Mid-East Crisis escalates – Iran rains missiles on Israel after attacks on nuclear sites | BBC News
iran has tonight launched retaliatory strikes on Israel iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it attacked dozens of targets including military centers and air bases smoke has been seen rising over the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv after an aerial attack on the Israeli city explosions have also been heard in Jerusalem tonight’s bombardment is in retaliation for Israel strikes on Iran last night which targeted military and nuclear sites israel said the attacks were vital to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon the country’s spiritual leader Ayat Hami promised his country would inflict heavy blows in response well this was the scene in Tel Aviv in Israel just an hour or two ago there have been huge explosions in the sky over central Israel although it is unclear what’s from missile strikes and what is Israel intercepting them with its Iron Dome tonight Israel says it struck a nuclear facility in Isvahan and that is in addition to last night’s strikes on the country’s biggest nuclear facility at Natans and also at Kamancha well our first report tonight is from Lucy Williamson who’s in Tel Aviv in bunkers and stairwells they listened to Tel Aviv under fire from Iran defenses scrambling above a city of civilians and military bases from ballistic missiles arriving minutes after launch impacts felt inside shaking buildings for the third time tonight missiles are being fired at Israel fired at Tel Aviv this is the response Israel was expecting and all across the country people are listening to the sound of Israel and Iran at war missile defense systems were also activated over Jerusalem israeli media reported several impacts across the country including near military sites a direct hit to this building reportedly left people trapped inside israel began striking Iran overnight the nuclear enrichment site at Natans one of the first to be hit a target for Israel’s prime minister for decades hit in what he said was a last chance to stop Iran making a nuclear bomb air defenses missile sites nuclear scientists and military leaders including the head of Iran’s armed forces wiped out in a series of nationwide strikes an attack involving 200 fighter planes working with covert intelligence teams at a secret base inside Iran these pictures from Israel’s spy agency are said to show commandos firing at a missile launcher during this morning’s attack their prime minister said the clock on Iran’s nuclear ambitions had run out moments ago Israel launched Operation Rising Lion a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival this operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat for decades the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly openly called for Israel’s destruction in Iran hundreds of protesters called for revenge iran’s supreme leader said Israel had made an enormous miscalculation and that the consequences would bring it to ruin they should not imagine that they struck and it’s over no they started this they launched a war we will not allow them to escape unscathed from the major crime they have committed iran has also now reported unconfirmed signs of radiation at the Natans nuclear site i call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation i reiterate that any military action that geopodizes the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran the region and beyond a former general in Israel’s air force said there were limits to what military force could achieve i think uh we can say pretty much easily this was the most complicated and and uh actually complicated probably dangerous uh operation that Israel ever did in its history we have a huge military success a huge one okay what’s the next step are we going to transform it to something that will say “Okay the region is safe for the next 50 years not having any nuclear threats from Iran.” Tonight Israel was still striking across the country this explosion filmed in West Thran others reported at nuclear facilities in Esvahan and Foraux israel says Iran was secretly building a nuclear bomb too big a risk it said but Iran may now decide that negotiations won’t protect it from attack and that a nuclear weapon will well the alerts have been lifted for now in Tel Aviv but Israel’s attack isn’t over there’s a drone uh just flying above us here and the threat of course hasn’t gone as well israel’s prime minister tonight had a message directly for the Iranian people saying Israel’s fight was not with them it was with their government the time has come he said to stand up for your freedom from the evil and oppressive regime and that strengthened the view that some people here have that Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal is not just to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program but its regime as a whole thanks so much Lucy Williamson there in Tel Aviv let’s assess the situation in Jerusalem as well our correspondent Ioni Wells is there uh what’s the latest where you are i saw a series of drones fly over Jerusalem followed by some big explosions and bangs now it’s not clear if those were the sounds of strikes or interceptions by Israel’s defense system israel has said that the majority of uh drones and missiles that were fired by Iran were either intercepted or fell short now minutes before that we had all received this emergency alert sirens were going off here in the same way that they did at 3:00 a.m this morning urging people to go to shelter or remain very close to them this was after Iran confirmed that it was launching retaliatory military strikes on central Israel after a series of Israeli strikes on Iran today now for now that emergency alert has subsided people are being urged to remain cautious but as the last 24 hours have evidence that could change again very quickly ioni thank you ioni Wells well this isn’t the first conflict between Israel and Iran but it is the most explosive the risks are huge our security correspondent Frank Gardner is here frank well Jane this conflict is bigger more extensive and potentially more dangerous than anything that’s gone before the targets hit range right across Iran it’s the biggest assault on that country since the Iran Iraq war in the 1980s one of the principal targets was Natans around 200 miles south of Tehran tonight the UN’s nuclear watchdog says it’s been destroyed it was Iran’s chief uranium enrichment facility that’s a process that can have both peaceful and military purposes tonight Israel said it also hit a nuclear site in Isvahan and in the western city of Kman Shaha new footage of Israeli air strikes missile bases have been struck across the country on top of this key military figures have been assassinated major General Hussein Salam the head of the Revolutionary Guards Corps major General Muhammad Beri head of Iran’s armed forces and Brigadier General Amir Hajisad the head of the Revolutionary Guards Air Force also targeted at least six nuclear scientists so how is this being viewed by the Iranian public the mood in the country is really divided some people they’re supporters of the Iranian establishment they are angry they’re furious they want revenge however there are some other Iranians those who’ve been repressed in the over in the past four decades by the Iranian regime they are quite happy that the top Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders are killed now back in 2015 Iran was enriching uranium to just 3.6% enough for civil nuclear power today it’s 60% closer to what’s needed for a bomb but it was Donald Trump close ally of Israel who pulled the US out of a hard one deal to curb Iran’s enrichment today he’s ordered more US naval forces to the Middle East amid fears that Iran could hit US bases and there’s another risk that Israel’s operation could even backfire the military strikes from Israel are likely to expedite the thinking inside Iran about the fact that a nuclear bomb is the only real insurance that the Iranian leadership has against a major uh Israeli US-led attack that targets the core of the leadership so look in purely tactical terms Israel which don’t forget is a nuclear power has achieved military success it struck deep into Iran and assassinated top commanders but this isn’t the end if Iran’s regime survives it may well now race to build a bomb setting off a nuclear arms race across the Middle East jane Frank thank you Frank Gardner well Israel’s attacks come as the US and Iran are trying to reach a deal on Thran’s nuclear program talks are meant to resume this weekend president Trump has urged Iran to make a deal warning of even more brutal Israeli attacks if it doesn’t tonight the Prime Minister Sakir Stalmer spoke with President Trump the men say they agreed on the importance of diplomacy and dialogue to resolve this mounting conflict between Iran and Israel tom Baitman reports a superpower at sea to defend its ally tonight the US confirmed it helped Israel shoot down Iranian missiles this sharp escalation after President Trump had been ing on the side of diplomacy as Israel attacked overnight Washington warned Iran not to hit back at American bases saying it wasn’t involved but by this morning Mr trump was on the offensive saying Thran’s hardliners had lost the fight to get their terms on the nuclear deal they’re all dead now he said and it will only get worse there has already been great death and destruction but there is still time to make this slaughter with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal come to an end in accordance with rule Turkey tonight the UN Security Council has been meeting in emergency session to discuss the crisis amid the calls for deescalation the Americans warned about further consequences no government proxy or independent actor should target American citizens American bases or other American infrastructure in the region the consequences for Iran would be dire we strongly and unequivocally condemn the barbaric and criminal attack a series of targeted assassination were against senior military officials nuclear scientists and innocent civilians the Israeli leader has long pushed Mr trump for a green light to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities timing was critical after Israel destroyed many Iranian air defenses last year and wiped out much of the deterrent effect of Hezbollah on its own border mr netanyahu argued now was the time to strike but Mr trump via his envoy Steve Wickoff turned instead to rounds of talks with the Iranians meaning this close but often fractious relationship was under even more strain mr trump told the Israelis publicly and privately he wanted more time for talks leading to a tense 40minute phone call on Monday there’s a chance of massive conflict we have a lot of American people in this area and I said “We got to tell him to get out.” Mr trump said he was losing confidence in the talks but as late as yesterday we’re still equivocating over an Israeli strike we I’d much prefer an agreement as long as I think there is an agreement I don’t want them going in because I think that would blow it might help it actually but it also could blow it it comes in a region on edge some American embassies and bases are already partly evacuated at home Mr trump has been preparing for his big military parade his hope now is that his allies deadly pressure pushes Iran towards a nuclear deal on his terms his opponents are already accusing him of enabling a reckless gamble risking America getting dragged into a war with Iran tom Baitman BBC News Washington well in a moment we’ll get the thoughts of Lisa Deet who is here with me first though let’s head to Washington and join Gary O’ Donahue and that’s one of the the key questions where you are Gary can the US avoid being dragged into this [Music] well the administration’s position has clearly evolved over the last 20 hours we started with the secretary’s des state describing it as a unilateral action now today Donald Trump talking about it being an excellent piece of action involving great American hardware and indeed we’re now learning that Americans are involved in helping intercept these missiles coming in it comes with domestic risks for the president yes there’s strong support for Israel but there also is strong animosity to any further involvement in Middle East wars and the 40,000 US troops that are in the region now the Donald Trump you know he’s always talked about promises made promises kept and politics is about the deliverables now if you look at Ukraine if you look at the hostages in Gaza if you look at getting Iran to do a deal I think this president is finding the process of delivering harder than he thought it would be thanks Gary gary Odonahu and uh Lisette is our chief international correspondent of course and and people watching Lee will want to know where where what will happen where will this go now but it is so unpredictable so unpredictable and so perilous prime Minister Netanyao of Israel is making it clear he’s waited a long time for this moment and he’s not going to waste it we have seen in the war across the region over nearly two years now that the guard rails are off so now Mr netanyahu is saying he wants to destroy Iran’s weapons making capability what does that mean how far will it go all we know on day one is that it’s going to take days with all of the dangers of escalation both deliberate and accidental but there are Iranian hardliners who also have been waiting to have a go at Israel they believe they were held back last year told to exercise restraint and now they literally are calling the shots so day one Israeli and Iranian civilians are being hurt and killed there’s growing uh fears about the danger of contamination and leakage and finally Prime Minister Netanyahu has also been making clear as we heard in this program he wants Iranians to use this moment to rise up many do want to see the back of the regime but many don’t and that too could be explosive lease as ever
Iran has launched mass new strikes on Israel. It says it attacked dozens of targets including military centres and airbases. Smoke has been seen rising over the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv and there have been explosions in Jerusalem.
The bombardment is in retaliation for Israel’s strikes on Iran, hitting military and nuclear sites. It says it hit a nuclear facility in Isfahan following earlier strikes on the country’s biggest nuclear facility at Natanz .Israel said the attacks were vital to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, promised his country would ‘inflict heavy blows’ in response.
There are warnings the conflict could escalate into all-out war.
Jane Hill presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Lucy Williamson, Ione Wells, Frank Gardner, Tom Bateman, Gary O’Donoghue and Lyse Doucet.
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