Israelis fear 'uncertainty' after Iran strikes

Khamenei swiftly appointed new commanders to replace those killed while state media said a senior adviser to the supreme leader had himself been wounded

- Agencies

TEHRAN: Iran called Israel's wave of strikes on Friday a "declaration of war", after the Israeli military hit about 100 targets including nuclear facilities and killed senior figures, among them the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a "bitter and painful" fate over the attacks, while the Iranian military said there were "no limits" to its response.

Iran's Nournews said 78 people had been killed and 329 injured in Israeli attacks on residential areas in Tehran.

In a letter to the United Nations, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Israel's attack as a "declaration of war" and "called on the Security Council to immediately address this issue", the ministry said.

The Israeli military said Iran launched around 100 drones, with air defences intercepting them outside Israeli territory, while neighbouring Jordan said it intercepted drones and missiles that violated its airspace.

The United States underlined that it was not involved in the Israeli action and warned Iran not to attack its personnel or interests, but Tehran said Washington would be "responsible for consequences".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck at the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme", taking aim at nuclear scientists and the main underground enrichment facility in Natanz.

The strikes would "continue as many days as it takes", the Israeli leader said, while the military said intelligence showed Iran was approaching the "point of no return" on its nuclear programme.

The strikes killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, Iranian media reported.

Khamenei swiftly appointed new commanders to replace those killed, while state media said a senior adviser to the supreme leader had himself been wounded.