Israel launched strikes on Iran’s capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran as Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that Iran crossed "red lines" on Friday when its missiles targeted civilian areas in response to Israel's recent wave of attacks. "Iran has crossed red lines by daring to fire missiles at civilian population centres in Israel," he said in a statement.

Israel’s attack on Iran was long in the making – the result of years of meticulous planning by Israel and days of high-stakes talks between Tel Aviv and Washington, officials told CNN.

Iran will continue its military operations until Israel regrets its actions, the spokesperson for Iran's Armed Forces General Staff, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, said on Saturday. Speaking to Iranian state television, Shekarchi commented on Israel's recent attack against Iran and Tehran's subsequent response.

The United States has said that it is not involved in Israel's strikes on Iran and that it's priority is the safety of US personnel in the region.

The IDF says Iran has launched about 100 drones towards its territory and says it killed Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami in overnight strikes.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that Israel initiated a war and said it will not be allowed to do 'hit and run' attacks without grave consequences.

Israel launched “preemptive” strikes early Friday across Iran, amid growing regional tensions and concerns about Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

The retaliatory strikes came on Saturday, a day after Israel killed top Iranian military leaders and scientists and destroyed an aboveground nuclear enrichment plant near Natanz.

After mulling such action for 16 years, Israel has launched air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities – a mission fraught with peril not just for the Jewish state, but for the broader Middle East.