Sawt Falasteen - Iran says Israel attack 'declaration of war'

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a "bitter and painful" fate over the attacks, while the Iranian military said there were "no limits" to its response.

In a letter to the United Nations, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Israel's attack as a "declaration of war" and "called on the Security Council to immediately address this issue", the ministry said.

The Israeli military said Iran launched around 100 drones, with air defences intercepting them outside Israeli territory, while neighbouring Jordan said it intercepted drones and missiles that violated its airspace.

US President Donald Trump told Fox News he had prior knowledge of the Israeli strikes, which Israel said involved 200 fighter jets. Trump also stressed that Tehran "cannot have a nuclear bomb".

The United States underlined that it was not involved in the Israeli action and warned Iran not to attack its personnel or interests, but Tehran said Washington would be "responsible for consequences".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck at the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme", taking aim at nuclear scientists and the main underground enrichment facility in Natanz.

The strikes would "continue as many days as it takes", the Israeli leader said, while the military said intelligence showed Iran was approaching the "point of no return" on its nuclear programme.

The strikes killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, Iranian media reported.

Khamenei swiftly appointed new commanders to replace those killed, while state media said a senior adviser to the supreme leader had himself been wounded.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the "precise targeting of senior commanders... sends a strong and clear message: those who work toward Israel's destruction will be eliminated".

AFP images showed a gaping hole in the side of a Tehran residential building that appeared to have sustained a targeted and localised strike.

State media said civilians, including women and children, were killed. Tasnim news agency said six nuclear scientists were among the dead.

- Flights suspended -

Tehran's streets were deserted except for queues at petrol stations, a familiar sight in times of crisis.

Air traffic was halted at Tehran's main gateway, Imam Khomeini International Airport, while Iraq and Jordan also closed their airspace and suspended flights.

Gulf airlines cancelled flights to and from Iran, as well as Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Israel declared a state of emergency and closed its airspace, and hours later, the Jordanian military said its aircraft and air defence systems intercepted "a number of missiles and drones that entered Jordanian airspace".

There are "no limits in responding to this crime", Iran's armed forces said, accusing Israel of crossing "all red lines".

Oil prices surged while stocks sank on the Israeli strikes, which came after Trump's warning of a "massive conflict" in the region.

Trump had also said the United States was drawing down staff in the Middle East, after Iran had threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict broke out.

Prior to the strikes, Trump said he believed a deal on Iran's nuclear programme was "fairly close", cautioning however that an Israeli attack on its arch foe could wreck the chances of an agreement.

The US leader did not disclose the details of a conversation with Netanyahu on Monday, but said: "I don't want them going in, because I think it would blow it."

Trump quickly added: "Might help it actually, but it also could blow it."

- 'Within reach' -

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

With the violence raising questions on whether a sixth round of talks planned between the US and Iran would still take place on Sunday in Oman, Trump said Washington is still "hoping to get back to the negotiating table".

Confirming Natanz among targets, the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it was "closely monitoring" the situation, while the Israeli military said it hit the underground uranium enrichment centrifuges at the vast site.

- 'Extremist' -

Israel, which counts on US military and diplomatic support, sees Iran as an existential threat.

Netanyahu has vowed less restraint since the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Tehran-backed Hamas, which triggered the war in Gaza.

After the Hamas attack, Iran and Israel traded direct attacks for the first time last year.

Aside from Hamas, Israel is also battling Iranian proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Huthis in Yemen.

Israel again called for global action after the IAEA accused Iran on Thursday of non-compliance with its obligations.

Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, slammed the resolution as "extremist", while Tehran said it would launch a new enrichment facility in a secure location.

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set by a largely moribund 2015 agreement with major powers, but still short, of the 90 percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead.

O.Salim--SF-PST