Watch Video: Iran strikes back after Israeli attack, blasts rock Tel Aviv, Jerusalem

Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes on Israel late Friday into Saturday morning, killing at least two people and injuring others. The attacks followed a series of intense Israeli strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and military leadership.


Israel’s offensive involved both warplanes and drones that had reportedly been smuggled into Iran in advance. These strikes targeted key facilities and resulted in the deaths of senior generals and scientists.


Israel defended the operation as a preemptive move to stop Iran from getting closer to developing a nuclear weapon. However, both U.S. officials and independent experts had assessed that Iran was not actively pursuing such a weapon before the Israeli strikes. The escalation also disrupted ongoing nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, just days before the two sides were scheduled to meet on Sunday.

In response, Iran launched swarms of drones followed by waves of ballistic missiles at Israeli cities. Explosions lit up the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, shaking buildings and sending civilians—already tense due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict—into shelters for several hours.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a recorded message on Friday, declared: “We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed.” Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations stated that 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in the Israeli attacks.

The Iranian missile barrage continued into early Saturday, marking a sharp escalation in the already volatile regional conflict.