Israel has launched strikes on dozens of targets in Iran, killing members of the country's elite paramilitary unit and nuclear scientists.
It comes after days of tit-for-tat between the two countries over what Israel claims are plans by Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
Israel has confirmed it targeted military and nuclear sites in Iran's capital, Tehran, and vowed to continue action "for as many days as it takes to remove this threat".
In the hours since, Iraq said more than 100 Iranian drones had crossed its airspace, with Jordan also confirming its air force had intercepted several missiles and drones.
In a letter to the United Nations, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Israel's attack as a "declaration of war" and "called on the Security Council to immediately address this issue".
Iranian state media confirmed top military leaders Hossein Salami and Mohammad Bagheri were among those killed in the strikes. It says children were also killed in residential areas across the capital.
The escalation has prompted concerns from world leaders that already inflamed tensions could devolve into a broader conflict in the Middle East.
Where and when did the strikes happen?
The Israel Defence Force issued a statement late on Thursday, local time (Friday morning AEST) saying it had struck "dozens of military targets" related to Iran's nuclear program.
Tehran is about 1,560km east of Israel's capital, Jerusalem. The two countries do not share a border and are separated by the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Iran's nuclear program is spread across the country, including at several underground sites.
[MAP Natanz]Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Natanz complex, south of Tehran, was one of the sites targeted in Israel's strikes. The International Atomic Energy Agency later confirmed Natanz had been struck.
It houses facilities including two enrichment plants — one underground and one above. According to the Associated Press, insiders describe the underground facility as being about three floors below ground.
The facility has been targeted in the past, including an explosion and power cut in April 2021.
Iranian media is also reporting a strike hit military sites in Tabriz, in the country's north-west.
Footage from Iranian state television showed smoke billowing out of the Natanz facility after the strikes, and the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards ablaze in Tehran.
Video broadcast on Iranian news channels and social media in the minutes and hours after the strikes appeared to show residential buildings in Tehran had also been hit.
How many people have died in these strikes?
Iranian officials have confirmed Hossein Salami, the Revolutionary Guard's commander-in-chief, was killed in the attack.
The chief of staff of Iranian armed forces, Mohammad Bagheri, and another military leader, Gholam-Ali Rashid, were also confirmed dead by Iranian state media.
Israel claimed that "senior nuclear scientists" had been killed in the strikes, and Iran has since confirmed via state media that six nuclear scientists are dead.
Iran says children are among the fatalities from strikes in residential areas.
The ABC has not confirmed the civilian death toll, however, photos and video from verified news agencies show damage to residential areas in Tehran.
Why is this happening?
Israel says it launched attacks to block Iran from developing atomic weapons. Iran continues to deny ever having pursued a plan to build nuclear weapons.
The strikes came just hours after the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declared Iran had breached its obligations for the first time in 20 years.
The IAEA stated in a confidential report on May 31 that Iran had stepped up its production of highly enriched uranium to near-weapons-grade levels, warning that it had become "the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material".
In a closed-door meeting on Thursday, the IAEA signed a resolution stating that Iran's failure to disclose information about its nuclear material and activities "constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement".
In response, Iran announced it would launch a third nuclear enrichment site, describing it as "already built, prepared and located in a safe and invulnerable place".
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution," the Iranian Foreign Ministry and Atomic Energy Organisation said in a joint statement.
Announcing Israel's strikes, Mr Netanyahu claimed that "if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time".
"This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival," he said.
Iran maintains its enrichment plans are for "peaceful purposes" only. President Masoud Pezeshkian has maintained the country will continue with its plans.
"I don't know how to cooperate with the outside world to stop them from doing evil acts and let the people live independently in this country," he said.
"We will continue down our own path: we will have enrichment."
What happens next?
Iran has vowed it will respond to Israel's attacks, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning Israel will face "severe punishment".
The leader said in a statement that Israel had "opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to commit a crime against our beloved country".
"With this attack, the Zionist regime has prepared a bitter fate for itself, which it will definitely receive," he said.
Middle East analyst Rodger Shanahan told the ABC Iran's options for retaliation were "relatively limited" at the moment, with Israel having targeted several of its ballistic missile programs.
In the hours after Israel's strikes, Iraq said more than 100 Iranian drones had crossed its airspace. Jordan also said its air force and defence systems had intercepted several drones and missiles for fear they would fall in its territory.
Both Iran and Israel have closed their airspace, with foreign governments withdrawing diplomats from Tehran in anticipation of further strikes.
United States President Donald Trump had warned of the chance of a "massive conflict" breaking out in the Middle East if the two countries could not negotiate a deal.
Mr Trump will attend a National Security Council meeting on Friday, local time, to discuss the US response.
US officials stated that there was no US involvement in the Israeli strikes, and the Israeli ambassador to the UN clarified it was an "independent" decision.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday afternoon Australia was "very conscious of the threat that Iran becoming a nuclear state would represent to peace and security in the region", adding that the US had been playing an "important role" in resolving the tensions.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is urging Australians in the region to closely monitor Smartraveller, which advises people not to travel to Iran.
Late on Friday, the same "do not travel" warning was applied to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories due to "the volatile security situation".
The regional security situation in the Middle East could continue to deteriorate without notice, it said in its latest post on X.
ABC/AP/Reuters
