjustifiable” in mild of Israel’s assaults.

Trump had hoped to strike a deal to cease Tehran growing a nuclear weapon. Iran has lengthy insisted that its nuclear actions are peaceable.

Final yr, Iran and Israel launched a number of air strikes against each other in April and October – although Israel’s strikes final yr weren’t believed to have been as wide-ranging as its present operation.

The Israeli army mentioned its preliminary in a single day assault targeted on “over 100 targets, together with senior figures of the Iranian Normal Employees and leaders of the nuclear program”.

The IDF mentioned its strikes had killed a number of senior Iranian officers, together with:

• Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the IRGC
• Gholamali Rashid, commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters
• Mohammad Bagheri, chief of employees of Iran’s armed forces
• Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s air pressure
• Mohammad Kazemi, head of the IRGC’s intelligence organisation

Ali Shamkhani, senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Chief, was reported to have been severely injured, in keeping with Iranian media.

IRGC-affiliated information company Tasnim reported six nuclear scientists had been additionally killed within the strikes, of whom 5 have been named:

• Fereydoon Abbasi, former head Iran’s Atomic Vitality Group
• Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi, who Israel accused of being concerned in Iran’s nuclear weapons programme which Tehran denies exists
• Abdulhamid Minouchehr, head of nuclear engineering at Iran’s Shahid Beheshti College
• Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, a nuclear engineering professor at Shahid Beheshti College
• Amirhossein Feqhi, one other nuclear professor at Shahid Beheshti College

Trump mentioned on Friday that he gave Iran “likelihood after likelihood” to make a deal however “they simply could not get it carried out”.

“Iran should make a deal, earlier than there’s nothing left, and save what was as soon as often called the Iranian Empire. No extra loss of life, no extra destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” he wrote on social media.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned the US was not involved with the strikes and didn’t present any help. He mentioned the highest precedence for the White Home was to guard US forces within the area.

On Sunday, the BBC’s US associate CBS reported that Trump had rejected an Israeli plan to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The dialog is alleged to have occurred after Israel launched its assault on Friday.

US residents have been suggested to not journey to Iran, with the state division on Friday urging those that are within the nation to go away or “shelter in place”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held separate telephone calls on Friday with Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin mentioned. Russia is a key army and political ally of Iran.

Putin condemned the Israeli actions, and likewise “expressed the willingness to supply mediation providers with a view to stop additional escalation of tensions”, a press release mentioned.

In different worldwide response, Oman, which has been mediating US-Iran nuclear talks, mentioned it held Israel answerable for “this escalation and its penalties”.

The UK, France, Australia and China had been among the many nations that expressed concern over the escalation and referred to as for calm.

Iran has lengthy maintained that its nuclear programme is for peaceable, civilian functions solely. It has a number of amenities round Iran, no less than a few of which have been focused within the Israeli strikes.

However many nations – in addition to the worldwide nuclear watchdog, IAEA – will not be satisfied the programme is for civilian functions alone.

Final week, the watchdog’s board of governors formally declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the primary time in 20 years.

It cited Iran’s “many failures” to supply full solutions about undeclared nuclear materials and Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.

An earlier IAEA report mentioned Iran had enriched uranium to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, to probably make 9 nuclear bombs.