Iran has pledged a "crushing response" to a significant joint military operation launched by Israel and the United States against key targets within its borders.

The strikes, dubbed Operation Roaring Lion, were meticulously planned and executed, hitting military installations, missile manufacturing plants, and sites proximate to the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The operation's nomenclature was personally selected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, overriding an alternative designation proposed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as reported by The Times of Israel. Explosions reverberated across southern Tehran, with several government ministries sustaining direct hits, prompting widespread alarm among residents.

Eyewitnesses described powerful blasts that underscored the strike's intensity, fuelling apprehensions of an escalating regional conflagration. Israel has promptly enacted a nationwide state of emergency, relocating hospitals to underground facilities and triggering air raid sirens nationwide.

Airspaces over Iran, Israel, and Iraq stand closed, halting all civilian and commercial flights amid the heightened volatility. This pre-emptive action by Israel disrupts fragile diplomatic overtures, notably the ongoing nuclear talks between the US and Iran, which were hosted in Oman but have now faltered.

A security source cited by Walla and corroborated in the Jerusalem Post affirmed US participation in the strikes, marking a rare overt collaboration. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, has been relocated from Tehran to a secure bunker, according to an Iranian official speaking to Reuters.

The IDF, following an urgent situational review, has revised Home Front Command protocols, restricting the nation to "Essential Activity" only. This entails a blanket ban on educational institutions, public assemblies, and non-critical workplaces.

Israeli Defence Minister Katz invoked the Civil Defense Law to declare an immediate special emergency, cautioning of imminent missile and drone barrages targeting Israeli soil and civilians. In Tehran, mobile networks have been severed in eastern and western districts, while internet access has degraded significantly, per local media.

These developments follow US President Donald Trump's remarks on Friday, wherein he characterised Iran as "very difficult" and "very dangerous" amid deliberations on nuclear diplomacy. Speaking in Texas, Trump alluded to a "big decision" confronting the US, referencing Iran's decades-long record of aggression, including attacks on shipping and personnel.

He stressed that Tehran has maimed and killed numerous individuals over 47 years, not solely Americans. Trump advocated for a "meaningful" accord in the latest Geneva round of talks on Thursday, with another session slated for Saturday—now imperilled by the strikes.

The incursion amplifies fears of broader Middle Eastern turmoil, with emergency protocols activated and civilian unease mounting as retaliatory threats loom large.

ANI