i'm in washington and this is bbc world news america. iran hits back against israel - launching a wave of missile attacks at dozens of sites. scores of people have been injured. this is the response that israel has been expecting, the second time tonight, this is the sound of missiles being fired towards israel, towards tel aviv. and all across the country, israelis are listening to the sound of their country at war. the raids are in response to israel's attacks which targeted iran's nuclear programme, and which killed 78 people including several top military officials. israel's prime minister vows more strikes. moore is on the way. the regime

doesn't know what hit them, they don't know what will hit them. dozens of israelis have been treated in hospital after iran launched several waves of ballistic missiles; retaliation for israel's overnight strikes on iran.iran, meanwhile, says 78 iranians were killed and 320 other injured in israel's raids. state television in iran reports tehran was under renewed israeli attack early saturday morning. iran's retaliatory strikes damaged some buildings in tel aviv.an israeli army spokesman said iran launched fewer than 100 rockets, and said some of the damage resulted from shrapnel from interceptions by the iron dome missile shield. a bbc crew in tel aviv left their position to take shelter,

but left their camera rolling on the balcony. take a look.

that was the scene in the skies above tel aviv a little earlier. prime minister netanyahu warned more iranian attacks are expected. the israeli military says residents can leave their shelters, but must stay nearby. the un security council met in new york to discuss the crisis.representatives from iran, israel, the us, uk and others spoke.iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the un, amir saeed iravani, accused the us of complicity in israel's attacks - though the us denies any involvement. the united states complicity in this terrorist attack is beyond us. officials have expressly andrew soundly confessed the willful aid and assistance in the crimes and gross violations they committed as of last night, including the deliberate take-up of arms. we will not forget that our people lost their lives as a result of the

israeli attacks with american weapons. this act should amounts to a declaration of war. israel's ambassador to the un danny danon asked, rehtorically, how long was israel supposed to wait? we know our enemies. we note their ideology. and when a regime builds ballistic missiles, enriches uranium to near weapons grade and openly declares its intent to destroy us, we believe them. we take them at their word. and we take action before it is too late. early on friday, israel launched what it called "operation rising lion" - targeting iran's nuclear

facilities and military command posts and iran's natanz facility has been destroyed, including the above-ground plant. that's according to the international atomic energy agency, which monitors the site.our middle east correspondent lucy williamson reports from tel aviv. in bunkers and stairwells, they listened to tel aviv under fire from iran. defences scrambling above the city of civilians and military bases, from ballistic missiles arriving minutes after launch, impact felt inside shaking buildings. for the third time tonight, missiles are being fired at israel, fired at tel aviv. this is the response israel was expecting, and all across the country, people are listening to the sound of israel and iran at war. missile defence systems were also activated over jerusalem. israeli media reported several impacts across the country, including the military sites. a direct hit to this

building reportedly left people trapped inside. israel began striking iran overnight. the nuclear enrichment site at natanz was one of the first to be hit. a target for israel's prime minister for decades, hit in what he said was a last chance to stop iran making a nuclear bomb. air defences, missile sites, nuclear scientists and military leaders, including the head of iran's armed forces, wiped out in a series of nationwide strikes. an attack involving 200 fighter planes, working with covert intelligence teams inside iran. these pictures from israel's spy agency are said to show commandos firing at the missile launcher during this morning's attack. there prime minister said the clock on iran's nuclear ambitions had run out. moments ago, israel launched operation rising lion,

a targeted military operation to roll back the threat to israel's very survival. this operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat. for decades, the tyrants of tehran have brazenly, openly called for israel's disruption. iran's supreme leader said israel had made an enormous miscalculation, and that the consequences would bring it to ruin. translation: they should not imagine that they struck and it is over. no. they started this, they launched a war. we will not allow them to escape unscathed from the major crime they have committed. iran has also now reported unconfirmed signs of radiation at the natanz nuclear site. i call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, to avoid further escalation.

i reiterate that any military action that jeopardise the security and safety of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of iran, the region and beyond. a former general in israel's air force said there were limits to what military force could achieve. i think we can say pretty much easily this was the most complicated, and probably dangerous, operation that israel ever did in its history. we had a huge military success, a huge one. ok. what's the next step? are we going to transform it to something that will say, ok, the region is safe for the next 50 years, not having any nuclear threats from iran? tonight, israel was still striking across the country. this explosion filmed in west tehran.

others reported that nuclear facilities in isfahan and elsewhere. israel says iran was secretly building a nuclear bomb. too big a risk, it said. but iran may decide now that negotiations won't protect it from attack and that the nuclear weapon will. our correspondent ione wells is in jerusalem- i spoke to her in the last hour. momentarily, there has been a slight calming of the situation here, that was after about two hours ago, there were more emergency alerts sent out to people across israel, warning them to go to shelters or at least get close to shelters, that was after israel said that it was expecting an iranian missile attack. iran also confirmed it was launching

retaliatory attacks on israeli targets. certainly from here in jerusalem, we can see you drones in the sky, we saw some exclusions, heard some loud bangs, booms echoing around the city come it wasn't clear whether these were the sounds and explosions of strikes or if they were sounds and visions of israel's defence mechanisms intercepting some of those missiles. similar scenes had been seen in tel aviv as well where some buildings had been damaged. we've seen footage from colleagues that are of large explosions taking place across the city. we are told is well there are dozens of people who are being treated in hospital, although mostly for what had been described as minor injuries. but at the moment, that emergency alerts has been removed. now the israeli government is saying it is ok to leave protected areas, but as we know from the last 24 hours, things could change very quickly. we have just heard many calls from countries at

the un security council for calm, de-escalation, return to diplomacy. what have we heard from the israeli prime minister? well, the latest statement we've had from the israeli prime minister has been essentially a call to the people of iran to rise up against their government. he has described the attacks that israel carried out last night on iran as not just an attack on their nuclear capacity but also on the regime itself in iran calling on the iranian people to essentially join israel's efforts to overthrow the government, and i think this is a symbolic moment, because it seems to suggest what others have been speculating here, that this isn't just about necessarily targeting the nuclear capacity and ran, but also the leadership itself. more widely, we have heard continued statements from both the israeli government and also the iranians as well saying that they plan to continue attacks

on one another. so despite what you've mentioned there, these diplomatic talks that have been happening, other nations searching for restraint, that doesn't

you're live with bbc news. israel's attacks come as the us and iran are trying to reach a deal on tehran's nuclear programme - talks are meant to resume this weekend. president trump has urged iran to make a deal, she warning of 'even more brutal' israeli attacks if it doesn't. tonight the prime minister sir keir starmer spoke with president trump - the men say they "agreed on the importance of diplomacy and dialogue" to resolve the mounting conflict between iran and israel. tom bateman reports. a superpower at sea

to defend its ally. tonight, the us confirmed it helped israel shoot down iranian missiles. this sharp escalation after president trump had been erring on the side of diplomacy. as israel attacked overnight, washington warned iran not to hit back at american bases, saying it wasn't involved. but by this morning, mr trump was on the offensive, saying iran's hardliners had lost the fight to get their terms on the nuclear deal. they are all dead now, he said, and it will only get worse. there has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. tonight, the un security council has been meeting in emergency session to discuss the crisis, amid the calls for de-escalation, the americans warning about further consequences.

no government, proxy or independent actor should target american citizens, american bases, or other american infrastructure in the region. the consequences for iran would be dire. we strongly and unequivocally condemn the barbaric and criminal attack, a series of targeted assassinations against senior military officials, nuclear scientists and innocent civilians. the israeli leader has long pushed mr trump for a green light to strike iran's nuclear facilities. timing was critical after israel destroyed many iranian air defences last year. and wiped out much of the deterrent effect of hezbollah on its own border. mr netanyahu argued now was the time to strike. but mr trump, via his envoy steve wit, turned instead to rounds of talks with the iranian, meaning this

close but often fractious relationship was under even more strain. mr trump told the israelis publicly and privately he wanted more time for talks, leading to a tense 40 minute phone call on monday. there's a chance of massive conflict. we have a lot of american people in this area, and i said, we have got to tell them to get out. mr trump said he was losing confidence in the talks, but as late as yesterday, was still equivocating over an israeli strike. i would much prefer an agreement. as long as i think there is an agreement, i don't want them going on, because it might help it, actually, but it could also blow it. it comes in a region on edge, some american embassies and bases already partly evacuated. at home, mr trump has been preparing for his big military parade. his hope now is that his allies' deadly military pressure pushes iran towards a nuclear deal on his terms. his opponents already accuse him of enabling

a reckless gamble, risking america getting dragged into war with iran. tom bateman, bbc news, washington. just want to show you a live shot coming from us from tel aviv while we have been looking at tom's report thereon today's proceedings, there's been a lot of activity in the skies above tel aviv there. also afp reporter saying that air raid sirens are sounding once again in jerusalem. of course, a little earlier, prime minister netanyahu had told people in jerusalem that they could -- they could leave their shelters but warned them to stay nearby and we are told those air raid sirens are sounding again. we are going to keep that shot up layer of tel aviv, the live shot coming to us so we can keep an eye on the action that is happening in the skies above there. suzanne maloney was an adviser on iran policy to the obama and

george w bush administrations. she's now vice president and director of the foreign policy programme at the brookings institution. thank you very much for joining us here on bbc news. just want to go back to the start of this yesterday, those israeli strikes before we had the iranian retaliatory strikes. we are getting conflicting messages about the level of us involvement, when they were told, what they were told. would it be unusual for benjamin netanyahu to carry out something like this without the approval of the us in advance? i think it's reasonable to believe that there was some dialogue between the israelis and the trump administration about this operation, what level of detail was shared is still unclear, and it is clear that president trump has preferred a diplomatic approach that he was invested in trying to get a deal and that he may come along to the support of

israeli action after what was clear was inevitable. indeed we heard from the white house that the us is helping israel defend its point at this point given those retaliatory attacks from iran which we are watching on the other side of our screen there at the moment. how fragile a moment does this for the region? i think it's the most precarious moment in the history of the islamic republic, at least since the 1980 invasion of iran by saddam hussein and it is one of the most precarious moments in the recent history of the region as a whole. this is an unprecedented escalation on the part of both the israelis and the iranians. this is no longer skirmishing or a kind of twilight war of proxies and covid operations. this is a full-fledged war in which both countries are striking one another. the israelis have certainly gotten the better of it so far. but as we know, the early spectacular successes in

terms of the military operations that we've had in the middle east don't always translate to sustained strategic breakthroughs or a better world for the region. there is a long way to go before this is over. strong language from both iranian and israeli representatives they are saying diplomacy has failed. so what can happen now? i think this will play out for the next few days until it is clear that either the israelis have secured an absolute victory in terms of setting the iranians back and forcing them to come groveling to some negotiating table, or it is going to just continue at a lower level. this high operational tempo is going to be difficult to sustain, and it is clear that the trump administration does intend to

wrestle the iranians back to the negotiating table. how likely do you think that is? the next round of talks are due to take place this sunday. it's unlikely that we'll be happening on sunday, but i would not be surprised if there does begin a back channel conversation between representatives of the trump administration and other western powers and iranian leadership. there is really no way out for them. it is clear they are able to strike tel aviv and jerusalem but they are really not able to fight back in any serious way. i think that there are real risks of this escalating in other directions if the iranians determine that their only option is really to invest more heavily in their nuclear infrastructure to leave the nuclear nonproliferation treaty and race toward a bomb. in the united states would inevitable become much more directly involved in the military response and the consequences would be very, very dangerous for the world. you have worked

for republican and democratic presidents, what's your assessment of how the trump administration is handling this? they have one individual, steve witchcraft, special envoy for the iranian talks, for the talks between israel and hamas, for the russia ukraine talks as well. mr wycoff has a wide and urgent portfolio, there is no prospect of getting to a serious deal with iran prior to this moment simply because the iranians perceive they have the upper hand as a result of mr witchcraft's relative inexperience, and the trump administration presumed that the iranians were so weak that they would be prepared to do a deal under almost any circumstances. the negotiations would be much more complex moving forward, but there really no alternatives at this point. there's not going to be a military victory in the part of the iranians and at some stage, they are pragmatic enough i think to look for an exit ramp. tokay, former

adviser on iran policy to both the obama and george w. bush administrations, thank you for joining us here on bbc news. thank you. this is not the first conflict between israel and iran, but it is the biggest and most extensive. iran's government does not recognise israel's right to exist, and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has portrayed his country's strikes on iran as critical to israel's 'very survival. but the risks are immense, and our security correspondent frank gardner assesses just how dangerous this conflict could be. this conflict is bigger, more extensive, and potentially more dangerous than anything that's gone before. the targets hit range right across iran. it's the biggest assault on that country since the iran-iraq war in the 1980s. the prime target: natanz, around 200 miles south of tehran. it's home to iran's chief uranium enrichment facility. that's a process that can have both peaceful and military purposes. other targets include missile bases - like the one at kermanshah -

belonging to the revolutionary guards corps. on top of this, key military figures have been assassinated. major general hossein salami, the head of the revolutionary guards corps, major general mohammed bagheri, head of iran's armed forces, and brigadier general amir hajizadeh, the head of the revolutionary guards air force. also targeted at least six nuclear scientists. the supporters of the establish. they are seeking revenge, as they have always been asking the iranians establishment to target israelis, however, there are some people who are quite happy that the top revolutionary guard commanders are killed in these attacks. back in 2015, iran was enriching uranium to just 3.6%, enough for civil nuclear power. fast forward to today, and it's been enriching to 60%, a lot closer to what's needed for a bomb.

but is there a risk israel's attack will backfire? the military strikes from israel is likely to expedite the thinking inside iran about the fact that a nuclear bomb is their only real insurance that the iranian leadership has against a major israeli us-led attack that targets the core of the leadership. in purely tactical terms, israel has achieved military success. it's shown it can strike deep into iran and assassinate top commanders. but this isn't the end. if iran's regime survives, it may well race to build a bomb, setting off a nuclear arms race across the middle east. reeta. frank gardner reporting there. what you can keep up-to-date with everything happening in the middle east and indeed around the world on our website. you will find that on

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we have to let bernie get out of the sun. don't melt on us, bernie. get back inside. i'll try! hey, guys. hello. hey there. now, we had planned this week, hadn't we, to talk a bit about the us military, given the big parade in washington, dc, to mark the 250th anniversary of the us army