Israel’s offensive is not just aimed at degrading Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but also its ability to retaliate, according to analysts.

A barrage of Israeli airstrikes and drones hit Iranian nuclear facilities as well as military targets in the early hours of Friday morning, followed by subsequent waves in an operation that the Israeli prime minister warned “will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat”.

Israel-Iran latest: Iran retaliates against airstrikes

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Iran’s top three military chiefs, as well as other commanders, had been killed – a serious blow to the Iranian regime, as these men would have been key in planning Iran’s response.

“The breadth and scale of these strikes – against senior Iranian officials and other military facilities in addition to nuclear sites – suggest this operation is intended to not just dissuade Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, but also cripple any potential military response and even to destabilise the regime,” said Matthew Savill, the director of military sciences at the Royal United Services (RUSI) thinktank.

The most significant target so far is the country’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz.

An Israeli military spokesman said “significant damage” had been caused at Natanz, while the UN’s nuclear watchdog confirmed it had been struck.

Iran’s other main nuclear enrichment site at Fordow has not yet been struck.

Analysts say for Israel to succeed in setting back Iranian nuclear ambitions, it would need to destroy the infrastructure at Fordow too.

However, it is built into a mountain and is approximately 80 to 90 metres underground.

Israel would need to launch multiple raids to have an effect, or receive support from US aircraft that carry bigger bombs.

Analysts have questioned whether Israel will be able to set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions as much as it wants through military means alone, and may end up having the opposite effect.

Read more: Why did Israel attack Iran?

Iranian nuclear sites are dispersed across the country, with the most sensitive locations, such as a vast nuclear enrichment facility at Fordow, contained in bunkers built deep underground.

Killing nuclear scientists – also part of the Israeli operation – will also not remove the country’s nuclear knowledge, which can be rebuilt.

Darya Dolzikova​, a senior research fellow on proliferation and nuclear policy at RUSI, warned that the offensive may harden Tehran’s resolve to develop nuclear weapons.

“I think that is a real threat,” she said.

The Iranian regime has always insisted its nuclear programme is purely for civilian use.

As well as targeting nuclear sites, Israel has also gone after the military commanders who would direct Iran’s anticipated retaliation.

This includes Iran’s military chief, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, and the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Hossein Salami.

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Gregory Brew, a senior analyst at the Eurasia Group, wrote on social media: “Most of Iran’s senior military leadership -and the individuals who would have planned the retaliation for this attack – are dead.”

Israel also claims to have struck Iranian air defences and taken out dozens of radars and missile launchers, again impacting on Iran’s ability to retaliate.

Whether or not this tactic has been effective will soon become clear as Iran readies its response.

Israel says the Iranians have so far launched about 100 attack drones that its forces are working to intercept.

Watch a special programme on Israel’s attack on Iran on The World with Yalda Hakim on Sky News tonight at 7pm.

Air India has confirmed that 241 people on board a flight to London Gatwick have died after the aircraft crashed shortly after take-off – with just one person surviving.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was carrying 53 Britons, crashed into a doctors’ hostel in a residential area moments after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India.

India plane crash latest: Follow live updates

Air India has said 229 passengers and 12 crew died. Authorities have not confirmed how many people on the ground were killed or injured.

The airline said it “offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased”.

“Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones,” the statement continued.

The sole survivor is British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was travelling on the flight with his brother.

He told the Hindustan Times newspaper he heard a “loud noise” around 30 seconds after take-off before the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner went down.

“It all happened so quickly,” he said, adding that he suffered “impact injuries” to his chest, eyes and feet. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran.”

The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Gloucester Muslim Community said Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa and their four-year-old daughter Sara had died in the crash.

They said: “No words can truly ease the pain of such a profound loss, but we pray that the family may find solace in the tremendous outpouring of compassion and solidarity from communities across the world.”

Also on the flight were married couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek from west London. They had posted a video from the airport on their Instagram feed shortly before boarding.

Videos show the aircraft, which departed from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick at 1.38pm local time, struggling to gain altitude in the seconds after taking off.

It then begins to descend and a fireball can be seen as the plane crashes, with massive plumes of thick black smoke rising into the sky.

Other images show the aircraft’s tail after it crashed into the roof of the BJ Medical College Hostel in the Meghaninagar area.

Tata Sons, which owns the airline, said it will give around £86,000 to the families of each person who died, cover the medical expenses of those injured, and provide support to rebuild the medical hostel.

Ahmedabad airport said the plane crashed “shortly after take-off, outside the airport”. Flights were suspended until shortly after 4pm local time.

In a statement, London Gatwick said the flight was due to land at 6.25pm UK time on Thursday and a reception centre for relatives of those on board was set up where information and support will be provided.

Flight tracking website Flightradar said a signal was last received from the aircraft less than a minute after take-off.

It is the first ever crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.

The model, a widebody, twin-engine plane, has made five million journeys in the 14 years since its first passenger flight.

Read more:
What we know so far
Investigators will want to know if crash part of wider problem
CCTV shows take-off and fireball explosion
Aviation experts review crash video

Sir Keir Starmer said the scenes emerging were “devastating”. He added: “Our hearts and our thoughts are absolutely with the friends and families of all of those affected.”

The prime minister said the British government is in “constant contact” with the Indian authorities and has dispatched an investigation team of its own.

The King said he and the Queen were “desperately shocked by the terrible events” in a post on X.

“Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations, as they await news of their loved ones,” he said.

The foreign office said the UK is “working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved”.

British nationals who require consular assistance are advised to call 020 7008 5000, while Air India has set up hotlines to provide information on 1800 5691 444 for those calling within India and +91 806 2779 200 for foreign nationals.

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us.

“It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.”

India’s civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said he was “shocked and devastated” to learn about the crash.

“We are on highest alert,” he said. “I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action.

“Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site.”

Aviation expert Julian Bray told Sky News he understands the pilot managed to make a mayday call, meaning the crew was aware of a problem before the crash.

Air India was acquired by Tata Group from the Indian government in January 2022 after racking up billions of pounds of losses.

The group now operates more than 8,300 weekly flights on 312 routes, connecting more than 100 domestic and international destinations with a fleet of 300 aircraft.

The airline’s chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran described the incident as a “tragic accident” and a “devastating event” and said emergency response teams were at the site.

“At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families,” he said.

“We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.”

A Boeing spokesperson said: “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”

Israel has launched a major attack on Iran and declared a state of emergency over retaliation fears.

The operation, called “Rising Lion”, killed a number of Iranian commanders, scientists and the head of the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, according to Iranian state media.

Iran launched more than 100 drones towards Israel after the country vowed retaliation, an Israeli military spokesperson said.

Israel-Iran live: Follow the latest updates

Here is what we know so far.

What has happened?

Shortly after 1am UK time on Friday, Israel launched what it called “pre-emptive strikes” against targets in Iran.

Explosions were heard in Iran’s capital, Tehran, while Iranian state TV broadcast footage of blown-out walls, burning roofs and shattered windows in residential buildings across the city.

It reported that blasts had set the Revolutionary Guard’s headquarters on fire.

Bracing for retaliation, Israel closed its airspace and said it was calling up tens of thousands of soldiers to protect the country’s borders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation “will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat”.

As a result of the strikes, flights around the Middle East are being cancelled, with passengers in Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Iran and Dubai facing delays.

Where and who was targeted?

In a video announcing the military operation, Mr Netanyahu said the strikes hit Iran’s main nuclear enrichment site, the Natanz atomic facility, and targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists.

He said Israel had also targeted Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal.

The international atomic watchdog (IAEA) said it is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels after the Natanz facility – which is in the central Isfahan province – was targeted.

The head of the country’s Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, has been killed, along with Major General Gholam Ali Rashid.

Six nuclear scientists have also been killed, according to Iranian state media.

Nuclear scientist Fereydoun Abbasi and theoretical physicist Dr Mohammed Mehdi Tehranchi have been named as among the dead by Mehr News.

Why has Israel launched strikes now?

The attack comes amid rising international fears over Iran’s nuclear programme, with the UN watchdog warning earlier this week that the country is breaking its obligations for the first time in 20 years.

Israel and the US have long feared Iran is plotting to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran has repeatedly denied this and insists its programme is for civilian purposes – to generate energy.

Mr Netanyahu claimed on Friday that if Iran wasn’t stopped, “it could produce a nuclear weapon within a very short time”.

He went further to claim Iran had in recent years developed enough highly-enriched uranium for “nine atom bombs”.

US and Iranian officials were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran’s escalating uranium enrichment programme in Oman on Sunday.

Israel previously launched strikes on Iran in October 2024.

Sky News’ Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said last year’s strikes eliminated much of Iran’s air defences, giving the Israeli air force some freedom of movement in Iran’s skies.

But Iran has been rebuilding those defences, Bunkall adds, so Israel’s window to operate was closing.

Has Iran responded?

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, warned of “severe punishment”, claiming Israel targeted “residential areas”.

“In the enemy’s attacks, a number of commanders and scientists were martyred. Their successors and colleagues will immediately continue their duties,” he said in a statement reported by the Tasnim news agency.

Hours after Israeli strikes, Iran launched more than 100 drones in retaliation, an IDF spokesperson said.

The IDF confirmed Israel has begun intercepting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) which it said had been fired from Iran.

How has the world reacted?

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that America was not involved in the attack and warned Iran not to retaliate against American interests in the region.

Mr Rubio added that America believes the strikes are necessary for Israel’s self defence.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged “all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently”.

Read analysis from Sky correspondents:
If the Persian Gulf becomes a battlefield, we will all feel the consequences
The consequences for the region could be massive

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The UK is not currently helping to defend Israel from Iranian drone attacks, Sky News’ security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes, said.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said it is paying close attention to Israeli attacks on Iran and has called on the relevant
parties to act in ways that will lead to regional peace and stability.

In the Middle East, the UAE condemned Israel’s strikes against Iran “in the strongest terms” and expressed “deep concern” over the repercussions on regional security.

While neighbouring Qatar called Israel’s attack a “flagrant violation” of Iran’s sovereignty and security.