ISTANBUL

Hospitals in the Iranian capital Tehran declared a state of emergency on Saturday after US and Israeli strikes shook the city, Iran’s Health Ministry said.

Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanipour told the official IRNA news agency that emergency measures were activated following explosions across parts of the capital.

He said ambulances were dispatched to locations where blasts were reported, adding that casualty figures would be announced later.

While Israel launched a "preventive" attack, dubbed as "Lion's Roar," US President Donald Trump said his forces launched "major combat operations in Iran" aimed at "eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime." He reiterated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.