Iran and Israel trade strikes as conflict rages

A 10-year-old boy was among the four people killed by an Iranian missile strike in central Israel, with more people still unaccounted for at the scene, according to emergency services.
A large emergency response operation is underway in Bat Yam city, where a building was directly hit.

A 60-year-old woman, an 80-year-old woman and a girl whose age was not given were also killed in the strike, according to Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA).

Videos from Bat Yam showed a building with its facade ripped from it, and tall piles of rubble. Emergency workers could be seen scouring the scene with search dogs, and residents gathered on the street behind a cordon line.

Brot said the first building was hit around 2:30 a.m. Other buildings in the area were also damaged, with videos showing windows shattered and window frames torn from the outer walls.

Authorities are now setting up family centers and working to support residents displaced by the strikes, he said, urging the public not to go near the site.

Lt. Dean Elsdunne, the international spokesperson for Israel Police, said they received “reports of numerous impact sites” after “a large barrage of rockets” fired from Iran.

“We have a number of casualties that we had to medically evacuate, and unfortunately those include fatalities,” he said, speaking from Bat Yam, in Reuters video. He added that police are working with other Israeli agencies, including the military, to locate missing residents and secure the scene.

About 140 people have been wounded in two locations across central Israel.

In a separate wave of strikes, four additional people were killed in northern Israel, raising the death toll from attacks overnight into Sunday to eight.

Responders search through building rubble following a hit by an Iranian ballistic missile in Bat Yam, Israel, on Sunday.

Iran says it has used its new kind of ballistic missile in the latest strikes on Israel.

According to the state-affiliated FARS news agency, Israel was hit with the Haj Qassem guided ballistic missile during a wave of strikes overnight into Sunday.

Iranian Defense Minister Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh told Iranian TV on May 4 that the new missile would be able to get past defenses such as the US military’s Terminal High Altitude Defense (THAAD), which has been deployed to Israel, as well as Patriot missile defenses and others that Israel employs.

Iran unveiled the missile in early May, saying it is solid-fueled, has a range of 1,200 kilometers and is equipped with a maneuverable warhead that can penetrate missile-defense systems, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

The missile is named after Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds force, the special operations unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was killed in a US attack in Iraq during President Donald Trump’s first term.

When tensions escalate in the Middle East, Israel turns once again to its extensive air defense system – which includes the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and the Arrow systems, as well as the US military’s THAAD system – to protect its citizens from incoming air attacks at various ranges.

The missile defense system is one of the most important tools in Israel’s arsenal and has saved countless civilian lives over various conflicts in the last decade, analysts say.

Read a full story on Israel’s air defense systems, explained and visualized, here

A rescue worker is seen inside a residential building following the impact of missiles fired from Iran in Tamra, Israel, on Sunday.

The death toll from strikes on Israel overnight into Sunday has risen to seven, after Iran launched multiple waves of missile and drone attacks.

In the country’s north, four people were killed by a falling missile late Saturday night, police said. The national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) had given an earlier death toll of three, saying a residential building in the Palestinian-Israeli town of Tamra had been hit.

A “weapon falling in a direct hit” killed two women in their 40s, one woman aged 20, and one 13-year-old girl, police said. They added that “a number of” residents were wounded, with emergency responders on the scene looking for anyone trapped under the rubble.

In a later wave of missile strikes, three people were killed in central Israel’s Bat Yam city, according to the MDA and Israeli police. One woman around 60 years old was killed when a building was struck, the MDA said, adding there had also been damage to “many buildings around it.”

More than 100 people were also reported injured across regions of central Israel following the strikes.

Israel’s operation against Iran is expected to take “weeks, not days” and is moving forward with implicit US approval, according to White House and Israeli officials.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has not critiqued the weeks-long timeframe in private discussions, an Israeli official told CNN. A White House official said the administration was aware and implicitly supportive of Israel’s plans. When asked about how long the conflict could continue, the official said it depended on Iran’s response.

“The Trump administration firmly believes this can be solved by continuing negotiations with the US,” the official said, adding that the US was not going to direct Israel to do anything but defend itself.

Rep. Seth Moulton speaks at a press conference in Washington, DC, on March 25.

Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton said the United States has “real concerns” about supporting Israel’s strikes on Iran with so many questions left unanswered – notably about whether Israel’s strikes succeeded in eradicating Iran’s nuclear program and what Israel’s “endgame” is.

“In principle, we don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon and we want to make sure they never do. But there’s a lot of technical questions that have to be answered about how you get from here to there,” Moulton told CNN’s Boris Sanchez.

Those unanswered questions explain why the US has so far been hesitant to support Israel’s attacks on Iran, said Moulton, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a veteran of wars in the Middle East.

Israel “clearly has the upper hand,” Moulton added, noting Israel’s strikes have been much more effective than Iran’s so far.

“I’d certainly want to be on Israel’s side in this, and that’s why we are. But at the same time, just like we all have been asking for years now (with the war in Gaza), what is Netanyahu’s endgame?”

Some context: Despite advancing its uranium enrichment significantly, Iran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and denied that it was developing an atomic bomb.

Israel’s military has confirmed an airstrike on the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tehran, earlier reported by Iranian state media.

The Israeli Air Force carried out an “extensive series of intelligence-based strikes” on a number of targets in the capital, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

“The targets included the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters, the headquarters of the SPND nuclear project, and additional targets, which advanced the Iranian regime’s efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon and where the Iranian regime hid its nuclear archive,” said the IDF statement.

Despite advancing its uranium enrichment significantly, Iran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and denied that it was developing an atomic bomb.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency earlier reported that the strike caused minor damage to one of the ministry’s administrative buildings. A separate strike in the same area hit the defense ministry’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, Tasnim reported.

Videos posted to social media and geolocated by CNN show the aftermath of the strike with smoke rising.

Israeli security forces inspect a destroyed building that was hit by a missile fired from Iran, near Tel Aviv, Israel, early Sunday.

Several buildings were damaged in central Israel in the latest barrage of Iranian strikes, according to Israel’s Fire and Rescue service.

An eight-story building was directly hit in the Dan district, and another residential building in the area was damaged, according to Fire and Rescue.

Several buildings in the Central district were also directly hit and a fire was burning in an open area, the agency said.

Photos provided by the agency show emergency responders digging through rubble in destroyed buildings.

Videos shared by Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom show a badly damaged building in central Israel, with debris on the ground.

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Sunday.

Residents of northern and central Israel were instructed to remain near shelters as sirens sounded across the country early Sunday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces said it identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel. “Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” it added.

An alert issued by the IDF cautioned residents to minimize movement in public areas and avoid public gatherings.

Iran threatened to intensify its attacks if Israel continued its hostilities, the public relations office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement following a renewed wave of attacks between both countries.

“The offensive operations of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic will continue with greater force and scope if these hostilities and aggressions persist,” the IRGC said.

It added that Iran’s strikes on Israel targeted “fuel production facilities for fighter jets and energy supply centers.” CNN has not been able to independently verify its claim.

The IRGC said that the operation involved a large number of drones and missiles.

Overnight strikes launched by Israel struck the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tehran, according to Iranian state media.

Tasnim News Agency reported that the strike caused minor damage to one of the ministry’s administrative buildings. A separate strike in the same area hit the defense ministry’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, Tasnim reported.

Videos posted to social media and geolocated by CNN show the aftermath of the strike, with smoke rising.

Flames rise from an oil storage facility early Sunday after it was struck by an Israeli missile in Tehran.

“Tehran is burning,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted to X on Saturday, accompanying a video showing a large blaze in the Iranian capital.

Earlier, Iranian state media reported that an Israeli strike targeted an oil depot to the northwest of Tehran.

Videos from Tehran show a large fire burning and smoke billowing in the distance.

Iranian state media reported that the oil ministry said the situation was under control.

People respond to the scene of Iranian strikes in Tamra, Israel.

At least two people have been killed in Israel’s Northern District following a wave of Iranian strikes across the country Saturday.

Eight fire and rescue teams from the Northern District continued to operate at the scene of the strikes early on Sunday morning. Fire crews said they rescued four trapped women, but that two of them had died.

Northern District Commander Sergeant Yair Elkayim said: “This is a scene with extensive destruction of a four-story building that was damaged, and the upper floor partially collapsed.”

Rescue teams are conducting a search of the area for additional people who might be trapped inside damaged buildings.

The reports come after missiles were seen streaking across the sky over Israel, as both Israel and Iran announced new waves of strikes at one another.

Traces of projectile illuminate the sky, seen from northern Israel, on Saturday.

At least one person, a woman in her 20s, has died in the western Galilee town of Tamra after the Iranian missile strike, Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) reported early Sunday.

Separately, firefighters are working at the scene of an impact on a four-story building also in the Galilee region, Israel Fire and Rescue Services said on Saturday. Firefighters rescued a person in critical condition and are searching for trapped people.

Fire and Rescue Services added that they are searching for another impact site near the scene.

In the Lower Galilee, three fire crews are working on a burning agricultural building.

The Israel Fire and Rescue hotline also received reports of several incidents in the coastal and northern districts, including impacts and damage to residential buildings and fires in open areas.

A still from a video shows the Sharhan oil depot on fire near Tehran on Saturday.

An Israeli strike targeted Iran’s Shahran oil depot and a fuel tank but the situation is “under control,” Iran state media IRNA reported, citing the country’s oil ministry.

The Shahran oil depot is northwest of Tehran while the tank is situated south of Tehran. Operational and emergency response teams responded to the scene, IRNA reported.

“According to initial reports, the fuel levels in both tanks were not high, and the situation is fully under control,” IRNA reported.

This comes after state media reported that an Israeli drone strike hit Iran’s South Pars gas field – the world’s largest natural gas field. Video footage circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN showed a large blaze and plumes of smoke rising from the gas field in Iran’s southern Bushehr province.

Israel released images of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with his security cabinet late on Saturday as Israel and Iran traded a fresh round of missile strikes.

On a wall behind the ministers, television screens can be seen showing the quote from the Book of Numbers that Israel used to code-name its strikes on Iran: “Behold, a people that rises like a young lion, and lifts itself up like a lion.”

A still from a video shows missiles streaking across the sky over Jerusalem late Saturday.

A CNN journalist witnessed missiles streaking across the sky over Jerusalem late Saturday.

Iranian state media announced minutes before that a new barrage of missiles was headed towards Israel.

Iran has launched a new barrage of projectiles towards Israel, state media outlet IRNA reported late Saturday.

The Iranian outlet said that this latest volley includes both missiles and drones.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it detected incoming missiles launched from Iran in an alert issued late Saturday, urging residents across Israel to head to bomb shelters once they receive an alert.

“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF’s Homefront Command said.

“Upon receiving an alert, the public is instructed to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.”

Israel has launched a wave of strikes targeting different areas of Iran, according to the Israeli military and Iranian media.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Effie Defrin said that the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) “ongoing operation” has lasted nearly 40 hours and targeted over 150 objectives.

“IAF aircraft are completing a wave of strikes against military and strategic assets, nuclear program sites, and high-ranking figures in Iran’s terror leadership. These are significant targets at the very heart of Iran and its terrorist proxies,” Defrin said.

The IDF confirmed that they are currently striking military targets in Tehran.

Air defenses were activated in several Iranian cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad, Iran’s state-owned Press TV reported.

Iranian state media also posted videos purportedly of air defenses intercepting projectiles in Zanjan and Khorramabad.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held an hourlong phone call Saturday, Trump said in a social media post. The US president said the leaders spoke about Iran and Israel’s tit-for-tat airstrikes “at length” and called for an end to the conflict.

“President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Trump said both he and Putin agreed the Israel-Iran conflict should come to an end.

“He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump said, referring to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“We talked at length. Much less time was spent talking about Russia/Ukraine, but that will be for next week. He is doing the planned prisoner swaps - large numbers of prisoners are being exchanged, immediately, from both sides,” Trump’s post said.

A Jewish man prays as he takes shelter during sirens warning of incoming fire in Jerusalem on Saturday.

The IDF’s Homefront Command warned residents across Israel to remain close to bomb shelters late Saturday.

“Movement in public areas should be minimized, and public gatherings must be avoided,” the Homefront Command’s warning reads. “Upon receiving an alert, enter a protected space and remain there until an official update is issued.”

The warning comes after tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran, beginning with Israel’s unprecedented attacks on Iranian nuclear and military assets early Friday morning.

So far, at least 78 people have died in Iran with 320 wounded, mostly civilians, per Iranian officials. Israeli authorities report at least three have died and dozens have been injured.

Israeli students will be learning remotely starting next week “due to the security situation,” Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch announced in a video message Saturday night.

The order applies to physical, special, formal and informal education, the minister added.

Kisch also ordered upcoming graduation exams postponed until the week after next.

Israel’s Homefront Command previously ordered all classes canceled Friday.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies on Saturday shows the Isfahan nuclear facility in Iran after being hit by Israeli airstrikes.

Four critical buildings at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear facility were damaged in Israel’s strikes on Friday, the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog said on Saturday.

There has been no increase in off-site radiation levels, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X.

On Friday, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said that Iranian authorities reported that the strikes hit the Isfahan and Fordow facilities, but the IAEA was working to obtain more information.

The extent of damage at Isfahan was more difficult to parse in the hours after it was struck, with conflicting claims over the attack’s impact emerging in Israel and Iran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting on March 14.

Among other things, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict between Iran and Israel during a 50-minute call with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told state media outlet TASS.

Ushakov said that Putin condemned Israel’s attack on Iran and offered to mediate between the two countries. The Russian president made a similar offer to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, according to a prior statement from the Kremlin.

The devastation of last night’s Iranian missile strike stretches half a block in a residential neighborhood in a city not far from Tel Aviv, which the Israeli military has asked us not to identify.

Several houses lay in complete ruin, a tangle of rubble and girders. Others, still standing, are pocked with shrapnel, windows blown out. Debris is scattered across the pavement and crushed cars sit askew like melted coke cans - all testament to the blast’s violent force.

This type of destruction is a familiar sight for those who live under Israeli bombs – be it in Gaza, Lebanon, or Syria. But for Israelis, the flattened homes in the city are terrifyingly new.

Authorities said that a man and a woman were killed in this strike, which penetrated Israel’s Iron Dome and made impact last night. Many more were injured.

Rescue workers spent much of the night looking for survivors. Israeli police posted a photograph of a baby being rescued from the rubble.

A group of municipal workers from a neighboring town toured the site, peppering rescue workers with questions about how they had managed the situation. At a police cordon, dozens of Israelis gathered, straining to get a better look at the damage.

Iran has appointed Brig. Gen. Seyyed Majid Mousavi as the new commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Air Force, Iranian state media, Press TV, reported on Saturday.

Mousavi succeeds Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed in Israel’s operation Rising Lion on Friday.

The Israeli military said Hajizadeh was killed in an airstrike alongside other senior Iranian air force leaders as they gathered at an underground command center.

Mousavi is known as “one of the key architects of Iran’s advanced military deterrence systems,” Press TV said.

He previously served as the deputy commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Press TV reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks in Brussels, Belgium, on March 20.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday, urging him to exercise restraint as Tehran and its long-standing foe, Israel, continued to exchange missiles and airstrikes for a second day.

Also, during the conversation, Macron called for French citizens and diplomatic facilities in Iran not to be targeted.

“I also urged the utmost restraint to avoid escalation,” Macron said.

Macron added that he had asked Pezeshkian to come back to the negotiating table regarding the Iran’s nuclear program, which he described as a cause for serious concern.

Rescue personnel work at the site of an Iranian missile attack in Rishon Lezion, Israel on Saturday.

At least three people have died and 174 have been injured by Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday.

Over 150 missile launches directed at Israel have been reported and 17 missile impact sites identified, the office said.

Of the 174 people injured, two are in serious condition, seven are in moderate condition, and 165 have minor injuries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem, on May 21.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanuahu has warned the people of Iran that more strikes are on the way as tensions between the long-running foes continue to escalate.

Meanwhile, hospitals across Israel are scrambling to move their patients to underground wards in anticipation for any further retaliatory strikes from Tehran.

The warring sides exchanged missile strikes overnight after Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets Friday, which killed some of the country’s most senior military leaders.

Below are the latest developments:

Smoke rises after a wave of Israeli strikes on Tehran, Iran, early Friday.

Israel will “strike every target” of Iran’s regime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address on Saturday, as tensions between the long-standing foes continue to flare.

Netanyahu said that in the “very near future, you will see Israeli planes, the Israeli Air Force, our brave pilots, above the skies of Tehran.”

The Israeli leader said his country’s goal was to eliminate Iran’s “dual threat” to Israel, referring to both Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and ballistic missile arsenal.

He added that Israel had already “caused a very severe blow” to Iran’s main nuclear facility. “We hit the uranium enrichment facility which is vital for the production of bombs. We also hit the leading team of scientists who lead these projects. And this will definitely set them back, and it’s possible that it will set them back for many years,” he said.

It comes after Netanyahu late on Friday gave a direct address to the people of Iran, urging them to “stand up and let your voices be heard,” as he cautioned that more attacks were on the way.

Flames have erupted at Iran’s South Pars gas field – the world’s largest natural gas field – according to reports in Iranian state media.

Video footage circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN shows a large blaze and plumes of smoke rising from the gas field in Iran’s southern Bushehr province.

The oil field was hit by an Israeli drone strike, according to the Iranian state media reports.

Israeli forces are now operating freely in Tehran’s airspace, after eliminating many of Iran’s air defense systems, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official has said.

“Our Air Force pilots flew for about two and a half hours over Tehran, alongside UAVs that remain airborne 24/7, surveilling the area and concluding with attacks and intelligence gathering,” the spokesperson added.

That aerial superiority enabled Israel to launch surprise attacks on Iran, and to “act and thwart threats to Israel,” Defrin said.

The official also said more than 70 Israeli jet fighters struck 40 targets in and around the Iranian capital overnight.

“This is the first time we’ve operated in this airspace,” Defrin said, adding that it is the deepest penetration into Iran to date.

“Dozens of these aircraft now operate freely over Tehran, thanks to our opening strikes, which eliminated many Iranian air defense threats,” he added.

The next round of US-Iran nuclear negotiations, scheduled to take place in Oman on Sunday, has been canceled, Oman’s foreign minister has said.

“The Iran US talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place,” Badr Albusaidi wrote on X. “But diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace.”

The discussions would have been the sixth in the process, which Oman has been mediating but which were thrown into turmoil by Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi earlier said such talks were “unjustifiable” while Israel’s attacks continued, but stopped short of saying they were off.

Demonstrators wave Iranian flags during a rally against Israel's attacks in Tehran, Iran on Saturday.

In a rare direct address to the people of Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday urged its citizens to “stand up and let your voices be heard,” after Israel unleashed deadly strikes on its regional foe.

“The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy, by standing up for your freedom from an evil and oppressive regime,” Netanyahu said in a statement. For locals in Iran, the Israeli leader’s call fell on deaf ears.

Many of those CNN spoke to did not want to be quoted, even anonymously, but none expressed any support for Netanyahu’s calls for a revolt.

“Israel is underestimating our love for our country, the idea that bombing us, our homes, killing our children would send us to the streets is shocking. We want to live peacefully whether we like the regime or not,” a 36-year-old man who wished to remain anonymous told CNN.

Iranians who spoke to CNN expressed palpable anger and asserted they would never cede to Netanyahu’s demands.

“Do I wish the regime wasn’t in power? Absolutely. Do I want my city bombed by another dictator? Absolutely not,” Neda, a 28-year-old, said.

“Don’t let the fake news fool you, the reality of what is happening in Iran as an Iranian who has actually lived in Iran, who has their family in Iran, Israel is in no way helping our people. I don’t need fake news and propaganda speeches,” she added.

The Iranian regime remains unpopular at home, where security forces continue to brutally crackdown on dissidents.

Alongside anger, the presiding emotion among Tehran locals was one of intense fear, with rumors spreading that Israeli strikes may intensify in the capital on Saturday night.

“We’re hearing that tonight Israel will be hitting more densely populated parts of Tehran in retaliation for the strike that hit Tel Aviv, which is really terrifying,” said a 24-year-old woman, who CNN is also not naming for safety reasons.

“Last night was worse than what had happened before. The entire house was shaking, and they kept dropping bombs that sounded super close,” she added.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks before a House Armed Services Committee hearing on June 12 in Washington, DC.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday the United States was not caught off guard by Israel’s unprecedented wave of strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities and top military leaders this week, or by the recent escalation between the two nations.

“I wouldn’t say we were really surprised by any dynamic of the back and forth. That’s been ongoing, but we’re monitoring it closely,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth said the US is well prepared to defend its personnel and interests in the region.

“We are robustly postured to ensure that our people – our bases, our interests – are safe and we’re continuing to monitor any, any forces we would need to do that, capabilities we would need to do that, we will, we will keep Americans safe,” Hegseth said. “The US is postured to defend our people in the region. We’ve got significant assets in the region.”

Hegseth mirrored President Trump, who has emphasized a preference for negotiations but warned of the consequences of continued aggression, during a Fox News appearance on Saturday. The Defense Secretary said there is still a window for peace despite the heightened tensions.

“The president continues to message that he prefers peace. He prefers a solution to this that is resolved at the table,” Hegseth said. “Iran still has an option for that, but Israel took what it believed it needed to do in self-defense strikes, and based on that first day, they were quite effective.”

President Trump urged Iran to “make a deal, before there is nothing left” after Israel launched roughly 200 strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, senior military leaders and research scientists. It was the opening attack in what Israeli officials have said is part of a major operation against Iran.

In response, Iran fired a barrage of missiles into Israel early Saturday, culminating in a night of widespread explosions and destruction in both Tel Aviv and Tehran.

People embrace at the site of an Iranian missile attack in Rishon Lezion, Israel on Saturday.

Israelis were not expecting the fear and anxiety they experienced Friday into Saturday, with several waves of Iranian missile attacks setting off air raid sirens across the country and causing extensive damage at several locations. Three people were killed.

“We heard multiple explosions. Some we could tell were very close and our safe room door would shake,” Julie Levi said, describing the night as “one of the most distressing” she has experienced.

Levi, a resident of Ramat Gan, was near the impact site of a missile that killed a 60-year-old woman Friday evening.

After spending the night constantly running for shelter with his wife and four children and hearing loud frightening explosions, Aviad Caspi said he was shocked by the damage caused by the missiles.

Caspi lives in the small community of Bitzaron near Ashdod, which is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Israeli border with Gaza.

When he saw images of the aftermath of a missile impact in Rishon Lezion Saturday morning, he understood it was “on a different scale” than the Hamas rocket attacks Israelis have become accustomed to.

“It was a very tough night,” he added.

Patients are moved underground at a medical center in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday.

Medics have been relocating patients underground at a medical center on the outskirts of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, as it braces for any further retaliatory Iranian strikes.

Patients at the Sheba Medical Facility in the Tel Aviv area were seen in video footage being transported to fortified underground facilities. Other footage showed staff transferring equipment and other crucial medical gear.

The facility said it treated dozens of patients injured in the Iranian strikes, with many suffering shrapnel wounds.

Hospitals across the country have been scrambling to move their patients to secure, underground areas to protect them from potential strikes.

Tehran launched a wave of retaliatory strikes overnight after Israel’s unprecedented attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets Friday, which killed some of the country’s most senior military leaders.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on February 25.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said negotiations with the United States are “unjustifiable” amid Israeli strikes on Iranian cities, but did not confirm that Iranian officials would no longer be attending the nuclear talks scheduled for this weekend between the US and Iran in Oman.

A building damaged by Israeli strikes is seen in Tehran, Iran on Saturday.

Israel used hundreds of munitions to strike 150 targets in Iran overnight, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official said Saturday, claiming that the Israeli attacks have set back the Iranian nuclear program.

The Israeli military launched an operation against Iran’s top brass, military sites and nuclear scientists Friday, in one of the largest military escalations in the Middle East over recent decades. Iran said dozens were killed in the attack.

Tehran responded by firing four barrages of ballistic missiles toward Israel, killing three people and wounding dozens, the IDF official said at a briefing.

The official said that the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in Natanz and Isfahan were able to damage the sites “significantly.” Iran previously said that damage to the facilities was limited.

“I’ve heard some experts or people speaking on the news saying, all we can do is push back a few weeks on the nuclear plan. I want to tell you that again, according to our initial understanding… it will take much more than a few weeks to repair,” the official said.

According to the official, Israel had “concrete intelligence” that Iran was “moving forward to a nuclear bomb” at the Isfahan facility. Despite advancing its uranium enrichment significantly, Iran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and denied that it was developing an atomic bomb.

Israel now considers the “aerial road to Tehran” as “effectively open” after its military operation, the official said. “We couldn’t have said that months ago,” they added.

On the nine Iranian nuclear scientists killed by Israel on Friday, the official said that they were the “main sources of knowledge” and “main forces… advancing the nuclear program.”

Video shared with CNN by Israeli spy agency Mossad show Israeli operatives smuggling weapons into Iran in advance of Friday’s strikes.

Before Israel launched an unprecedented wave of strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities and top military leaders this week, its spies were already on the ground in enemy territory.

Israeli intelligence agency Mossad had smuggled weapons into Iran ahead of the strikes, according to Israeli security officials, and would use the weapons to target Iran’s defense from within.

The officials said Israel established a base for launching explosive drones inside Iran, and the drones were later used to target missile launchers near Tehran. Precision weapons were also smuggled in and used to target surface-to-air missile systems, clearing the way for Israel’s Air Force to carry out more than 100 strikes with upward of 200 aircraft in the early hours of Friday local time.

The plan to disable Iranian defenses seems to have been effective; Israel said all of its aircraft returned safely from the first waves of strikes, appearing to show Israeli air superiority over parts of a country hundreds of miles away.

Intelligence gathered by the Mossad in Iran also gave Israel’s air force the ability to target senior Iranian commanders and scientists.

In an incredibly rare move, the Mossad released video from some of its operations, showing drones attacking what appear to be unsuspecting missile launchers.

Read more of this story here.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine nuclear weapons. Tehran has repeatedly insisted it isn’t building a bomb.

So how accurate is the Israeli leader’s claim?

It’s unclear how close Iran might be to actually building a nuclear bomb, but it has made significant progress in producing its key ingredient: highly enriched uranium.

In a report sent to member states May 31, the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, had said that Iran possessed a quantity of uranium enriched to 60% purity – not yet weapons-grade, but sufficient to eventually make nine nuclear weapons if further enriched to 90%.

Iran has significantly ramped up its uranium enrichment program since Donald Trump withdrew from a nuclear agreement in 2018. It started with about 150kg of uranium enriched to 3.6% – which is sufficient for nuclear reactors and a peaceful nuclear program – and now has 50 times its 2018 level.

In 2023, the IAEA said uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity – close to bomb-grade levels – were found at an Iranian nuclear facility. Its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% had also grown to 128.3 kilograms, the highest level then documented.

The IAEA has long accused Iran of violating its non-proliferation obligations, but on Thursday – for the first time in almost 20 years – its board passed a resolution officially declaring Iran in breach of those obligations. Iran promised to respond by escalating its nuclear activities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, talks to US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office on April 7.

President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum this spring to Iran’s Supreme Leader: Strike a nuclear deal in 60 days, by mid-June, or face consequences. He urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on attacking Iran to give the negotiations space to progress.

But even as Trump administration figures were publicly projecting determination to pursue a diplomatic solution, Israel was privately warning the US that it had already decided to attack.

Late last month, a small group of House lawmakers visited Netanyahu in Jerusalem, where he stated firmly that Israel was going to strike Iran – and they were not seeking permission from the US to do so, according to a person who attended the meeting and another person briefed on it.

“We fight or we die,” Netanyahu told the lawmakers, according to the people.

In response, two of the lawmakers in attendance May 26, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas and Rep. Michael Lawler of New York, urged Israel to coordinate with the US and stressed that the country must let Trump’s 60-day ultimatum for Iran run its course.

On Friday, day 61, Israel launched unprecedented strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear program and military leaders.

Read our full story on what went into the planning of Israel’s attack on Iran here.

Rescue personnel work at the site of an Iranian missile attack in Ramat Gan, Israel on Saturday.

Iran and Israel exchanged waves of deadly missile strikes overnight as the long-running conflict between the two foes ratcheted further and showed no immediate signs of de-escalating.

Iran launched retaliatory strikes after Israel’s unprecedented attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets Friday, which killed some of the country’s most senior military leaders.

On Saturday, Israeli defense minister Israel Katz warned that “Tehran will burn” if Iranian strikes persist. Previously, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned “more is on the way,” as both sides report casualties.

Below are the latest developments:

People watch smoke rising from an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, Iran on Saturday.

Tehran residents have expressed anger and indignation after Israel launched deadly strikes on the Iranian capital.

“Israel killed our commanders and what (do) they expect in return? A kiss?” Mahmoud Dorri, a 29-year-old taxi driver told the Associated Press. “We will go after them to punish them: an eye for an eye.”

Another resident, a 31-year-old teacher, voiced her support for her country for standing up to the Israeli government, particularly after its prolonged assault on Gaza.

“Someone should stop (the) Israelis. They think they can do anything they want at any time,” Pari Pourghazi said to AP. “Iran showed Israelis are wrong, though they could suppress people of (the) Gaza or Lebanon by heavy bombing.”

Others called for restraint in the wake of the Israeli strikes. “I support my country. The Israelis made (a) mistake in launching attacks on Iran, but I hope this comes to (an) end,” 61-year-old Auto mechanic Houshang Ebadi, said. “War will not bear fruit for any side.”

Israel killed nine scientists and experts involved in Iran’s nuclear program during its strikes on the country, its military said Saturday, raising the figure from a previous toll of six.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Ali Bakhouei Karimi, Mansour Asgari, and Saeed Barji — experts in mechanics, physics and materials engineers respectively — were killed by strikes on Friday.

Their deaths were confirmed by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Israel had previously said it killed six experts involved with the nuclear program, along with three key military leaders.

Amir Ali Amini was killed in an Israeli strike.

Iran Taekwondo Federation said three of its members were killed in Israeli attacks on Tehran.

Among those killed were Amir Ali Amini, a taekwondo fighter on the Iran Junior Taekwondo team, Mir Ali Amini, a teenage member of the federation, and Hojatoleslam Ahmadpour, the federation’s imam.

Several Iranian outlets reported their deaths as details continue to emerge about the number of casualties from Israel’s attacks on Iran.

Israel targeted the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Lorestan and Kermanshah on Saturday in a new round of strikes on Iran, the state-affiliated Fars news agency said.

Four areas were hit in East Azerbaijan, northwest Iran. Explosions were heard in Khorramabad, Lorestan province and Kermanshah, in western Iran, Fars reported.

A video published on the news agency showed smoke rising in Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan province. The Tabriz Oil Refining Company denied that it was struck after media reports claimed that strikes were nearby.

In the Asadabad county in western Iran, two people were killed and five were injured in Israeli strikes, state-affiliated ISNA said.

Iran’s air defenses were activated in Khorramabad, Kermanshah and Tabriz, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Iranian authorities have yet to publicly announce where the strikes occurred.

Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow and Isfahan were not extensively damaged in an attack by Israel on Friday, the spokesperson of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said.

Equipment at the two facilities was moved in anticipation of the strikes, Behrouz Kamalvandi said.

A shed at the Isfahan facility caught fire, Kamalvandi said, without clarifying the extent of damage to the Fordow site.

There is no risk of contamination, he added.

The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is buried deep in the mountains near Qom in northern Iran and houses advanced centrifuges used to enrich uranium up to high grades of purity.

On Friday, Kamalvandi played down the extent of damage inflicted on Iran’s primary nuclear enrichment plant in Natanz, saying the facility “did not encounter serious damage.”

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog however said during a UN Security Council meeting on Friday that the above-ground area of the facility was destroyed.

Iran’s airspace will remain closed until 2 a.m. Sunday local time (6:30 p.m. ET Saturday), an official from the country’s Civil Aviation Organization told state-affiliated Mehr news agency on Saturday.

A building in Tehran, Iran, stands damaged in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Saturday.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Saturday that people in Tehran will “pay a heavy price” if Iran continues with its missile attacks, warning that the Iranian capital “will burn.”

“If Khamenei continues firing missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn,” Katz added.

Two rockets were launched from Gaza towards Israel on Saturday morning, with both falling in open land in an area bordering the strip, Israel’s military said.

“Following the sirens that sounded at 10:15 in open areas in the communities near the Gaza Strip, two projectiles were identified falling in the area of the border in the Gaza Strip,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

No injuries were reported.

Rocket launches from Gaza have become increasingly rare as Israel continues to strike the territory after more than 600 days of war.

Sixty people have been killed following an Israeli strike on a residential building in Tehran, according to an Iranian state media reporter.

Iranian television showed live images of workers removing debris from the site of a 14-story building in the Shahrak-e Shahid Chamran residential compound in Tehran.

According to a reporter at the site, 20 children were killed in the residential building, including infants as young as 6 months old. Ten bodies reportedly remain under the rubble.

The reporter said she got the figure from those in charge of the residential complex. CNN has not verified the toll.

It is unclear how many civilians have died in Israeli strikes, but Iran’s UN envoy said that at least 78 people were killed in Israel’s attacks on Friday.

The post has been updated with further developments.

Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Eyal Zamir, center, attends a meeting regarding Israel's attack on Iran, on Friday, in this handout image from the IDF.

The Israeli military is set to resume striking targets in Iran’s capital Tehran, the head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Saturday.

“The IDF is proceeding according to its operational plans, and IAF (Israel Air Force) fighter jets are set to resume striking targets in Tehran,” IDF Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir and Chief of Air Force Tomer Bar said in a situational assessment on Saturday.

This screengrab of a video geolocated by CNN shows smoke and fire burning at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, Iran on Saturday.

Israeli strikes overnight on Tehran’s Mehrabad airport targeted a hangar housing Iranian fighter jets without damaging runways or the main building, state run IRNA said.

A video published by state-affiliated Tasnim news agency overnight showed smoke rising over what it said was the airport.

Flights have been canceled in Iran until further notice, Iran civil aviation said, according to state-run IRNA news agency.