More explosions are rocking areas of the Iranian capital of Tehran following announcements by Israel that it had launched a series of strike on Iran.
Thick smoke is rising from the district in Tehran where the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, normally resides, according to the Iranian newspaper Shargh. Tehran residents also reported seeing smoke rising from the district, where the presidential palace and the National Security Council are also located.
The United States is participating in the Israeli strikes against Iran, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military operations.
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Israel began the strikes Saturday morning and the blistering strike happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Iranian capital.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old Khamenei had been in his offices at the time. He hasn’t been seen publicly in days as tensions with the United States have grown. But the attack comes as the United States has assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.
Israeli Defense 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 after Israel launched an attack targeting the country.
The warning to pilots came out as explosions rang out across Tehran, the Iranian capital.
The U.S. military declined to immediately comment on the attack.
