Breaking: Israel Strikes Iran

Israel conducted a “preemptive” strike early Friday on Iran, without involvement from the U.S. 

Explosions in the capital Tehran were captured in images and videos.

An Israeli military official told Reuters that Israel was targeting “dozens” of nuclear and military targets. 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that a retaliatory attack on Israel and its civilian population “is expected in the immediate timeframe.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement: “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.”

The attack comes a day after the U.S. began evacuating embassy personnel across the Middle East amid rising regional tensions as negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program have appeared to stall.

This is a developing story and will be updated.