Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Saturday morning that Israel had launched a "preventative missile attack" against Iran, which would probably force West Asia into yet another military standoff and further reduce expectations for a diplomatic resolution to Tehran's protracted nuclear conflict with the United States.
The capital city was the scene of explosions, according to Iranian media. Multiple explosions and the closing of Iranian airspace to civilian flights were also noted in Associated Press reports.
An region close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's headquarters in Iran was the target of at least one strike.
Whether the 86-year-old was at his offices at the time was not immediately apparent.
Casualties have not yet been reported."The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel," Katz stated. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Force claimed that it had set up raid sirens in order to "prepare the public" for potential missile strikes in retaliation. The IDF also claimed to have tightened security measures, which include closing schools temporarily and prohibiting public gatherings.
When the air attack alerts started to sound around the city, Aditya Raj Kaul of NDTV was live-reporting from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. "We don't know if this is for some kind of missile attack or a rocket that has been spotted… but this is the latest that we are picking up," the broadcaster stated.

The attack this morning is eerily reminiscent of the 12-day missile conflict that occurred in June of last year. It comes after the former and its partner, Washington, repeatedly threatened to launch additional military strikes if Tehran persisted in what its detractors allege is nuclear enrichment in order to develop ballistic missiles.
More significantly, it occurs only hours after US President Donald Trump said he was "not happy" with the most recent round of negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program. But Trump said he would give negotiations more time to come to an agreement and prevent another conflict in West Asia.
The attack came after the US significantly increased its military might in the area, including a large number of fighter jets and warships, in an effort to pressure Iran into a nuclear program agreement.