ISTANBUL

Israel launched a sweeping military operation against Iran on Friday, with strikes targeting its nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities, Israeli Army Radio reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech posted on YouTube that his forces struck the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment program. We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear weaponization program."

Netanyahu described the attacks as a "targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival."

"This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat," he said in a speech that his office posted to YouTube.

"Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation to develop the means to achieve that goal. Tonight, Israel backs those words with action."

Netanyahu said Israel targeted Iran's main enrichment facility in Natanz as well as its "leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb" and Iran's ballistic missile program.

Israel declared a state of emergency nationwide and closed its airspace, diverting all flights to other countries, Hebrew-language media reported.

Multiple explosions were heard in and around Tehran, Iranian media confirmed. Iranian state television reported additional loud explosions across different parts of the capital.

Iran suspended all flights at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran, Iranian state media reported.

Both countries have been preparing for potential military confrontation, with Iran reportedly developing counterstrike plans involving ballistic missiles targeting Israeli territory.