UPDATE - Iran announces retaliatory attacks after US-Israel strikes

UPDATES WITH NEW DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Tarek Chouiref

ISTANBUL (AA) - Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday said it launched a first large-scale wave of missile and drone strikes against Israel after a joint US-Israeli attack on the country.

Further details were not immediately available but there were also reports of explosions in several Middle East and Gulf countries including Jordan and Bahrain, which house US military assets. Many states shut their airspace as a precuation.

Earlier, Iranian state TV said the country was preparing a “harsh response” to the attack.

Israel launched a “preemptive” attack against Iran early Saturday under the name “Lion’s Roar,” declaring a “special and immediate” state of emergency across the country.

US President Donald Trump later said his forces launched “major combat operations” in Iran aimed at “protecting the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”​​​​​​​

The attacks come as talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program had been ongoing under Oman’s mediation. A new round of talks in Geneva ended on Thursday.

Last June, the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day Israel-Iran war.