TEHRAN: The Israeli military said early Saturday that it had launched a “broad-scale wave of strikes” on government targets in Tehran.
Iran’s state broadcaster reported an explosion in the western part of the capital but further details were not immediately available.
The US Central Command, responsible for US forces in the Middle East, said over 3,000 Iranian targets have been struck over the past week, including Revolutionary Guard headquarters, command-and-control centers, air defense systems, missile sites, navy warships and submarines.
The renewed Israeli attacks on Tehran came a day after Israel intensified its air strikes on Lebanon, striking Beirut’s southern suburbs, where the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah holds sway, and Baalbeck in the east.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for “serious diplomatic negotiations” and warned of a “situation that could spiral beyond anyone’s control.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced support for an “immediate” ceasefire in Iran during a phone call with Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday, the Kremlin said.
US President Donald Trump, who has given varying reasons for starting the war, has spurned fresh talks with Tehran, however, and said on Truth Social “there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.”