Israel severely damaged Iran's defences, says Benjamin Netanyahu in his first comment on strikes

“In the early hours of Saturday morning, we kept our promise and severely damaged Iran’s defence capacity and its ability to produce missiles that work against us,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying by CNN in his first remark after the strikes.

“Yesterday we hit the head of the octopus. To the people of Iran I say - our struggle against a tyrannical regime that threatens the entire region. Whoever hurts us, we hurt them," the Israeli leader said.

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief  Rafael Grossi has confirmed that Iran's nuclear programme remained unaffected by Israel's recently conducted deadly airstrike.

"Iran’s nuclear facilities have not been impacted.@IAEAorginspectors are safe and continue their vital work. I call for prudence and restraint from actions that could jeopardize the safety & security of nuclear & other radioactive materials," he posted on X.

The UN Secretary-General on Saturday called for an immediate halt to all escalatory actions in the Middle East, following overnight attacks by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on targets in Iran.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN chief, said in a statement that António Guterres is “deeply alarmed” by the continued escalation across the region.

“All acts of escalation are condemnable and must stop,” the statement read.

The Secretary-General reiterated his urgent appeal to all parties to cease all military actions, including in Gaza and Lebanon, and to exert maximum efforts to prevent an all-out regional war.

He also called for a return to diplomacy.

According to media reports, explosions were heard in and near the Iranian capital, Tehran, at around 2:15 AM local time, followed by an announcement by the IDF that it had carried out strikes on military targets in the country.

The strikes reportedly ended about four hours later. The Iranian military said four of its soldiers were killed in the strikes overnight.