Tehran activates air defense system, sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem amid rising Iran-Israel tensions

Tehran has activated its air defense system, and sirens have sounded in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

Exclusive footage from China Central Television (CCTV) revealed that the air defense system in Tehran intercepted multiple objects in the sky on Friday.

Tensions between Israel and Iran arose following a large-scale "preemptive, precise, combined" strike on Iranian military and nuclear sites by Israel on Friday.

Israeli airstrikes, which killed several high-ranking Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists, have triggered retaliatory attacks from Iran.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Friday it launched a military operation against "tens of" targets, military centers, and aerial bases in Israel.

The IRGC said that the "crushing and precise" response was in retaliation for Israel's "aggression", according to the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News.

Also on Friday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel will receive harsh punishment following its airstrikes on Iranian targets earlier in the day.

Israel "has prepared a bitter fate for itself, which it will definitely receive", he said in a statement.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged on Friday that Iran will deliver a "legitimate and powerful" response to Israel's airstrikes earlier in the day, according to a statement published on the website of his office.

Pezeshkian said the Iranian people and officials would not remain silent in the face of Israel's "crime", adding Iran's response would make Israel "regret its foolish action".

Pezeshkian said Israel's "brutal aggression" against Tehran and other Iranian cities, which resulted in "the martyrdom of a number of children and women, a group of innocent citizens, military commanders, and nuclear scientists, was in violation of international obligations and indicative of the criminal nature of the illegitimate regime of Israel."

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had phone conversations with his counterparts in Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait and some other countries on Friday, emphasizing that Israel's actions represented a clear violation of Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a grave breach of the UN Charter.

Iran is determined to take necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty, people, and national security, and will respond decisively to the "illegal and cowardly" acts of aggression by the Israeli regime, he said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned the Swiss ambassador to Tehran, who is acting on behalf of United States in Iran, to expressed Iran's strong condemnation and protest.

Meanwhile, crowds of people took to the streets in Tehran in protest against Israel's actions.

Iran has announced its withdrawal from the sixth round of nuclear talks with the United States, as reported by Iranian state television on Friday.

On the Israeli side, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Effie Defrin said on Friday evening that Israeli military operation in Iran was only beginning.

The IDF confirmed on Friday evening that the Israeli air forces struck the nuclear facility near Iran's second largest city of Isfahan earlier that day.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the Fordow nuclear facility in central Iran was also attacked Friday night.

Dozens of missiles were fired from Iran into Israel on Friday evening, according to statements issued by the IDF.

Explosions were heard over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, according to CCTV reporters.

Following the launches, air defense sirens were activated, sending millions of residents to protected rooms and shelters for more than an hour.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said following the launches that "Iran crossed red lines when it dared to fire missiles at civilian population centers in Israel".

The Israeli military announced on Friday that it has called up reservists from various units and is deploying them to all combat areas throughout the country.

The reservist call-up comes as part of the IDF's preparations for defense and offense across all arenas and with the start of operation in Iran, it said.

Tehran activates air defense system, sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem amid rising Iran-Israel tensions

Tehran activates air defense system, sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem amid rising Iran-Israel tensions

Tehran activates air defense system, sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem amid rising Iran-Israel tensions

Tehran activates air defense system, sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem amid rising Iran-Israel tensions

Any escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran would bring catastrophic results for regional security and beyond, said the spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari, on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference, Ansari urged both sides to exercise restraint and find diplomatic solutions to settle differences.

"We know that any escalation of the sort that you describe would have catastrophic results in the region and beyond. And therefore, we want to avoid that as much as possible. The talks continue, our calls continue. There is no specific effort that I can point to right now, but we are involved in talking to all parties, obviously, with our neighbors and our partners in the region to find a diplomatic solution," Ansari said.

Ansari stated that Qatar has been working to mediate the rising tensions between the United States and Iran. Qatar maintains that the only viable way to resolve the issue is through dialogue, specifically a comprehensive and inclusive process that fully considers the concerns of countries in the region and relevant international parties, he said.

He emphasized that the dialogues should include all issues, including the nuclear issue, in the discussion.

Qatar will continue to maintain close communication with its regional partners and is committed to promoting a solution to the issue through diplomatic means, Ansari said.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Tuesday that Russia strongly condemns external interference in Iran's internal affairs, and the U.S. threat to launch a military strike against Iran are "categorically unacceptable."

Zakharova stated that Iran has suffered from illegal Western sanctions for many years, hindering national development and creating economic and social problems affecting ordinary citizens. Foreign forces hostile to Iran are attempting to exploit the escalating tensions within Iranian society to destabilize the Iranian regime.

The illegal sanctions imposed by the West have been impeding Iran's development for many years, which also triggers economic and social problems that impact ordinary Iranians, Zakharova noted.

Russia also firmly rejects the attempts to blackmail Iran's foreign partners through increasing trade tariffs, she said.

Any escalation of US-Iran conflict to bring 'catastrophic results' for regional security: Qatar foreign ministry