The conflict between Israel and Iran is escalating as the two nations exchange waves of ballistic missile attacks. This latest crisis in the Middle East comes after Israel launched its biggest ever airstrikes against Iran on Friday. It destroyed Iranian military targets and missile launchers. It also killed the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards, plus senior military figures and nine nuclear scientists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's operation was to "thwart the Islamic regime's nuclear and ballistic missile threat". Israel's military actions came a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran was "in breach of its [nuclear] non-proliferation obligations".

Iran's capital city Tehran was bombed for the first time since the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused Israel of initiating a war. He said: "Our response will not be half-hearted". Iran said Israel would pay a "heavy price" for its attacks. However, the Israeli military reported Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles. It said most of these were either intercepted or fell short. Netanyahu has spoken directly to the Iranian people. He told them: "We are clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom. The regime does not know what will hit it. It has never been weaker. This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard."