Israel has carried out a pre-emptive strike on Iran and expects retaliation imminently, says its defence minister. Explosions were heard northeast of capital Tehran early on Friday, reported Iran's state-run Nour News.
Israel's military said a "pre-emptive, precise, combined offensive based on high-quality intelligence" had been launched "to strike Iran's nuclear programme".
Defence minister Israel Katz decaled a "special situation" and said schools would stay shut on Friday.
Sky's Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said Israelis were woken in the early hours by air raid sirens and a phone alert warning there could be "severe retaliation".
Mr Katz's statement said a "missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future".
He said a "special state of emergency" was in effect across Israel.
