Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has said that a first wave of missile and drone attacks has been launched against Israel in response to the strikes, Tasnim news agency reported.
“In response to the aggression of the enemy against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the first wave of extensive missile and drone attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran has begun.”
Tasnim reported air defences had been activated in Tehran and continued to engage with "hostile" targets in the city centre and elsewhere.
Israel and the U.S. launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran targeting strategic sites including missile launchers, nuclear infrastructure and suspected military facilities, as explosions were reported in Tehran and other cities.
The operation was planned for months and the launch date was decided weeks ago, an Israeli defence official said.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that seven missiles struck an area near the presidential palace and the compound of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The attack pushed the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dimmed hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West.
The Pentagon says the strikes on Iran were named 'OPERATION EPIC FURY'.
The New York Times, citing a US official, reported that US strikes on Iran were underway. A source told Reuters that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.
The attack, coming after Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day air war in June, follows repeated US-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
"The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel," Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian media reported, and sirens sounded across Israel around 08:15 local time in what the military said was a proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of an incoming missile strike.
The Israeli military announced the closure of schools and workplaces, with exceptions for essential sectors, and a ban on public airspace. Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights, and the airports authority asked the public not to go to any of the country's airports.
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 destabilize 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 program in the talks.
Iran said it was prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear program 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 neighboring countries hosting US troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington struck Iran.
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