Israel has carried out a pre-emptive strike on Iran and expects retaliation imminently, says its defence minister.
Explosions were heard northeast of capital Tehran early on Friday, reported Iran’s state-run Nour News.
Defence minister Israel Katz announced a “special situation” and said schools would stay shut on Friday.
Sky’s Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said Israelis were woken in the early hours by air raid sirens and a phone alert warning there could be “severe retaliation”.
Mr Katz’s statement said: “Following the State of Israel’s pre-emptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future.”
He said a “special state of emergency” was in effect across Israel.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Israel had taken “unilateral action” and that America was not involved in the strikes.
He said Israel believed the strikes were necessary for its self defence and that “necessary steps” had been taken to protect US forces in the region.
“Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” Mr Rubio warned.
The attack comes amid fears over Iran’s nuclear programme, with a warning this week that the country is not complying with its obligations for the first time in 20 years.
Israel and the US have long feared Iran wants to develop a nuclear weapon, something Tehran has repeatedly denied.
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