Powerful explosions were reported across multiple Iranian cities early on Monday after the Israeli Air Force struck military targets in western and central Iran, with blasts also reportedly heard in Iraq's capital Baghdad as the regional fallout from the overnight exchange widened sharply.
The latest strikes came despite US President Donald Trump's repeated requests to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to “hit back”.
Sounds of explosions were heard in Tehran, Tabriz and Isfahan, according to Iranian media. The IRGC confirmed the blasts, saying the Israeli military used "air-launched ballistic missiles" in the attack.
Saudi Arabia has sounded missile alert in area home to the Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces, reported AP.
In Baghdad, regional conflict tracker account Conflict Radar ME reported that ground witnesses heard powerful sonic booms shaking structures across the Iraqi capital, with regional defence trackers attributing the sounds to Israeli fighter jets transiting Iraqi airspace at supersonic speeds following simulated launch profiles.
The Israeli strikes were a direct retaliation for Iran's overnight ballistic missile attack on the Ramat David airbase in northern Israel. The IDF stated early Monday that "the Israeli Air Force struck military targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in western and central Iran."
ALSO READ: Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles At Israel, Targets Airbase; Attacks Put Fragile Ceasefire At Risk
Iran had described that attack as a warning strike in response to Israeli operations in Lebanon, framing it as a response to the killing and displacement of civilians in Tyre, Nabatieh, and Beirut's southern suburbs.
Iran had warned earlier that retaliation would follow any Israeli response.
Meanwhile, Trump had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call on Sunday to hold off on launching a retaliatory strike on Iran, but Israel pressed ahead regardless, reports suggest.
Casualty figures and the full extent of damage from Monday's strikes were not immediately available.
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