On Saturday, Israel launched a “pre-emptive strike” on Iran, and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz declared a nationwide state of emergency.“The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Iran.
Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a special and immediate state of emergency throughout the country.An explosion was reported near the offices of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.It was not immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was present at the time. Khamenei has not appeared in public in recent days amid rising tensions with the United States.Thick smoke was seen rising from downtown Tehran, and eyewitnesses reported that they heard a strong explosion. Iranian state television acknowledged the explosion but did not provide further details.
Sirens in Israel; Closing of airspace in Iran
As the raid began, sirens sounded across Israel, and citizens received phone alerts warning of an “extremely serious” threat.The Israeli army said that this step was a “pre-emptive warning to prepare the public for the possibility of launching missiles towards the State of Israel.”
Iran closed its airspace following the attack, issuing warnings to pilots as explosions echoed throughout the capital.The Associated Press reported, citing sources, that the United States is participating in Israeli strikes on Iran.Earlier, the United States deployed a large fleet of combat aircraft and warships in the region, increasing pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program.The US State Department on Friday allowed nonessential employees and their families to leave Israel, citing unspecified “security risks,” CBS News reported.The advisory update came after continued negotiations between Washington and Tehran regarding a possible nuclear agreement. A third round of talks was held in Geneva on Thursday.
Trump is “not happy” with Iran
US President Donald Trump warned earlier that Iran may face military action if it does not agree to curb its nuclear ambitions.Speaking at an event in Texas on Friday, Trump said he was “not happy” with the progress of negotiations and stressed that Iran must commit to not developing nuclear weapons.Trump said: “We now have a big decision to make. You know that. It’s not easy. We have a very big decision to make. We have a country that, for 47 years, has been blowing people’s legs off, cutting off their arms, cutting off their faces. They’ve destroyed ships, they’ve killed a lot of people. Well, not just Americans, but a lot of people. It’s been terrible. 32,000 people have been killed over the last three or three months.”“32,000. That’s a number of people. They want to make a deal, but you have to make a meaningful deal. I talked to Ted Cruz and John, all of them on the way here. I said you have to make a meaningful deal. We hit them hard, you know, with those beautiful B-2 bombers, which recently destroyed their nuclear capabilities. But I’d rather do it peacefully. But they’re very difficult people. I want to tell you that.”
“They are very dangerous, very difficult people,” he added.
