US and Israel launch strikes on Iran

The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting its leadership and dimming hopes of a diplomatic solution to Tehran's nuclear dispute with the West.

The first wave of strikes in what the Pentagon named "OPERATION EPIC FURY" mainly targeted Iranian officials, a source familiar with the matter said.

A source with knowledge of the matter had earlier told Reuters that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.

An Iranian source close to the establishment said several senior commanders in Iran's Revolutionary Guards and political officials had been killed. Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a first wave of retaliatory Iranian missile and drone attacks had been launched against Israel, and that all US bases and interests in the region were within Iran's reach, an Iranian official told Reuters.

Iran's retaliation would continue until "the enemy is decisively defeated," the Revolutionary Guards said.

The UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan confirmed intercepting Iranian missiles targeting its region. 

Global airlines cancelled flights across the Middle East.

The scope of the US air and sea operations was not immediately clear. The campaign is expected to last for multiple days, a US official said.

The attack follows a 12-day air war last June between Israel and Iran and repeated US-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said the attack - launched agains Iran was pre-emptive and intended to remove threats to Israel.

An Israeli defence official said the operation had been planned for months in coordination with Washington, and that the launch date was decided weeks ago.

The Israeli military announced the closure of schools and workplaces, with exceptions for essential sectors, and a ban on public airspace. Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights.