Tensions between Iran and Israel continued to escalate as the two sides launched missile and airstrikes after Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against Iran. The operation, Tel Aviv said, is aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks could delay Iran's nuclear program for up to several years. He rejected international calls for restraint and pledged to expand the campaign.
We will attack all facilities and all targets of that regime. What they are feeling up to now is nothing compared to what is coming, he said in a video message.
In Tehran, Iranian state television reported that about 60 people, including 20 children, were killed in an attack on a residential area. Israel has claimed to have attacked more than 150 targets across Iran.
Meanwhile, Tehran has vowed to retaliate fiercely and warned its allies that if they support the firing of Iranian missiles, their military bases in the region will also become targets.
Israel said Iran had launched about 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. The alarm clock rang across Israel, forcing residents to flee into the shelters while the intercept and defense systems were activated. At least three people were killed in the attacks.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned: "If Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei continues to fire missiles into Israeli territory, Tehran will be burned down."
Concerns about a large-scale regional conflict are mounting as Israel says the operation could last for weeks and calls on the Iranian people to rise up against the clerical leadership. In that context, Gulf countries, which have long waryed Iran but are also afraid of falling into conflict, have called for restraint. Oil prices have increased by about 7% due to concerns about disruptions in oil exports from the region.
An Iranian lawmaker and military general, Esmail Kosari, said the country is considering the possibility of closing the Hormuz Strait - a key oil export route from the Gulf.
However, Tehran's retaliatory options are being narrowed after 20 months of conflict in Gaza and last year's conflict in Lebanon, which has seriously weakened Iran's two strongest proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah.
