Where do we even flee to? Stunned Iran in fear of more Israeli strikes

As dawn broke over Tehran, firefighters and other rescue workers saw for the first time the full extent of the damage done by overnight Israeli strikes.

- Jason Burke Deepa Parent

Among the first locations reached by Iranian responders in the capital was a 12-floor block of flats looming above an interchange and a shopping centre in the northern suburbs. A huge blast at about 4am local time had gutted two upper levels, showering debris into the street below.

Very soon it became clear why this particular part of this particular block had been selected by Israeli military planners: it was the home of Ali Shamkhani, one of the most senior security officials in Iran and a close aide of the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

First reports said Shamkhani, 69, a key negotiator in ongoing indirect talks with the US over Iran's nuclear programme, had been injured. But by mid-morning it was announced that he had been killed, though exactly where was unclear.

By then, it was clear that Israel's attack on Iran was of a much greater scale than anyone had previously envisaged. Dozens of other targets in and around Tehran had been hit too by Israeli warplanes. Across the Iranian capital, buildings were burning, with gaping blackened holes where flats had existed just hours before.

Other top officials were killed in this first wave of strikes, including Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, and Maj Gen Hossein Salami, the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Both had been killed in their homes.

Other casualties included officials leading Iran's nuclear programme and its ballistic missile arsenal, including two well-known scientists. There were reports of further deaths and injuries, possibly among members of the dead men's families, though no confirmed numbers.

Golnar, a resident of Sa'adat Abad, northern Tehran, woke up to loud blasts just after 3am local time. "I woke up to the first explosion and rushed to the windows to check," she said.