The Tehran offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were reportedly the target of joint Israeli-American strikes on Iran on Saturday.
According to an Associated Press (AP) report citing state television, an explosion was reported in the area of Khamenei’s office. Authorities closed the roads to his compound in central Tehran as more explosions rang out across the capital.
Iranian officials, as quoted by a local daily, said he was not in Tehran at the time of the strike and had been taken to a safe location.
Khamenei was not seen in public for several days as tensions with the United States rose.
More explosions hit Iran’s capital after Israel said it was attacking the country. The authorities did not provide any information about the victims of the airstrikes.
Iran has closed its airspace and cell phone services have been cut. The warning to pilots came as explosions rang out in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
The US is participating in the strikes, a US official told the AP. However, it is not clear what the extent of American involvement is.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the country’s participation in the strike, saying its “goal is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime”.
Trump shared his address to the nation in a Truth Social post, saying, “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
“Iran has tried to renew its nuclear program; we are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,” he added.
The attack came as the US massed a large fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to force Iran into a deal on its nuclear program.
Trump wanted a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program and sees an opportunity as the country grapples with growing dissent at home after nationwide protests.
What did Israel say?
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the attack “to eliminate threats”.
Several hospitals in Israel have initiated their emergency protocols, including moving patients and surgeries to underground facilities.
Sirens went off across Israel at the same time it closed its airspace. The Israeli military said it had issued a “proactive warning to prepare the public for the possibility of rockets being fired at the State of Israel.”
Will Iran strike back?
Tehran is preparing for retaliation, an Iranian official told Reuters, adding that the response would be overwhelming. Iran has previously warned that US military personnel and bases located throughout the region would be targeted in any retaliation.
Iran also said it hoped to avert war but insisted it had the right to enrich uranium and did not want to discuss other issues such as its long-range missile program or support for armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
