Israel's military said on Friday morning that Iran is launching drones in retaliation for its strikes on Tehran.
Brigadier Gen Effie Deffrin, Israel's chief army spokesman, said: “In the last few hours, Iran has launched more than 100 drones toward Israel, and all the defence systems are acting to intercept the threats.”
The Chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the IRGC and the Commander of Iran's Emergency Command were killed in airstrikes by more than 200 Israeli fighter jets, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Friday.
Six Iranian nuclear scientists were also killed in the Israeli strikes, Iranian state media reported.
“We can now confirm that the Chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the IRGC and the Commander of Iran's Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran by more than 200 fighter jets,” the IDF said in a social media post on Friday morning.
“These are three ruthless mass murderers with international blood on their hands. The world is a better place without them,” it added.
Israel has said the attack was carried out to curb Iran's disputed nuclear programme.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday said there was no increase in radiation levels at the Natanz nuclear site that was targeted during an Israeli attack, citing information given to them by Iranian authorities.
The international atomic energy watchdog also added that the Bushehr nuclear power plant was not targeted during the attack.
Just hours before Israel launched strikes on Iran early Friday, US President Donald Trump was still holding onto tattered threads of hope that a long-simmering dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme could be resolved without military action.
But with the Israeli military operation called “Rising Lion” now underway — something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says will go on for “as many days as it takes” — Trump will be tested anew on his ability to make good on a campaign promise to disentangle the US from foreign conflicts.
As Israel stepped up planning for strikes in recent weeks, Iran had signalled that the US would be held responsible in the event of an Israeli attack. The warning was issued by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi even as he engaged in talks with Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear programme.