Iran claims it has shot down two Israeli jets and that its response to Friday night’s attacks on nuclear and military infrastructure has begun.
The reports emerged as smoke was seen rising from Tel Aviv as Iran launched missiles at the Israeli city.
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Air raid sirens had been heard across Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as the missiles neared Israel.
Footage has shown Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system – which uses radars to detect and intercept short-range rockets, missiles and drones – stopping Iranian missiles from striking the city.
However, video also suggests some missiles made it through. According to Israeli medics, a total of 34 people were taken to hospital in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
In a statement at around 1:50am on Saturday local time (11:50pm on Friday UK time), the Israel Defense Forces said: “In the past hour, dozens of missiles have been launched from Iran toward the State of Israel. Some of the missiles were intercepted.
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“Search and Rescue forces are currently operating in a number of locations across the country in which reports of fallen projectiles were received.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian Army had earlier said in a statement that its “defence forces successfully hit and destroyed two F-35 fighter jets belonging to the zionist entity, in addition to a large number of small drones”.
“The fate of the two fighter pilots remains unknown and is being investigated,” the statement added.
The escalation in the region comes after Israel launched a huge attack on Iran on Friday, which it says was aimed at degrading the country’s nuclear ambitions and weakening its military.
Israel was able to target key facilities and kill top generals and scientists.
It said it airstrikes were necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.
As Israel braced itself for a retaliation, the IRNA state news agency in Iran confirmed this evening that the country’s response had begun.
It came as a reporter with the Iranian Tasnim news agency said missiles had been fired from Shiraz and Isfahan in Iran towards Israel.