Iran launches missiles against Israel

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Inter Milan forward Mehdi Taremi has been left stranded in Iran after failing to get a flight out of the country amid its conflict with Israel, a club source told Reuters, with Italian media reporting the 32-year-old will miss the Club World Cup.

Iranian airspace was closed after Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran on Friday.

Taremi played in Iran's 3-0 win over North Korea in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran last week.

Inter begin their Club World Cup campaign on Tuesday, taking on Mexico's Monterrey in Pasadena, followed by two games in Seattle against Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan and Argentina's River Plate.

Taremi made 43 appearances in all competitions for Inter in the 2024-25 season, scoring three goals. 

(Reuters)

Israel's emergency services said three people were killed and more than 130 wounded after Iranian rocket strikes hit two sites early Sunday.

A 69-year-old woman, an 80-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy were killed, while 100 others were wounded in a rocket strike "in the central region", according to a spokesperson for Magen David Adom.

In Shfela region, another 37 people were wounded, the spokesperson added.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, and discussed the "gravely concerning situation in the Middle East", the prime minister's office said in a statement on Saturday.

The leaders agreed on the need to de-escalate, the statement added.

Starmer also reiterated that the UK is poised to work closely with its allies in the coming days to support a diplomatic resolution, the PM's office said.

(Reuters) 

A series of blasts were heard in Tehran at around 2:30 am (2300 GMT) Sunday, but the origin was not immediately known, as Iran and Israel exchange drone and missile fire.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said early Sunday that the country had struck sites used by Israeli warplanes for refuelling, in retaliation for strikes carried out by Israel since Friday.

At least five have been killed after Iran attacked northern Israel, the Times of Israel ​​​​​​reports. The missile hit the city of Tamra, a predominantly Palestinian city near Haifa, killing members of the same family.

Israel's military said early Sunday it had struck Iran's defence ministry headquarters, "nuclear weapons project" infrastructure sites and other targets, as the rival nations exchanged fire for a third day.

The Israeli military said at around 2:40 am (2340 GMT Saturday) that its air force had just "completed an extensive series of intelligence-based strikes on a number of targets in Tehran related to the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons project", as well as on fuel tankers.

"The targets included the Iranian Ministry of Defense headquarters, the headquarters of the SPND (Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research) nuclear project, and additional targets" which Israel said advanced Iran's efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Air raid sirens and booms rang out in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Sunday, AFP journalists said, as Israel and Iran exchanged fire for a third day.

Israel's military wrote in a post on X that millions of Israelis were "running for shelter as sirens sound" in dozens of cities and communities around the country.

Iran fired a fresh barrage of missiles at Israel, state television announced early Sunday, as the rivals exchanged fire for a third day.

"A new wave of Operation Honest Promise 3 began a few minutes ago," Iranian state TV reported at around 03:10 am (2340 GMT Saturday), while broadcasting live images of Israel.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it attacked fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centres in Israel.

“The offensive operations of the IRGC armed forces will continue more fiercely and widely if the evils and aggressions continue,” it said in a statement.

At leasr three have been killed in northern Israel after an Iranian missile targeted northern Israel, with others feared to be trapped in the rubble.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said early Sunday that the country had struck sites used by Israeli warplanes for refuelling, as the two rival states bombarded each other for a second day.

"Installations producing fuel for fighter planes and the (Israeli) regime's energy supply centres were targeted by a multitude of drones and missiles," the Guards said in a statement.

"The Iranian armed forces' offensive operations will continue more fiercely and more broadly if the depravity and attacks (against Iran) continue."

Israeli first responders said Sunday that a woman was killed when an Iranian missile attack damaged a house near the northern city of Haifa.

"Teams have confirmed the death of a woman in her 20s who was rescued from the rubble", emergency service providers Magen David Adom said in a statement, adding that surrounding homes also sustained damage.

The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority has announced Syria's airspace will be closed until 8am local time (05:00 GMT), the state-run SANA news agency reported.

Iranian news agency Tasnim reported Saturday that an Israeli strike had targeted the country's defence ministry headquarters in Tehran and damaged one of its buildings.

In "an attack on Tehran this evening by the air force of the Zionist regime, the headquarters of the defence ministry was targeted. One of the headquarters' buildings was lightly damaged," the agency said.

The defence ministry did not comment.

Thousands of demonstrators protested across France on Saturday in support of Palestinians and calling for peace in Gaza.

French trade unions, left-wing parties and pro-Palestinian activist groups called for a global weekend of protests against Israel's offensive in the territory.

In Paris, where the largest march took place, police counted 9,000 demonstrators, while the CGT trade union and hard-left party France Unbowed (LFI) said 150,000 attended the gathering.

European Parliament member Rima Hassan called on supporters to "deviate, disobey and take all necessary actions to enforce international law, to put an end to genocide".

Protesters on Saturday criticised France's stance on the conflict, branding it conciliatory or even "complicit" with the Israeli government.

"We don't want what is happening in Gaza to be silenced. Every day we hear that 30 to 60 people have died. It has become routine, we don't see it anymore and I'm afraid that with what's happening with Iran, it will become even more invisible," said one protester, Eve, 63, who declined to give her last name.

Thousands of people also rallied in the cities of Marseille, Toulouse and Rennes.

Israeli strikes hit two fuel depots in Tehran, the Iranian oil ministry said Sunday, shortly after Iran announced the launch of a new wave of strikes against Israel.

According to the oil ministry, the oil depots at Shahran, northwest of Tehran and another reservoir south of the city were hit.

An AFP journalist saw the depot at Shahran on fire.

Jordan announced the closure of its airspace late Saturday for a second time since the start of the most intense direct confrontation between arch-foes Israel and Iran.

The civil aviation authority in Jordan, which borders Israel, announced in a statement the closure until further notice of the country's airspace, as well as the suspension of all takeoffs, landings and transit.

Israel's emergency services said Saturday that an Iranian missile hit a home in the country's Haifa region, leaving 14 people injured, including one in a critical condition.

"Teams have reported 14 casualties at a two-storey home in the Western Galilee, including one in critical condition and the rest with varying levels of injury," Israel's Magen David Adom agency said in a statement.

Iran said the Shahran oil depot in Tehran was targeted in an Israeli attack on Saturday, but that the "situation was under control".

"The fuel volume in the targeted tank was not high, and the situation is fully under control," Iran's oil ministry's SHANA news agency reported.

(Reuters)

The Israeli military said Saturday that citizens were permitted to leave shelters where they had been told to take refuge after Iran launched a new barrage of missiles towards Israel.

"Following the situational assessment, the Home Front Command published that it is now permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas across the country and to remain near them," the military said in a statement.

Israel's firefighting service said Saturday that residential buildings were hit and a fire started in the country's coastal and northern districts after Iran launched a new barrage of missiles.

"Several incidents have been reported to the Israel Fire and Rescue Services command centres in the Coastal and Northern Districts, with hits on residential buildings and a fire in an open area", Israel Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Tal Volbovitz said in a statement.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said on Saturday he had spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, and expressed concern for civilians in Israel.

"I reiterated the UK's call for a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East," Lammy said in a post on social media platform X.

"Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy," he added.

(Reuters)

The Israeli media said on Saturday that the Israeli military recently attacked Yemen, attempting to assassinate senior Houthi figure.

(Reuters) 

The European Union on Saturday voiced "deepest concern" at the escalation of conflict between Iran and Israel, calling for restraint to avoid dangers such as a leak of radioactive material.

Their statement came as Israel targeted Iran's air defence capabilities Saturday, following the deadly strikes it began a day earlier on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, prompting counterattacks by Iran.

It called "on all sides to abide by international law, show restraint and refrain from taking further steps which could lead to serious consequences such as potential radioactive release".

Issued by the office of Kaja Kallas, the bloc's foreign policy chief, it expressed "deepest concern at the dangerous escalation that threatens to destabilise the Middle East following Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran's response".

Iraq on Saturday called on the United States to prevent Israeli aircraft from breaching Iraqi airspace to carry out attacks against Iran, citing bilateral agreements and international law.

"The Iraqi government urges the United States to uphold its responsibilities under the agreements signed between the two countries and prevent aircraft belonging to the Zionist entity from once again violating Iraqi airspace," military spokesman Sabah al-Numan said in a statement.

(Reuters) 

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan told US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Saturday that Turkey sees nuclear negotiations as the only way to resolve the conflict between Israel and Iran, Erdogan's office said.

According to a statement by his office, Erdogan told Trump that Turkey supports the US view that nuclear negotiations should continue to resolve the dispute and Ankara is ready to do its part to prevent an uncontrolled escalation. 

Iran’s official news agency says Iranian forces are carrying out an attack targeting Israel, saying they have targeted military targets. The missiles have reportedly hit he northern coastal city of Haifa and neighbouring town of Tamra, Israel's Channel 13 reports.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, "This war in Israel-Iran should end," with his comments coming in a social media post about his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The call (between Trump and Putin) lasted approximately 1 hour. He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end," Trump said on Truth Social.

(Reuters)

The Israeli military said Saturday that it is carrying out air strikes in Tehran while simultaneously working to intercept missiles launched from Iran toward Israel.

"While the (Israeli military) is operating to intercept missiles launched from Iran, the (Israeli air force) is currently striking military targets in Tehran," the military said, adding that sirens sounded in several areas across Israel.

The Israeli military said Iran had launched a new salvo of missiles on Saturday and urged citizens to head to shelters.

"A short while ago, the IDF (military) identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the military said. "Upon receiving an alert, the public is instructed to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice."

The Israeli military said it struck an underground facility Saturday in western Iran's Khorramabad that contained surface-to-surface and cruise missiles.

"This is an important site that was even featured in a propaganda video by the Iranian regime in the past," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told journalists.

He was likely referring to footage aired by Iran's Revolutionary Guards earlier this year showing what it described as a new underground missile facility.

"It was struck and the senior officials associated with it have also been eliminated," Defrin said, adding that "dozens of other such sites have also been destroyed".

The military said the site contained "storage tunnels for surface-to-surface missiles and cruise missiles as well as multiple launch shafts".

Iranian media reported strikes on Lorestan province, where Khorramabad is located, on Saturday.

The Internet is back up in the Gaza Strip, the head of the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority told AFP on Saturday, after a three-day blackout following Israeli attacks.

"The network is up now in all of the Gaza Strip," said the telecom agency's CEO, Laith Daraghmeh, after the Palestinian Authority's telecommunications ministry had reported internet and fixed-line communications were down as Israeli forces on Thursday targeted a fibre optic cable, a claim Israel has not commented on.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that Tehran would not attend nuclear talks with the United States so long as Israel kept up its attacks on the Islamic Republic.

In a call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Pezeshkian said Iran favoured diplomacy, but will not "accept irrational demands under pressure or... sit at the negotiating table while the Zionist regime continues its attacks", according to a readout shared by the Iranian presidency.

Macron said in a statement of his own that he had asked Pezeshkian to "return swiftly to the negotiating table".

Iran's state TV said on Saturday that "heavy and destructive" attacks by Iran against Israel were expected within the coming hours, as the Israeli military continues to strike several targets across Iran. 

(Reuters)

Gas production has been suspended from part of Iran's South Pars field following an Israeli attack on the site on Saturday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

"Due to a fire in one of the four units of Phase 14 of South Pars, the production of 12 million cubic metres of gas from the Phase 14 platform has been temporarily halted until this section of the refinery is brought back into operation," Tasnim said.

The strike had resulted in a fire, which the Iranian oil ministry said was later extinguished.

The giant South Pars field, located in the southern Bushehr province, is one of Iran's two main hydrocarbon production facilities.

(Reuters)

The Iranian Red Crescent and local media reported on Saturday that an Israeli strike hit an ambulance in the country's northwest, killing two people.

Tasnim news agency reported an explosion at a barracks in the city of Urmia, adding "rescuers and ambulances heading towards the barracks came under direct attack from Israel", leaving two people dead. The Red Crescent confirmed the information in a brief statement of its own.

Iran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, said Saturday that Israel's strikes on his country were undermining nuclear talks with the United States.

Araghchi, in a call with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said the Israeli attacks since Friday "took place in the midst of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States" and were "a further sign of the (Israeli) regime's inherent hostility to diplomacy", according to a statement from Tehran's foreign ministry.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned against a "devastating war" between Israel and Iran that could trigger a refugee crisis, in a series of calls to regional leaders, his office said.

Israel was seeking "to drag the whole region into the fire," Erdogan told Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.

His conversations came as Israel and Iran escalated their deadly barrages of missiles and drones, raising fears of an intense war that could affect multiple countries around the Middle East.

To Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Erdogan said: "Our region cannot tolerate another crisis, and a devastating war could create waves of irregular migration towards all the countries in the region."

Gaza's civil defence agency reported 41 people killed in the Israeli military offensive in the Palestinian territory Saturday, more than half of whom it said were killed while waiting for aid.

"Forty-one people were martyred due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, 23 of whom were waiting for aid," Mohammad al-Mughayyir, an official from the agency, told AFP.

The Israeli military did not respond to AFP's request for comment.

Egyptian authorities have blocked activists' efforts to hold a march to the Gaza border to draw attention to Israel's blockade of the war-torn Palestinian territory, organisers said Saturday.

Several dozen activists hoping to join the planned Global March to Gaza were stopped on the edge of Cairo as they attempted to reach the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya, the organisers said.

From there, they had hoped to travel on by road to the North Sinai city of El-Arish, the starting point for their planned march to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on the Gaza border.

Most of the activists were ordered onto buses back to the capital after several hours of questioning, but some remained in custody on Saturday, the organisers said.

"We were blocked for six to seven hours before security forces violently dispersed our group," one organiser said.

At least one activist was expelled from Egypt, several sources said, adding to dozens more denied entry or expelled in the run-up.

Egyptian authorities have not commented on the reported expulsions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in a phone call on Saturday that Moscow condemns Israel's use of force against Iran and is ready to help de-escalate the situation in the Middle East.

Russia is prepared to continue to work to resolve issues surrounding Iran's nuclear programme, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Israel continued to conduct airstrikes in Iran on Saturday, the day after it launched an unprecedented bombing campaign, killing commanders and scientists and striking nuclear and military sites.

(AFP and TNA staff)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump discussed the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran in a telephone call on Saturday, Russian news agencies quoted top Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov as saying.

Ushakov said Putin condemned Israeli attacks on Iran and the two leaders did not rule out returning to discussions on Iran's nuclear programme.

The agencies quoted Ushakov as saying the two presidents spoke for about 50 minutes. He described the talk as meaningful and useful.

(Reuters and TNA staff)

China's foreign minister Wang Yi held phone calls with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts on Saturday, Beijing's foreign ministry said in separate statements.

Wang told Iran's Abbas Araghchi that China would support Tehran in "defending its legitimate rights and interests", the ministry said, while he told Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar that Beijing opposed Israel's actions of "attacking Iran with force", the statements said.

(AFP)

An Israeli drone has attacked a gas refinery in the south of Iran triggering a "massive explosion", according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The Fajr-e-Jam refinery, located in Bushehr province, processes gas from the South Pars field in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday slammed the United States' "dishonesty" for supporting Israel while Washington and Tehran were engaged in nuclear talks.

"The Zionist regime's coordination with the United States in its aggression against Iranian territory in the midst of negotiations is a sign of America's dishonesty and unreliability," Pezeshkian said in a phone call with the Pakistani prime minister, according to the Iranian presidency.

(AFP)

Oman's foreign minister has announced that the sixth round of Iran-US nuclear talks planned for Sunday will not take place.

"The Iran US talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place. But diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace," Badr Albusaidi wrote in a post on X.

Iran's foreign minister said earlier on Saturday that continuing the negotiations in the wake of Israel's attack would be "unjustifiable". 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called Israel the "biggest threat to the stability of the region" during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, and said the country "must be stopped" in order to prevent a devastating war in the region.

"President Erdogan stated that Israel under the Netanyahu administration is the biggest threat to the stability and security of the region, that this has been demonstrated once again with the attack on Iran, and that Israel must be stopped in order to reduce tensions," Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened on Saturday to strike "every target of the ayatollah regime" in Iran.

"We will hit every site, every target of the ayatollah regime," Netanyahu said in a video statement on the second day of Israel's air campaign targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites. "We have dealt a real blow to their nuclear programme" since Friday, the prime minister added.

(AFP)

A China-led 10-state regional group said it strongly condemns Israel's military strikes on Iran and expressed serious concern over the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, according to a statement from the organisation.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a Eurasian security and political group, said Israel's act targeted civilian facilities and nuclear facilities, causing civilian casualties.

"This seriously violated the principles of international law and the UN Charter, undermined Iran's sovereignty, undermined regional and international security, and had a serious impact on global peace and stability," the SCO said. 

India - a member of the SCO - distanced itself from the statement, and instead called on both Israel and Iran to de-escalate.

(Reuters)

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it has killed more than 20 Iranian army and Revolutionary Guards commanders since it began its unprecedented bombing campaign on Friday.

"Since the beginning of the operation, over 20 commanders in the Iranian regime's security apparatus have been eliminated," the military said in a statement, naming several top commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the armed forces.

The dead include armed forces chief Mohammad Bagheri, the head of the Revolutionary Guards Hossein Salami, and the IRGC's aerospace chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Iranian media reported a police chief and another officer were killed in drone strike Saturday, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) west of Tehran, as Israel kept up its air campaign against the Islamic republic for a second day.

"This morning police chief Major Habibollah Akbarian, along with second lieutenant Amir Hossein Seifi, were martyred by a drone strike in Asadabad city in the western province of Hamedan," the ISNA press agency reported.

(AFP)

Continuing Iran-US nuclear talks is unjustifiable while "barbarous" Israeli attacks persist on the country, Iranian state media cited Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as saying on Saturday.

On Friday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the dialogue with the US over Tehran's nuclear programme is "meaningless" after Israel's biggest-ever military strike against on Iran, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.

(Reuters)

Baghdad has asked Tehran not to target US interests on Iraqi soil, a senior security official said Saturday.

The government in Baghdad is a close ally of Tehran but also a strategic partner of Iran's arch-foe the United States, which has some 2,500 troops in Iraq.

Fearing being caught up in a regional escalation, the Iraqi government asked Tehran not to strike in its territory, a senior Iraqi security official told AFP.

"The request was made. They promised us positive things," said the official, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

(AFP and TNA staff)

The Israeli military said Saturday that its ongoing air campaign in Iran had now given it the required "aerial freedom" for actions from west Iran to Tehran, where 70 fighter jets carried out strikes overnight.

"We have created aerial freedom of action from west Iran all the way to Tehran... Tehran is no longer immune," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told journalists, adding that the air force "launched a massive strike involving more than 70 fighter jets, targeting objectives in Tehran" overnight.

Israel's military on Saturday said it was "currently" launching attacks on several sites across Iran as it kept up its campaign targeting the Islamic republic's military and nuclear sites.

"We are currently launching attacks on several sites in Iran," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised press conference after Iran responded to Israeli strikes with waves of drones and missile barrages.

The closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz was being seriously reviewed by Iran, IRINN reported, citing statements by Esmail Kosari, a member of the parliament's security commission.

The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Oman and Iran, is the world's most important gateway for oil shipping.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Saturday said he was "alarmed" by events overnight in the Israel-Iran conflict.

"Alarmed by further strikes in the Middle East overnight, with reports of fatalities and injuries in Israel. We must urgently de-escalate & prevent any further harm to civilians," Lammy said on X, formerly Twitter, adding that he had spoken to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi "to urge calm".

Israeli fire and airstrikes killed at least 35 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, most of them near an aid distribution site operated by the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, local health authorities said.

Medics at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in central Gaza areas, where most of the casualties were moved to, said at least 15 people were killed as they tried to approach the GHF aid distribution site near the Netzarim corridor.

An Iranian missile strike wounded seven soldiers in central Israel overnight, a military spokesperson said Saturday, one of several barrages launched in response to Israel's attack on military and nuclear sites.

"Seven... soldiers were lightly injured last night, as a result of an Iranian missile hit to central Israel," the spokesperson said. Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv is in central Israel and the city hosts the defence ministry and military headquarters.

(AFP)

The US will not join Israel in its attack against Iran, US President Donald Trump reportedly told the Israeli prime minister in a phone call on Thursday ahead of Israel's initial strikes.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump told Netanyahu that his administration would not oppose an Israeli attack but that it could not receive US military assistance in its offensive operations. 

Israel's Ben Gurion international airport is closed until further notice, a spokesperson said on Saturday, as Israel and Iran traded fire for a second day.

"There is no date or day set to reopen the airport," airport spokesperson Lisa Diver told AFP.

Three soldiers in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have been killed in an Israeli strike in northwestern Iran, according to Tasnim. 

The strike took place in the province of Zanjan, the semi-official news agency said.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed a new head of the Revolutionary Guards air arm on Saturday to replace the one killed by an Israeli strike.

In a decree, Khamenei named Majid Mousavi to replace Amirali Hajizadeh as commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aerospace force.

(AFP)

The Israeli military said on Saturday its air strikes in Iran the previous day resulted in the deaths of nine Iranian nuclear scientists.

"During the Israeli air force strikes at the onset of Operation Rising Lion, nine senior scientists and experts, who advanced the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons programme, were eliminated," the military said in a statement, listing the names of those killed.

(AFP and TNA staff)

Pope Leo appealed on Saturday for authorities in Iran and Israel to act with "reason" after airstrikes between the two countries killed dozens and sent civilians into shelters, and called on the nations to pursue dialogue.

Leo, in one of the strongest peace appeals yet of his five-week papacy, told an audience in St. Peter's Basilica he was following the situation with "great concern."

"In such a delicate moment, I strongly wish to renew an appeal to responsibility and to reason," said the pope.

(Reuters)

Iran has yet to decide whether to join a sixth round of nuclear talks with the United States on Sunday, state media reported.

"It is still unclear what decision we will make for Sunday," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said of the talks in Oman, quoted by the official IRNA news agency on Saturday.

(AFP)

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz on Saturday warned that "Tehran will burn" if Iran fired more missiles at Israel.

"The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing about a reality in which they - especially the residents of Tehran - will pay a heavy price because of the criminal harm to Israeli civilians," Katz was quoted as saying in a statement.

"If [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei continues to fire missiles toward the Israeli home front - Tehran will burn."

Iranian media is reporting a new round of Israeli missile strikes in several areas of western Iran.

Footage published by Fars news agency appears to show smoke rising in Tabriz, the capital of east Azerbaijan province. 

The agency also reported explosions was heard in Kermanshah and Khorramabad.

Around 60 people, including 20 children, have been killed in an Israeli attack on a residential building in Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Saturday.

Iran's UN ambassador told the Security Council on Friday that the Israeli military had killed 78 people and injured more than 320 others in the initial airstrikes.

(Reuters and TNA staff)

Iran confirmed that its Fordow nuclear facility sustained limited damage, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Saturday, after being targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

"There has been limited damage to some areas at the Fordow enrichment site," state atomic energy agency spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi said. "We had already moved a significant part of the equipment and materials out, and there was no extensive damage and there are no contamination concerns."

Fordow is one of Iran's key nuclear enrichment sites. Another facility, Natanz, was damaged by Israeli strikes on Friday.

(Reuters and TNA staff)

Jordan's civil aviation authority said it reopened its airspace on Saturday, a day after suspending it as Israel and Iran traded fire.

"Jordan has reopened its airspace starting 7:30 am (0430 GMT)," the chairman of the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission, Haitham Misto, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Lebanon said it will temporarily reopen its airspace on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. (0700 GMT), the state news agency NNA said.

The airspace will be shut down again starting from 10:30 pm (1930 GMT) till 6:00 am (0300 GMT) on Sunday, NNA reported citing the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority. 

The airspaces of Iran, Israel, and Iraq remain closed.

(AFP and TNA staff)

Israel's military said Saturday it was striking dozens of missile launchers in Iran, after announcing it had targeted air defences with a wave of strikes in the Tehran area overnight.

The Israeli air force "continues striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran", the military said in a statement.

(AFP)

Two senior Iranian generals have been killed in Israeli strikes, state television reported Saturday, as Israel kept up its assault on Iran's military and nuclear capabilities.

General Gholamreza Mehrabi, deputy head of intelligence of the armed forces general staff, and General Mehdi Rabbani, deputy head of operations, "were martyred", the broadcaster said.

(AFP)

Iran's strikes against Israel will continue, with targets set to expand to include US bases in the region in the coming days, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Saturday, citing senior Iranian military officials.

"This confrontation will not end with last night's limited actions and Iran's strikes will continue, and this action will be very painful and regrettable for the aggressors," Fars reported, citing senior military officials.

They were quoted saying that the war would "spread in the coming days to all areas occupied by this (Israeli) regime and American bases in the region".

(Reuters)