Various locations in Iran, including in the capital, Tehran, have come under attack by the Israeli regime, and a number of top Iranian military commanders have been assassinated in targeted strikes in a major escalation.

Overnight on Friday, Israel began rounds of strikes in and near Tehran, as well as Natanz, Tabriz, Isfahan, Arak, and Shiraz, among other places.

People woke up to the sounds of large explosions in and near Tehran. Images quickly emerged of the capital’s skyline, showing plumes of smoke rising from several locations.

The Times of Israel soon cited Israeli minister for military affairs Israel Katz as saying that the regime was conducting strikes on Iran. Katz simultaneously declared a state of emergency across Israel.

In a major escalation, and in the first round of strikes, the Israeli regime targeted residential buildings in Tehran in the wee hours of the day as people were asleep in their homes. At least one image showed the lifeless body of a child under the rubble in a Tehran neighborhood in the immediate aftermath of the strikes.

The exact number of casualties, however, remains to be determined. So does the scale of damage. All emergency services have been mobilized across the capital and other affected cities.