At the heart of the current crisis lies Israel’s fear that Iran is nearing the development of a nuclear weapon — a red line it has long vowed to prevent. Israel’s latest airstrikes reportedly targeted uranium enrichment facilities and military sites suspected of aiding Iran’s nuclear programme.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL | Xinhua | Israel on Friday launched a large-scale “preemptive, precise, combined” strike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, prompting retaliatory attacks from Tehran. Analysts warn that the attacks could dramatically deteriorate the already volatile situation in the Middle East and ignite a wider regional war.

Israel launched a significant attack on Iran, targeting nuclear and missile sites and killing top military officials, marking potential escalation to an all-out conflict. Iran retaliated with drone strikes on Israel,