Summary

  • US President Donald Trump confirms US has launched "major combat operations" in Iran

  • It comes after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says his country has launched a "pre-emptive" attack on Iran

  • The BBC has received images of smoke rising in Tehran, as Iranian state media report further explosions in the east and north of the country's capital city

  • Katz has also announced a state of emergency in Israel in anticipation of retaliatory strikes

  • Sirens sounded across Israel at around 08:15 local time (06:15 GMT), alerting people of the threat of a possible missile attack, writes our Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem

  • International news organisations are often refused visas to Iran which severely limits their ability to gather information about what's going on inside the country

Media caption,

Smoke billows into Tehran sky after Israeli begins Iran strikes

  1. Cyber attacks reported on Iranian state news outletspublished at 08:05 GMT

    Soroush Negahdari
    BBC Monitoring

    Several Iranian state-linked news agencies and online platforms have been targeted by cyber attacks following US and Israeli military strikes on Iran, according to the Telegram channel of the hard-line Hamshahri daily.

    The report said a “widespread wave” of cyber operations had begun alongside the military escalation, with a number of major domestic media platforms experiencing disruption or operational difficulties.

    According to preliminary reports cited by the channel, the websites of the state news agency IRNA and the semi-official ISNA news agency were among outlets reportedly hacked or facing access problems.

    It also said there were reports of disruptions affecting widely used online applications in Iran, although further details about the nature or source of the attacks were not immediately available.

    Based on BBC Monitoring verification, at the time of publication, the websites of the state broadcaster’s IRIB News, IRGC-linked Tasnim and Fars news agencies, the semi-official Mehr and ISNA agencies, were not accessible, at least from abroad.

  2. Trump says Iran developing missiles that could threaten Europepublished at 08:01 GMT

    More now from Trump's statement on Truth Social: The president claims that Iran "attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing long range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas and could seen reach the American homeland."

    He says that the US is undertaking a "massive" operation to "prevent this very wicked radical dictatorship from threatening America".

  3. Trump said no ‘final decisions’ on Iran strikes yesterdaypublished at 07:47 GMT

    President Donald Trump said on Friday the US hadn’t made a “final decision” on whether to strike Iran - but added that he was “not happy” with their negotiating position during nuclear talks.

    Trump said that Iran was "not willing to give us what we have to have”, insisting that Iran “cannot have nuclear weapons”.

    Indirect talks in Geneva between the two countries took place earlier in the week, with both sides saying progress has been made on reaching a deal.

    Washington has been ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme, with Trump repeatedly stating that the US was “ready, willing, and able” to act “with speed and violence, if necessary".

    Asked whether tensions could lead to a drawn out conflict in the Middle East, Trump told reporters on the White House’s front lawn that “there’s always a risk”.

    “When there’s war, there’s a risk of anything - both good and bad,” he added.

  4. Trump says 'we tried to make a deal'published at 07:42 GMT
    Breaking

    More now from Trump: "we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried."

    He adds that "we are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally ... obliterated."

  5. 'Major combat operations' - Trumppublished at 07:40 GMT
    Breaking

    Trump has said the US has launched "major combat operations" in Iran in a video posted on Truth Social.

  6. Trump confirms US involved in attack on Iranpublished at 07:36 GMT
    Breaking

    US President Donald Trump has posted an eight-minute video on his social media platform, Truth Social and confirms that the US was involved in the attack on Iran.

    We are still listening to the video and Trump's full remarks and will update you soon.

  7. Explosions heard in five cities across Iran, state media reportspublished at 07:30 GMT

    Explosions have been heard in cities across Iran, according to Iranian media.

    The Fars news agency reports that explosions were heard in the cities of Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah.

    The news agency has also reported that several missiles hit University Street and the Republic area of the Iranian capital Tehran.

    Explosions were heard in two locations in Tehran, the Islamic Republic News Agency also reports. It says that smoke can be seen in the centre of the city.

  8. Analysis

    Memories fresh in Israel of previous war with Iranpublished at 07:22 GMT

    Lucy Williamson
    Middle East correspondent, reporting from Tel Aviv

    Israel has woken up this morning at war with Iran for the second time in less than a year.

    Tel Aviv’s beaches are largely empty this weekend morning, as the city waits for Iran’s response. Memories are fresh here of Iranian ballistic missiles slamming into apartment blocks during the 12-Day War last June.

    Iran’s own air defences were severely depleted in that war, and its key nuclear sites badly damaged. Internal protest, and the weakening of its proxy militia around the region have left it extremely vulnerable.

    But where Israel sees an opportunity to strike its regional enemy, Iran’s weakness may become a reason for it to respond more forcefully than in the past.

    Israelis across the country are waiting.

  9. Israel and Iran both close airspacepublished at 07:17 GMT

    Israel has closed its airspace to civilian flights following the attack on Iran on Saturday morning, according to reports in Israeli media.

    The Tasnim News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reports Iran's airspace has also been closed.

  10. Attack coordinated with US - reportspublished at 07:12 GMT

    The US coordinated with Israel on the attack on Iran, reports in Israeli and US media say.

    CNN has reported that Israel's attack was coordinated with the US, and Israel's Ynet News has reported the same.

    The BBC has reached out to officials in the US for confirmation.

  11. Iranian state television confirms attacks in Tehranpublished at 07:06 GMT

    Soroush Negahdari
    BBC Monitoring

    Iran's state-run rolling news channel IRINN, in a running caption, has confirmed reports of strikes on 28 February in Tehran, following what Israel described as a "pre-emptive attack" against Iran.

    The broadcaster briefly experienced an audio interruption around 06:30 GMT, before resuming programming, displaying a ticker reporting plumes of smoke and the sound of explosions in parts of the capital.

    IRINN subsequently aired pre-recorded footage of pro-establishment rallies accompanied by music and archive remarks from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for unity against "enemies", alongside interviews with supporters of the Islamic Republic opposing foreign intervention.

  12. Analysis

    Sirens have sounded across Israelpublished at 06:54 GMT

    Hugo Bachega
    Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem

    Sirens sounded across Israel at around 08:15 local time (06:15 GMT), alerting people of the threat of a possible missile attack. The Israeli strikes happen amid diplomatic efforts between US and Iranian officials for a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear programme and avert a war, and negotiations were expected to continue next week.

    Iran had made concessions in the talks, although US President Donald Trump - who had previously threatened to attack Iran to put pressure on its leaders to accept a deal - said yesterday he was not “thrilled” with the way the discussions were going.

    Trump has ordered the largest US military build-up in the Middle East since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but has done little to explain why there could be the need to take military action now. Iran, meanwhile, has vowed to respond to an attack with force.

    The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said the “pre-emptive strike” was to “remove threats against the State of Israel”. Last June, Israel launched an attack on Iran, leading to the 12-Day War. The US eventually joined Israel in the conflict, targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities.

    Recently, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had warned of what they described as a threat posed to his country by Iran’s ballistic missiles, and expressed his opposition to a deal that focused only on Iran’s nuclear programme.

    Iran had rejected discussing limits to its ballistic missile programme as well as ending its support for proxies in the region, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen, saying those demands were a breach of its sovereignty.

  13. Explosions in north and east of Tehran - Iranian mediapublished at 06:52 GMT

    Further reports of explosions in Tehran are now emerging in Iranian media.

    The state-affiliated Fars news agency in Iran is reporting that several new explosions were heard in the north and east of Tehran.

  14. First images show smoke in Tehranpublished at 06:45 GMT
    Breaking

    The BBC has just received images of smoke rising in Tehran, over Jomhouri Square and Hassan Abad Square.

    Tehran's Jomhouri Square
    Image caption,

    Tehran's Jomhouri Square

    Hassan Abad square
    Image caption,

    Hassan Abad Square

  15. Three explosions heard in Tehran - Iranian mediapublished at 06:35 GMT

    Three explosions have been heard in downtown Tehran, according to Iranian media.

    The Fars News Agency says it has received reports that several missiles have hit the Republic area of the Iranian capital.

  16. Israel launches 'pre-emptive attack' on Iran - defence ministerpublished at 06:26 GMT
    Breaking

    Israel has launched what it has called a “pre-emptive attack” against Iran.

    In a statement this morning, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has declared a "special and permanent state of emergency" across Israel.