Key posts
- 7.41pm‘Tehran will burn’ if retaliatory strikes go on, says Israeli defence minister
- 6.06pmIranian military official threatens strikes against US bases in Middle East
- 4.51pmBoth sides claim missile strikes as escalation continues
- 4.02pmLey endorses Israel’s strikes, says nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable
- 3.41pmIsraelis warned to brace for further drone attacks
- 2.59pmScenes of devastation in Israeli cities after retaliatory strikes
- 1.59pmTwo dead in central Israel missile strike
- 1.28pmWhat has happened in the Middle East so far today
Hide key posts
Latest posts
7.41pm
‘Tehran will burn’ if retaliatory strikes go on, says Israeli defence minister
By Penry Buckley
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned Iran that “Tehran will burn” if it continues firing missiles.
His comments come after Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel overnight on Saturday following Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear program on Friday morning. At least 78 Iranians and at least three Israelis have been killed.
The comments also follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call on Iranians to “rise up” and overthrow Tehran’s “evil and oppressive regime”.
“As we achieve our objective, we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom,” Netanyahu said in a video address.
Authorities have arrested five people in the central Iranian city of Yazd for taking pictures and “collaborating with Israel”, Iranian news sites have reported.
With AP, Reuters
7.12pm
Pope Leo calls for ‘reason’, dialogue amid ratcheting tension
Pope Leo has appealed for authorities in Iran and Israel to act with “reason” after recent airstrikes and called on them to pursue dialogue, in one of his first international interventions since his inauguration last month.
He told an audience in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome today he was following the situation with great concern.
“In such a delicate moment, I strongly wish to renew an appeal to responsibility and to reason,” the Pope said.
“The commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace, founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good,” he said.
“No one should ever threaten the existence of another,” he said. “It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace, initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.”
Reuters
6.06pm
Iranian military official threatens strikes against US bases in Middle East
Returning to the senior military sources cited by Iranian state media, news agency Fars has warned Iran’s retaliatory targets could expand to include US bases.
A senior official quoted by the state news agency said the war would “spread in the coming days to all areas occupied by this [Israeli] regime and American bases in the region”.
The risk of the escalation follows Israel’s biggest-ever air offensive against its longtime foe on Friday in a bid to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
As recently as 2020, Iranian forces launched ballistic missiles at an Iraqi base that hosted US troops, in response to the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard commander Major General Qasem Soleimani. The US sought to downplay the attack, in which no troops were killed.
The latest warning comes after Iran confirmed two additional high-ranking generals were killed in Israeli strikes on the country.
With Reuters, AP
5.46pm
Australian embassy in Tel Aviv remains closed
Australia’s embassy in Tel Aviv remains closed and the Department of Foreign Affairs is advising Australians in Israel and Iran to shelter in place in case the conflict between the two countries worsens.
A DFAT spokesperson said Australia’s embassy in Israel and its representative office in Ramallah in the West Bank are currently closed to the public “due to the volatile security situation”.
“The safety of all Australians, including our diplomatic staff overseas, is our priority,” they said.
As we reported earlier, Australians are being advised not to travel to either Iran or Israel. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said this morning that Australian embassy and military staff in the two countries were currently safe.
DFAT said Australians in the Middle East in need of assistance should contact the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305.
5.27pm
Iranian state media: retaliatory strikes will continue
By Penry Buckley
Iran’s strikes against Israel will continue, an Iranian state news agency has reported, citing senior military officials.
Fars news agency reported on Saturday that an unnamed official had said Friday night’s “limited actions” would continue.
“This action will be very painful and regrettable for the aggressors,” they said.
Loading
It came after another Iranian media outlet, the Tehran Times, reported a spokesman for the foreign ministry had described further nuclear talks with the US as “meaningless” after Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, though he stopped short of saying they were cancelled.
US President Donald Trump has said Iran has a second chance to negotiate a nuclear deal and stave off “even more brutal” attacks being planned by Israel in coming days, as Washington correspondent Michael Koziol has written.
4.51pm
Both sides claim missile strikes as escalation continues
By Penry Buckley
Israel’s military says it has successfully bombed Iranian missile and defence sites near the capital, Tehran, as Iranian state media shared footage from the moment an Iranian missile struck a central Israeli city, killing two people.
In a statement shared to its Telegram channel, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) said it had struck hundreds of targets over Tehran on Friday night, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of what it characterised as “the effort to damage the Iranian regime’s aerial defence capabilities”.
“For the first time since the beginning of the war, over 1500km from Israeli territory, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] struck defence arrays in the area of Tehran,” it said.
The Associated Press said satellite images confirmed some of the damage sustained by Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal from the Israeli assault on the country. Iran has not acknowledged the damage, though it reported on Israeli strikes in the area. Iran’s ambassador to the UN said 78 people were killed in the attacks.
The IDF’s statement came as Iranian state media, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), reposted footage from the moment an Iranian strike hit the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, bringing the confirmed death toll from Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel to three people.
With AP
4.17pm
Jordan reopens airspace amid disruptions to flights
Jordan’s aviation authorities have reopened the airspace above the country as widespread disruptions to flights over the Middle East continue.
The country’s civil aviation commission says Jordanian airspace reopened about 7.30am local time (2.30pm AEST), after flights were suspended over the country amid the escalating conflict between nearby Israel and Iran.
Earlier, we told you how air travel across the Middle East has faced major disruptions as flights are suspended, cancelled or rerouted to avoid the conflict.
About 1800 flights to and from Europe were affected on Friday, including about 650 cancelled flights, Eurocontrol reported.
As this map from FlightRadar shows, the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East created another large gap in international airspace, beneath Russian and Ukrainian airspace already closed due to war.
4.02pm
Ley endorses Israel’s strikes, says nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable
By Mike Foley
Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has backed Israel’s right to defend itself with pre-emptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear regime and called for Australian governments to promote social cohesion as Middle East tensions roil diaspora communities.
“The Iranian regime’s ability to acquire nuclear weapons poses a serious and direct threat to world peace and stability,” Ley said in a statement. “Whilst we continue to urge caution, Israel has a right to defend itself.
“Israel is exercising its sovereign right to defend its people and ensure the security of future generations. The world can never accept a nuclear-armed Iran.”
Ley said the Coalition issued “our deepest sympathies for Iranian Australians” as she called for greater efforts to combat antisemitism.
“Our state and federal authorities must work day and night to promote social cohesion and community safety. We can never allow instability overseas to be a platform for antisemitism on Australian soil.”
3.41pm
Israelis warned to brace for further drone attacks
By Penry Buckley
Israel’s military has advised its citizens of the possibility of further Iranian drone attacks, as both sides continue to exchange strikes and the escalation shows no signs of easing.
In a statement on its Telegram channel at 3.23pm AEST, the IDF said sirens had sounded in several areas across the country following the identification of drones it said were launched by Iran towards Israel.
“At this time the [Israeli Air Force] is operating to intercept and strike wherever necessary to eliminate the threat,” it said.
Later, it said that air forces had intercepted a number of unmanned aerial vehicles just after 8am local time, in the region around the Dead Sea.
Earlier, the IDF also released footage of its strikes on Iranian military sites. Watch below.
