The United States and Israel have launched an attack on Iran, with explosions heard and seen across Tehran, as Israel announced it had launched a missile attack on the country.

Several missiles have struck University Street and the Jomhouri area in Tehran, Fars news agency reported. Some was seen rising in the city, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground.

A US official told Al Jazeera that the attacks were carried out as a joint military operation with the United States, which has assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear programme.

The Associated Press news agency reported that the strike in Iran’s capital happened near offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that explosions also occurred in Tehran’s northern Seyyed Khandan area.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz describd the attack as “preemptive” in order to “remove threats to the State of Israel”.

Sirens in Israel

As sirens sounded in Israel, the Israeli military said it had issued a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel.”

Israel’s Airports Authority announced airspace had been closed to all civilian flights and urged the public not to come to the airport.

Meanwhile, the ⁠US Embassy in Qatar ⁠implemented shelter-in-place for ⁠all personnel, recommending that all of ‌its citizens to do the same until further notice.

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