What you need to know as Israel launches strikes against Iran

The operation, called "Rising Lion", killed a number of Iranian commanders, scientists and the head of the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard, according to Iranian state media.

Iran launched more than 100 drones towards Israel after the country vowed retaliation, an Israeli military spokesperson said.

Here is what we know so far.

What has happened?

Shortly after 1am UK time on Friday, Israel launched what it called "pre-emptive strikes" against targets in Iran.

Explosions were heard in Iran's capital, Tehran, while Iranian state TV broadcast footage of blown-out walls, burning roofs and shattered windows in residential buildings across the city.

It reported that blasts had set the Revolutionary Guard's headquarters on fire.

Bracing for retaliation, Israel closed its airspace and said it was calling up tens of thousands of soldiers to protect the country's borders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation "will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat".

The Israeli military said all of its pilots involved in the strike on Iran returned home unharmed, as the country's armed forces continued assessing the results of the operation.

Flights around the Middle East were cancelled as a result of the strikes, with passengers in Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Iran and Dubai facing delays.

Where and who was targeted?

In a video announcing the military operation, Mr Netanyahu said the strikes hit Iran's main nuclear enrichment site, the Natanz atomic facility, and targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists.

He said Israel had also struck Iran's ballistic missile arsenal.

The international atomic watchdog (IAEA) said it is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels after the Natanz facility - which is in the central Isfahan province - was targeted.

The head of the country's Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, has been killed, along with Major General Gholam Ali Rashid.

Six nuclear scientists have also been killed, according to Iranian state media.

Nuclear scientist Fereydoun Abbasi and theoretical physicist Dr Mohammed Mehdi Tehranchi have been named as among the dead by Mehr News.

Why has Israel launched strikes now?

The attack comes amid rising international fears over Iran's nuclear programme, with the UN watchdog warning earlier this week that the country is breaking its obligations for the first time in 20 years.

Israel and the US have long feared that Iran is plotting to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran has repeatedly denied this and insists its programme is for civilian purposes - to generate energy.

Mr Netanyahu claimed on Friday that if Iran wasn't stopped, "it could produce a nuclear weapon within a very short time".

He went further to claim Iran had in recent years developed enough highly-enriched uranium for "nine atom bombs".

US and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran's escalating uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday.

Israel previously launched strikes on Iran in October 2024.

Sky News' Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said last year's strikes eliminated much of Iran's air defences, giving the Israeli air force some freedom of movement in Iran's skies.

But Iran has been rebuilding those defences, Bunkall adds, so Israel's window to operate was closing.

Has Iran responded?

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, warned of "severe punishment", claiming Israel targeted "residential areas".

"In the enemy's attacks, a number of commanders and scientists were martyred. Their successors and colleagues will immediately continue their duties," he said in a statement reported by the Tasnim news agency.

Hours after Israeli strikes, Iran launched more than 100 drones in retaliation, an Israel Defence Force (IDF) spokesperson said.

The IDF confirmed Israel had begun intercepting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) which it said had been fired from Iran.

A second volley of more than 100 drones were then launched towards Israel, which will take several hours to make the journey.

Strikes over the past year

Tensions between Iran and Israel have boiled over in the past year.

Iran has backed, funded and trained several proxy groups across the Middle East region to varying degrees, including Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and a number of other factions based in Syria and Iraq.

Israel accuses Iran of backing militant attacks against it, while Iran says Israel has carried out a number of killings of Iranian officials and scientists - which Israel has not commented on. 

Below are some of the attacks that have happened since April 2024:

How has the world reacted?

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that America was not involved in the attack and warned Iran not to retaliate against American interests in the region.

Mr Rubio added that America believes the strikes are necessary for Israel's self defence.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged "all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently".

The UK is not currently helping to defend Israel from Iranian drone attacks, Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes, said.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said it is paying close attention to Israeli attacks on Iran and has called on the relevant parties to act in ways that will lead to regional peace and stability.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he will hold a defence cabinet meeting in the aftermath of the strikes.

In the Middle East, the UAE condemned Israel's strikes against Iran "in the strongest terms" and expressed "deep concern" over the repercussions on regional security. Saudi Arabia also condemned the Israeli attack.

Neighbouring Qatar called Israel's attack a "flagrant violation" of Iran's sovereignty and security.

-SKY NEWS