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The initial attack reportedly took place close to the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Details about whether the 86-year-old Khamenei was present at his office during the incident remain unclear.
He has not made a public appearance in recent days, coinciding with rising tensions between Iran and the United States.
This attack occurs amid the U.S. amassing a considerable fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region, aiming to pressure Iran into negotiating its nuclear program.
Former President Trump sought an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions, seeing an opportunity as the nation grapples with increasing domestic unrest following widespread protests.
Iran had hoped to avert a war, but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, like its long-range missile program or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Iran would immediately strike back, but it had warned that American military personnel and bases spread across the region would be targets for any retaliation.
The Israeli government declared a state of emergency because of the expectation of Iranian retaliation with drones and ballistic missiles.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the attack as being done “to remove threats.” He did not immediately elaborate.
In Tehran, witnesses heard the blast. Iranian state television later reported on the explosion, without offering a cause.
Sirens sounded across Israel at the same time. The Israeli military said that it had issued a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel.”
More explosions struck Iran’s capital after Israel said it was attacking the country. Authorities have offered no casualty information from the strikes.
Meanwhile, Iran shut down its airspace and mobile phone services were cut.
The warning to pilots came out as explosions rang out across Tehran, the Iranian capital.
– Reported with Associated Press and CNN.
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