Israel and US launched ‘pre-emptive strike’ on Iran

The Israeli ministry of Defence announced Saturday morning that it has launched a "pre-emptive strike" on Iran. Sirens are blaring in Jerusalem, and residents are being warned on their phones of an "extremely serious alert." The US confirmed its participation.

Israëls defence minister Israel Katz has declared a special and immediate state of emergency for the entire country," according to a statement from his ministry. Airspaces in Iran and Israël are closed.

It is as yet unclear how large the attack on Teheran and the rest of Iran is. Iran and the US negotiated in recent days, and signaled some progress.

On Friday, several Western countries asked their citizens not to go to the region and to leave Iran as quickly as possible. Belgian minister for foreign affairs Maxime Prévot warned against going to Israël, Lebanon and Iran.

_{Teheran Saturday morning© AFP}