Before the operation became public, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tweeted that he was at the embassy in Jerusalem and “will remain here all night,” adding: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
State of play: The Israeli operation is very broad in scale, with both nuclear and missile sites and high-ranking Iranians targeted.
Netanyahu said planning had been underway for months to simultaneously strike Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. He claimed Iran had taken unprecedented steps in its nuclear program and was rapidly producing a massive stockpile of ballistic missiles, both of which Israel was seeking to “eliminate.”
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said only “necessary” activities should take place in Israel starting Friday morning local time. That includes a ban on “educational activities, gatherings and workplaces, with the exception of essential businesses.”
Israel closed its airspace, and Iran also suspended flights out of Tehran’s international airport. Israel’s political leaders were moved to a secure location.
Friction point: Israel has been preparing and drilling for weeks, but had previously told the U.S. it would wait to see what happened with Trump’s nuclear talks.
In his statement, Netanyahu thanked Trump for his years of support for Israel and opposition to Iran’s nuclear program. But he does not appear to have had Trump’s support for this attack.
A sixth round of U.S.-Iran talks had been scheduled for Sunday, but Israel has likely now wiped out any prospect of a deal.
What to watch: Iran has vowed to strike U.S. targets in the region in the event of any attack on its nuclear program.
The U.S. is in the process of withdrawing diplomats and military families in Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait who could be in harm’s way.
The U.S. has also boosted air defenses around several of its sources in the Gulf.
This breaking news story has been updated throughout.