Iran launches 'hundreds' of retaliatory strikes against Israel as IDF issues warning to shelter in place

Members of the Israeli public were told to shelter in protected spaces, but have now been permitted to return home.

Some 40 people have been injured in the attack, with two of them in a critical condition.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Israel started the strikes and initiated the war, and will not be allowed to do a "hit and run" attack.

Khamenei said: "The Zionist regime (Israel) will not remain unscathed from the consequences of its crime. The Iranian nation must be guaranteed that our response will not be half-measured."

He emphasised that Iran will "inflict heavy blows" on Israel.

Hundreds of missiles have reportedly been launched from Iran towards Israel.

The Israeli military claims that Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles, most of which have either been intercepted or fallen short.

The Israeli military said explosions heard in Israel are either from interceptions or from impacts. It added that a limited number of buildings were affected, some of them as a result of shrapnel from interception.

An Iranian senior official told Reuters: "Our revenge has just started, they will pay a high price for killing our commanders, scientists and people. Nowhere in Israel will be safe, our revenge will be painful."

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Air raid sirens were heard across Tel Aviv as reports of missiles approaching reached the airwaves.

The Israeli Defence Forces said: "The Iranian attack is ongoing. Dozens of additional missiles were launched towards Israel."

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: "Iran crossed red lines by launching missiles towards Israeli civilian areas, Tehran will pay a heavy price."

Security sources have confirmed that more than 40 Israeli fighter jets have entered Iraqi airspace to launch missiles at targets in Iran.

A Downing Street spokeswoman has confirmed Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to US President Donald Trump this evening.

The pair discussed the military action in the Iran-Israel conflict and agreed on the importance of diplomacy and dialogue. Starmer reiterated the UK's concerns about Iran's nuclear programmes.

Journalist Benjamin Butterworth told GB News from a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv that Israelis were given 90 seconds to rush to safety.

Butterworth said: "The sirens went off here in Tel Aviv, and all our phones got a critical alert. It said we had 90 seconds to get into the protected area. Everyone made it safely down. For Israelis that live here, the nature of this is fairly usual, but this is unusual."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has "taken out a large portion of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal".

A US official confirmed the US military helped shoot down Iranian missiles heading to Israel.

The Israeli Military says it attacked and destroyed Iranian Air Force military bases and is prepared to continue operations for as long as necessary.

Air defences in Tehran have been activated to intercept Israeli projectiles.

Iran noted that Israel's strikes killed 78 Iranians and injured more than 320, most of them being civilians.

Iran's representative to the UN, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said: "This is not merely an attack on one country. This is a direct assault on the international order. An attack on the charter of the United Nations."

Tehran said the US shares "full responsibility" for the consequences of the attacks on Iran.