Benjamin Netanyahu

"We promised we would respond to the Iranian attack and on Saturday we struck. The attack in Iran was precise and powerful, achieving all of its objectives," Netanyahu said in a speech marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year.

The escalation follows a series of regional hostilities, with Iran's allied group Hezbollah joining forces against Israel in support of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that launched an assault on Israel earlier in October.

The White House has backed Israel's strikes, confirming prior notification from Tel Aviv and stating that US forces were not involved.

Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets in southern Gaza featuring Yahya Sinwar's image and messages claiming that Hamas would no longer rule Gaza.

"Iran's proxies who tried to assassinate me and my wife today made a grave mistake," said Netanyahu who, his office said, was not home at the time of the incident

President Biden said he has an understanding of how and when Israel was going to retaliate against missile attacks by Iran.

After an intensive manhunt that had lasted for more than a year, the Israeli troops that killed Sinwar were initially unaware that they had caught their country's number one enemy after a gun battle

As per IRNA, citing Hebrew-language sources, the drone was launched by Hezbollah, though Israeli authorities are yet to confirm this.

Sinwar reportedly died fighting rather than fleeing, with a Hamas statement declaring that he "died a hero" and asserting that his death would only strengthen the movement.

According to the report, during Biden and Netanyahu’s phone call on Wednesday, their first in nearly two months, Netanyahu said he planned to target military infrastructure in Iran.

In a phone conversation with Netanyahu, Meloni also called for the "full implementation" of the UN's Security Council Resolution 1701 on Lebanon and stressed the urgent need for a de-escalation of conflict in the region, her office said.

On Thursday, Israel's security cabinet held a crucial meeting where it reportedly discussed a response to Iran but did not arrive at a major decision

Israel-Iran War News Updates: "The whole world is amazed by the blows you are delivering to our enemies, and I salute you... Together we will fight, and together we will win," Netanyahu told them, according to a statement issued by his office.

The Israeli military has acknowledged the strikes, confirming they targeted "terror sites belonging to Hezbollah" in Beirut.

Israel has 170,000 active military personnel, along with 465,000 reserves and 35,000 paramilitary forces, while Iran boasts a larger military force, comprising 610,000 active personnel, 350,000 reservists, and 220,000 paramilitary forces.

Iran had launched around 180 missiles at multiple locations across Israel over a period of half an hour. Israel said it intercepted many of the missiles.

“Spoke to Prime Minister @netanyahu about recent developments in West Asia. Terrorism has no place in our world. It is crucial to prevent regional escalation and ensure the safe release of all hostages,” PM Modi wrote on X.

Mehbooba had earlier condemned the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Israeli airstrikes and cancelled her election campaign for a day

Israel-Hezbollah War Highlights: The Health Ministry of Lebanon has reported that 24 persons were killed in an Israeli attack on the southern city of Ain Deleb