The US and Israel launched a daylight attack on Iran on Saturday morning.

Donald Trump said the US military had begun “major combat operations” in Iran.

“Our ⁠objective is to defend ​the American ‌people by eliminating imminent threats ‌from the ​Iranian ⁠regime,” the US president said ⁠in ​a video shared ​on ‌social ​media.

Thick smoke was seen rising from explosions in downtown Tehran, while blasts were also heard in other parts of the country.

In a statement, Israel’s defence minister declared a “special and permanent state of emergency” as air raid sirens sounded across Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had issued an alert to prepare the public for the “possibility of missiles being launched” toward the country in retaliation.

An Iranian official told Reuters it was preparing a “crushing” retaliation to Israel’s attack.

The strike follows weeks of US military build-up in the Middle East. The Trump administration has assembled a large fleet of fighter jets and warships in an effort to pressure Iran into agreeing to a deal over its nuclear programme.