Israel hit by missiles as Iran retaliates for strikes on nuclear sites

Iranian missiles struck Israel in retaliation for deadly Israeli attacks on nuclear sites and military leaders.

The wail of air raid sirens and the rumble of explosions could be heard throughout Israel on Friday, and Associated Press journalists documented explosions as Iranian rockets hit Tel Aviv, the commercial hub of Israel. Paramedics said five people were wounded.

Hours earlier, Israel launched a wave of strikes across Iran that targeted its nuclear program and military sites, killing at least three top military officers and raising the prospect of an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.

The strikes came amid simmering tensions over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. For years, Israel had threatened such a strike and successive American administrations had sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran’s dispersed and hardened nuclear program.

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What to know:

1. Israel struck nuclear sites and killed top military leaders: Nuclear enrichment sites and a refinery were hit, killing leading nuclear scientists. Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal was also targeted and three of the nation’s top military leaders were killed.
2. Attack comes after weeks of escalating tensions: Iran said on Thursday it would activate a third nuclear enrichment facility shortly after a U.N. watchdog censured Iran for failing to comply with nonproliferation obligations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government survived an attempt to dissolve Israel’s parliament Thursday, the most serious challenge to his government since the Oct. 7 attack.
3. What international leaders are saying: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge saying Iran would not allow Israel to “escape safely from this great crime they committed.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military planned for months “to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.” U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to make a deal “before it is too late.”

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