Israel warns 'Tehran will burn' as Iran retaliates

The Iranian attacks killed at least three people and wounded around 70, mostly in and around Tel Aviv and one missile damaged four homes in Rishon Lezion

- Reuters

DUBAI: Israel's defense minister warned on Saturday that "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles, as the two countries traded blows a day after Israel launched a blistering surprise attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing several top generals. Israel's military said the strikes also killed nine senior scientists and experts involved in Iran's nuclear program. Iran's UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded.

Iran retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, where explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook buildings. The Israeli military urged civilians, already rattled by 20 months of war in Gaza sparked by Hamas' October 7 attack, to head to shelter for hours. Health officials said three people were killed and dozens wounded.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens. "If (Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front — Tehran will burn," Katz said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his objective was to eliminate any Iranian threat to Israel, but he also urged Iranians to rise up against their leaders. Israel would welcome the government's overthrow even if it is not actively seeking it.

The US and Iran were scheduled to be in Oman, on Sunday, for their sixth round of indirect talks over Iran's nuclear program, but Israel's attack raised doubts about whether the negotiations would proceed.

Iran's top diplomat said on Saturday the talks were "unjustifiable" after the Israeli strikes, likely signaling no negotiations this weekend with Washington. But he stopped short of saying the talks were canceled.

The comments by Abbas Araghchi, Iran's minister of foreign affairs, came when he spoke by phone with Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat.