Israel warns “Tehran will burn” as Iran opens fire after Israel strikes – National
Israel’s defense minister warned on Saturday that if Iran continues to launch missiles, “Tehran will burn” as the two countries traded explosively, killing many top generals a day after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran’s nuclear and military sites.
Israeli military said the strike also killed nine senior scientists and experts involved in Iran's nuclear program. Iran's UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 were injured in the attack.
Iran retaliated by the wave of launching drones and ballistic missiles in Israel, and the explosion ignited the night sky of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the shaky buildings.
The Israeli military urged civilians to travel to shelters for hours in the 20-month war triggered by the October 7 attack. Three people were killed and dozens were injured, health officials said.
Defence Minister Katz spoke after an assessment meeting with the Army Chief of Staff that Iran would pay a huge price to harm Israeli citizens.
“If (Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to launch missiles at Israel's home court – Tehran will burn,” Katz said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his goal is to remove any threat to Israel, but he also urged Iranians to compete with their leaders. Even if the government does not actively seek it, Israel welcomes the overthrow of the government.
Strikes could derail nuclear talks
Israel's strike also led to further negotiations between the United States and Iran on a nuclear agreement. The United States and Iran are scheduled to meet in Oman on Sunday.
Iran's top diplomat said on Saturday that the talks with the United States were “unreasonable” after Israel's strike against his country, which could indicate no negotiations with Washington this weekend. However, he no longer said that the negotiations were cancelled.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's comments came as he spoke on the phone with the top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas.
The Israeli air strikes were “the result of direct support from Washington.” The United States said it was not part of the strike.
Iran missile strikes Israel
“We will not allow them to get rid of the enormous crimes they committed,” Khamenei said in a record-breaking news on Friday.
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Iran launched a missile wave in Israel Friday night and early Saturday, with Iranians awakening on state television, playing recurring strike footage on Israel, as well as videos of people cheering and distributing candy.
At least three people were killed and about 70 injured in the Iran attack, most of which are in and around Tel Aviv, according to two local hospitals. According to the first responder, a missile severely damaged at least four homes in the nearby city of Rishon Lezion.
The Israeli military said when a missile hit central Israel, seven soldiers were injured without specifying where the impact occurred. This is the first report of Israeli military casualties since the initial Israeli strike.
Fire and smoke reportedly attacked from a missile fired in central Tel Aviv on June 13, 2025, which was reportedly attacked.
Jack Guz/Getty Images
A U.S. ground air defense system in the region is helping to shoot down Iranian missiles, a U.S. official said he spoke on anonymously to discuss the measures.
In Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, an Associated Press reporter saw burned cars and at least three damaged houses, including one that had almost completely torn the front.
Residents of the central Israeli city that was hit Friday night told the Associated Press that the explosion was so powerful that the shelter doors were opened. “We thought the house was gone, and in fact, half of the house disappeared and it collapsed,” Moshe Shani said.
Israeli troops and first responders gathered in front of a building attacked by a missile launched by Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv on June 13, 2025.
(Photo taken by Jack Gjack Guez / Getty
Israeli police said debris from dozens of locations in northern Israel caused damage and fire but no injuries.
Israel's major international airport said it will remain closed on Saturday until further notice.
Signs of New Israeli attacks
Iran's state television online reported that the cities of Horamabad, Kelmansha and Tabiris were opening fire, indicating that it could be the beginning of a new Israeli attack. Tabriz's video shows black smoke rising from the city.
“It's not over yet,” Israeli military officials said Saturday that the military was preparing to conduct more strikes in Iran, saying: “It's not over yet.” He was consistent with the official process under anonymity.
Overnight, explosions and Iranian air defense systems fired at targets in central Triland. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported a fire at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.
The Israeli military said it launched an overnight strike on dozens of targets including air defenses “in the Tehran region.”
The ongoing air strikes in Israel and Iran’s retaliation have raised concerns about a full-scale war between the two countries and pushed areas already on the edge into greater unrest.
There is no sign of an end to the 20-month war between Israel and Gaza. According to local hospitals, at least 27 people were killed in Gaza overnight by Israeli fires.
The country in the region condemns the Israeli attack, while global leaders call for immediate downgrade from both sides.
Repairing the 'more than a few weeks'
The main site of the Israeli attack was Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, where black smoke can be seen rising into the air.
Israel said it also attacked a nuclear research institute in Isfahan and said it destroyed dozens of radar devices in western Iran and missile launchers on the surface into the air. Iran confirmed the strike in Isfahan.
Israeli military officials said that according to the Army's preliminary assessment, it would take less than a few weeks to repair the damage to the nuclear sites of Natanz and Isfahan. The official said the Army “has specific intelligence that Isfahan's production is for military purposes.”
Israel denies that it attacked Fordo's nuclear enrichment facility after an Iranian news media close to the government reported explosions near the site.
UN nuclear director Rafael Grossi told the Council that the above-ground parts of the Natanz facility were destroyed. He said the main centrifugal facilities underground didn’t seem to have been hit, but losing power could damage the infrastructure there.
Netanyahu said the attack had been ongoing for several months and was scheduled to be postponed in April.
Among them are three of Iran's supreme military leaders: General Mohammad Bagheri who oversees the entire armed forces; a man who leads General Hossein Salami, the paramilitary revolutionary guard; and General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the guard ballistic missile program.
Iran confirmed on Saturday that two representatives of Bagri were also killed: General Gholamreza Mehrabi, deputy intelligence representative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and General Mehdi Rabbani, deputy operational deputy.
Khamenei appointed a new leader in the Revolutionary Guard aviation sector on Saturday. General Majid Mousavi will replace General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who was killed in an air strike on Friday. The Guard’s aerospace division oversees Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal.
Trump urged Iran on Friday to reach a deal on its nuclear program, warning him about the truth about the social platform that the Israeli attacks “only get worse.”
“Iran must reach an agreement before nothing is left,” he wrote.
– Lover and Frankel report from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Natalie Melzer and Nasser Karimi of Nahariya in Tehran, Iran contributed to the report.
