Iran launched a retaliatory attack against Israel with a barrage of missiles. Video shows one projectile hitting Tel Aviv. The attack was in response to Israeli strikes that killed top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists.
Published On 13 Jun 202513 Jun 2025
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei says Tehran’s response to Israel’s attack will not not be ‘half measured’.
Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles towards Israel in retaliation for a major attack on Tehran’s nuclear sites.
Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded across Israel on Friday night. This follows an unprecedented attack by Israel in the early hours of Friday, which targeted Iranian nuclear sites, senior military commanders and scientists.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel’s strikes had “initiated a war” and it would not be allowed to do “hit and run” attacks without consequences.
“The Zionist regime [Israel] will not remain unscathed from the consequences of its crime. The Iranian nation must be guaranteed that our response will not be half-measured,” Khamenei said in a statement.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iran “carried out its crushing and precise response against dozens of targets, military centres and airbases” in Israel at the command of Supreme Leader Khamenei.
Three separate waves of attacks were launched at Israel on Friday night, Iranian state news agency IRNA said.
At least one projectile impacted central Tel Aviv, said Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, Jordan.
A modern apartment block was hit in central Tel Aviv, and according to live footage from the scene, fires raged inside some of the apartments, with smoke billowing from the building.
Another residential building, next to the apartment block, also appeared to have suffered significant damage, with windows blown and pieces of twisted metal hanging from its exterior.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing emergency services, said 15 people have been wounded in central Israel, with one in moderate condition.
The Israeli public has been instructed to remain in shelters.
Israel’s attacks on Iran killed several top Iranian generals and scientists, including the armed forces chief of staff, Major-General Mohammed Bagheri, and the IRGC chief, Hossein Salami.
However, Major-General Mohammed Pakpour was swiftly promoted to replace Salami.
In a letter to Khamenei read out on state television, Pakpour promised that “the gates of hell will open to the child-killing regime”, referring to Israel.
During Israel’s surprise attack in the early hours of Friday, its military said it had struck more than 200 targets across Iran.
Before Iran’s retaliatory strikes, Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier-General Effie Defrin told journalists that Israel’s army was “continuing to strike”.
“Iran has the ability to significantly harm the Israeli home front”, Defrin told a televised news conference that was cut short due to what the army said was an incoming attack.
The army also urged citizens to stick close to “protected spaces” and avoid public gatherings amid a potential Iranian attack on Israel.
In a statement earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected “several waves of Iranian attacks”.
BBC News NI
PacemakerA second night of serious disorder has broken out in Ballymena, County Antrim, with petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks being thrown at police.
Police have fired baton rounds and deployed water cannon. Officers have also brought riot dogs on to the scene.
Crowds gathered in the Clonavon Terrace area, which is also where violent disorder, described as “racist thuggery”, broke out on Monday night.
Police have asked members of public to avoid the area.
PacemakerA parked car was set on fire and roads blocked with burning barricades.
In response, the PSNI issued a warning over loud speaker for the crowds to disperse before firing impact rounds and water cannon.
Monday’s violence broke out following an earlier peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault in the town.
Petrol bombs and other missiles were thrown at police, and six homes attacked with four of them damaged by fire.
One assembly member, Sian Mulholland, told the Northern Ireland Assembly that a family with three young children had to “barricade themselves into their attic”.
A number of businesses were also damaged, with windows and doors smashed.
A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour, disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police.
PacemakerThe police described the actions as “racist thuggery” and indicated some people on Monday night were “clearly intent on violence”.
The prime minister’s official spokesman described the events in Ballymena as “very concerning”.
Earlier on Monday, two teenage boys appeared before Coleraine Magistrates’ Court accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Ballymena.
They spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and ages.
Their solicitor said they would be denying the charges.
A third man was arrested on Monday night in connection with the sexual assault but was unconditionally released.
GettyEarlier, the MP who represents Ballymena was criticised for an “insincere” and “weaselly” condemnation of the violence.
North Antrim MP Jim Allister said he “utterly repudiated” the criticism by fellow Northern Ireland MP Claire Hanna.
The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader said the violence was wrong and unwarranted, but also said the “oversubscription of migrants” in that part of the town had led to tensions.
Speaking on BBC Newsline, Jim Allister said his primary thoughts were with all who suffered in the violence but also the 14-year-girl who was the alleged victim of the sexual assault, and for whom “thousands gathered last night to show empathy”.
“My fear was, and it turned out to be true, that that vital demonstration of opposition to violence against women would be overwhelmed by a resort to violence by those who had other ideas and other agendas, and sadly that’s what happened.”
He added that the underlying tensions had been “there for a long time in this particular part of Ballymena” because there was “an oversubscription of migrants who had been placed there”, causing “tensions to rise to the surface”.
“In that sense, it was unsurprising but utterly unacceptable that there should be any resort to violence.”
When asked about what evidence he was drawing on, Allister said the last time he canvassed a street in the area with 50 houses, he came “upon five local, if I can call them that, residents of Ballymena”.
He added: “If you find a street where only five of fifty houses are occupied by local people, then I think there is an imbalance which is storing up trouble.”
Allister said that while some work and integrate, “many of them sadly have not integrated and have sought to pursue a lifestyle which is not compatible, in many ways, with what is expected in a town community such as Ballymena”.
PASouth Belfast MP Claire Hanna responded by saying “some politicians are choosing to explain away” episodes of violence.
“We are hearing words of condemnation which are, at best insincere, and many people would describe as weaselly,” the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader added.
“You can choose each day when you have a mandate and a platform to get up and try and solve problems or you can choose to exploit them, you can choose to try to calm tensions or you can try and fan them.”
In response, Allister said: “If Claire is trying to pretend that I am insincere in my condemnation of violence then I utterly repudiate and indeed resent that comment.”
He accused her comments of being “supercilious lectures from someone who thinks they are superior on these issues”.
Earlier, previous comments from Jim Allister on Monday, that there had been a demographic change due to “unfettered immigration” in the area, were criticised by Hanna’s party colleague Matthew O’Toole, who said they were “deeply irresponsible”.
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Paul Frew said he had been warning about “rising tensions” in the area and those warnings have “now come true”.
“There is not justification for what happened,” he added. “Violence is always wrong.”
Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long said she was appalled by the “disturbing scenes” while Sinn Féin’s Philip McGuigan, who represents the North Antrim constituency, appealed for calm and urged political leaders to “use measured language”.
BBC News NI
PacemakerA second night of serious disorder has broken out in Ballymena, County Antrim, with petrol bombs, masonry and fireworks being thrown at police.
Police have fired baton rounds and deployed water cannon. Officers have also brought riot dogs on to the scene.
Crowds gathered in the Clonavon Terrace area, which is also where violent disorder, described as “racist thuggery”, broke out on Monday night.
Police have asked members of public to avoid the area.
PacemakerA parked car was set on fire and roads blocked with burning barricades.
In response, the PSNI issued a warning over loud speaker for the crowds to disperse before firing impact rounds and water cannon.
Monday’s violence broke out following an earlier peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault in the town.
Petrol bombs and other missiles were thrown at police, and six homes attacked with four of them damaged by fire.
One assembly member, Sian Mulholland, told the Northern Ireland Assembly that a family with three young children had to “barricade themselves into their attic”.
A number of businesses were also damaged, with windows and doors smashed.
A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour, disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police.
PacemakerThe police described the actions as “racist thuggery” and indicated some people on Monday night were “clearly intent on violence”.
The prime minister’s official spokesman described the events in Ballymena as “very concerning”.
Earlier on Monday, two teenage boys appeared before Coleraine Magistrates’ Court accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Ballymena.
They spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and ages.
Their solicitor said they would be denying the charges.
A third man was arrested on Monday night in connection with the sexual assault but was unconditionally released.
GettyEarlier, the MP who represents Ballymena was criticised for an “insincere” and “weaselly” condemnation of the violence.
North Antrim MP Jim Allister said he “utterly repudiated” the criticism by fellow Northern Ireland MP Claire Hanna.
The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader said the violence was wrong and unwarranted, but also said the “oversubscription of migrants” in that part of the town had led to tensions.
Speaking on BBC Newsline, Jim Allister said his primary thoughts were with all who suffered in the violence but also the 14-year-girl who was the alleged victim of the sexual assault, and for whom “thousands gathered last night to show empathy”.
“My fear was, and it turned out to be true, that that vital demonstration of opposition to violence against women would be overwhelmed by a resort to violence by those who had other ideas and other agendas, and sadly that’s what happened.”
He added that the underlying tensions had been “there for a long time in this particular part of Ballymena” because there was “an oversubscription of migrants who had been placed there”, causing “tensions to rise to the surface”.
“In that sense, it was unsurprising but utterly unacceptable that there should be any resort to violence.”
When asked about what evidence he was drawing on, Allister said the last time he canvassed a street in the area with 50 houses, he came “upon five local, if I can call them that, residents of Ballymena”.
He added: “If you find a street where only five of fifty houses are occupied by local people, then I think there is an imbalance which is storing up trouble.”
Allister said that while some work and integrate, “many of them sadly have not integrated and have sought to pursue a lifestyle which is not compatible, in many ways, with what is expected in a town community such as Ballymena”.
PASouth Belfast MP Claire Hanna responded by saying “some politicians are choosing to explain away” episodes of violence.
“We are hearing words of condemnation which are, at best insincere, and many people would describe as weaselly,” the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader added.
“You can choose each day when you have a mandate and a platform to get up and try and solve problems or you can choose to exploit them, you can choose to try to calm tensions or you can try and fan them.”
In response, Allister said: “If Claire is trying to pretend that I am insincere in my condemnation of violence then I utterly repudiate and indeed resent that comment.”
He accused her comments of being “supercilious lectures from someone who thinks they are superior on these issues”.
Earlier, previous comments from Jim Allister on Monday, that there had been a demographic change due to “unfettered immigration” in the area, were criticised by Hanna’s party colleague Matthew O’Toole, who said they were “deeply irresponsible”.
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Paul Frew said he had been warning about “rising tensions” in the area and those warnings have “now come true”.
“There is not justification for what happened,” he added. “Violence is always wrong.”
Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long said she was appalled by the “disturbing scenes” while Sinn Féin’s Philip McGuigan, who represents the North Antrim constituency, appealed for calm and urged political leaders to “use measured language”.