Israel on Friday said it had carried out attacks on Iranian nuclear targets to block Tehran from developing atomic weapons, with reports from Iran saying the strikes have resulted in casualties, including the chief of the country’s Revolutionary Guard Hossein Salami.

The official IRNA news agency said residential buildings in the Iranian capital Tehren were hit, naming neighbourhoods in multiple locations in the capital.

State TV reported that children were among those killed in the attack on Tehran.

Reports also say blasts were heard in Natanz city in Iran's central province of Isfahan, where a key nuclear site is located.

"Loud explosions were heard in Natanz", which hosts one of the main uranium enrichment facilities, state TV reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack on Iran would continue for as long as it takes.

"This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat," Netanyahu said in a video statement, naming the operation "Rising Lion".

"We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. We targeted Iran's main enrichment facility at Natanz... We also struck at the heart of Iran's ballistic missile programme," he said, adding that Israel had also hit Iranian nuclear scientists "working on the Iranian bomb".

Reuters quoted an unnamed Israeli defence official as saying that the strikes have likely killed members of Iran's general staff, including the chief of staff and several senior nuclear scientists.

In the wake of the attack, Israel declared a state of emergency, closing its airspace, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying retaliatory action from Tehran was possible following the operation.

"Following the State of Israel's preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future," Katz said.

An Israeli military official added that the Israeli army believed that Iran had the ability to strike Israel "any minute".

Air traffic was halted at Tehran's main international airport Imam Khomeini, while neighbouring Iraq has also closed its airspace and suspended all flights at all airports, state media reported.

The Chinese embassy in Iran told Chinese citizens in the country that the security situation is “severe and complicated”, and urged them to pay close attention to developments and further enhance security awareness.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, warned Iran not to respond to Israeli strikes by hitting American bases, saying Washington was not involved.

"We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement.

"Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel."

The strikes on Iran came hours after US President Donald Trump publicly said Israel should not do so, saying that this would ruin chances for a peacefully negotiated solution.

A sixth round of talks over Tehran's nuclear program had been scheduled between the United States and Iran on Sunday in Oman.

"Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense," Rubio said, without offering support or criticism of the strikes by the close US ally.

However, the top Democrat on the US Senate Armed Services Committee sharply criticised Israel for the strikes, accusing it of putting the region and American forces at risk.

"Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence," Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island said in a statement. (Agencies)

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Last updated: 2025-06-13 HKT 10:19