Iran bombarded Tel Aviv with hundreds of missiles overnight in retaliation for Israeli strikes on its nuclear bases.
Calls from Sir Keir Starmer and other world leaders for calm amid the mounting conflict appeared to fall on deaf ears, as Tehran struck back against Israelâs attacks.
Air raid sirens sounded out across Israel and its citizens were ordered to move into bomb shelters, as the attack began.
A plume of smoke could be seen rising from central Tel Aviv amid the barrage, after at least one Iranian missile appeared to bypass the iron dome missile defence system.
The rocket attacks on the Tel Aviv area wounded 34 people, according to Israelâs paramedic service, including one woman critically injured after being trapped under rubble.
Israelâs paramedic service said two people were killed and another 19 people were injured after Iranian missiles struck the central Israeli city of Rishon LeZion on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Beilinson Hospital said one woman was killed in a second Iranian barrage when a building was hit in Tel Aviv.
A spokesman for Iranâs Foreign Ministry said continuing nuclear talks with the US would be âmeaninglessâ after the strikes, although he stopped short of saying the talks were cancelled according to The Mizan news agency.
Operation Rising Lion â the offensive against Tehran â has mainly targeted nuclear sites, including destroying the above ground section of Iranâs main Natanz nuclear base.
Hossein Salami, the leader of Iranâs Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was among the senior Iranian figures reportedly killed in Israelâs initial overnight strikes.
Some 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in Iran, according to its ambassador to the UN.
The attack is believed to be the most significant Iran has faced since its war with Iraq in the 1980s.
Israelâs Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said âmore is on the wayâ in a video message released on Friday night.
Danny Dannon, Israelâs UN ambassador, claimed the operation was launched because Iran was âwithin daysâ of having the capability of building nuclear weapons.
Tensions between Israel, the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks, amid negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal, which is aimed at preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons.
On Friday, Israelâs western allies attempted a diplomatic blitz aimed at cooling temperatures in the Middle East.
After convening a Cobra meeting of senior ministers and officials, Sir Keir spoke to Mr Netanyahu, urging him to de-escalate and work towards a âdiplomatic resolutionâ.
The Prime Minister and US President Donald Trump agreed the burgeoning conflict needed to be resolved by âdiplomacy and dialogueâ.
And Sir Keir joined with Franceâs Emmanuel Macron and Germanyâs Friedrich Merz in calling for restraint.
David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, spoke to Iranâs foreign minister and urged calm, later warning the Middle East is facing a âmoment of grave perilâ.
Mr Trump has also suggested that Iran now had a chance to agree a nuclear deal to bring an end to the fighting.
On his Truth Social platform, the President wrote: âTwo months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to âmake a dealâ. They should have done it!
âToday is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldnât get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!â
Both the UK and the US have insisted they were not involved in the Israeli strikes and that Israel acted unilaterally.
The first time Israel discussed the strikes with the UK was at midday on Friday, according to Tzipi Hotovely, the countryâs ambassador to the UK.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the attacks to be halted.
âIsraeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail,â he said in a post on X.
