Israel attacked Iran

"In recent months, Iran has taken steps it has not taken before - the aim of which is to transform enriched uranium into a weapon (...) if Iran is not stopped, it could very quickly produce a nuclear weapon. This is a threat to the existence of the Israeli state," said Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The Israeli prime minister stressed that the aim of this "unprecedented operation" is to hit Iran's nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile factories and other military installations. He warned that Iran still has "significant capabilities" that could be used against Israel. He added that "the operation will continue as long as necessary."

The Israeli airstrikes on Iran that began early Friday morning are aimed at that country's nuclear facilities, the Israeli army announced. It added that the operation could last several days. The airspace over Israel has been closed. Civilians have been ordered to stay near shelters, awaiting the expected retaliation.

The Israeli military has launched a "preemptive precision strike" against dozens of targets across Iran, the IDF said in a statement.

It added that Iran had been waging a terrorist campaign against Israel for years "directly and through proxies" while simultaneously seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

"The Iranian regime has announced that its goal is to destroy Israel (...) Iran is now closer than ever to acquiring nuclear weapons. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to Israel and a grave threat to the entire world. Israel will not allow a regime that seeks to destroy the state of Israel to acquire weapons of mass destruction," the army said.

Israel has taken unilateral action against Iran, and the United States is not involved in it, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, warning Iran against attacking American troops.

"Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not engaged in attacks on Iran, and our highest priority is protecting American forces in the region," Rubio said in a statement.

Authorities in Tehran reported a missile attack on the Iranian capital on Friday. An emergency meeting was called with the country's top security officials.

"Israel has informed us that it believes this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not attack U.S. interests or personnel," he added.