US official speaks out as Israel bombs Tehran

A top US official has spoken out as Israel launched retaliatory strikes in Tehran on Friday.

'We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st,' Sean Savett, White House National Security Council spokesperson, told CNN.

'We would refer you to the Israeli government for more information on their operation,' he said.

Israel notified the White House ahead of the strikes, a source familiar with the discussions told the network .

White House officials also said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the strikes and is monitoring the situation from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

The Israeli Defense Forces announced on X earlier Friday night that it is conducting 'precise strikes' on military targets in Iran in response to what it called 'the continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against Israel'. 

'The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since Oct. 7 - on seven fronts - including direct attacks from Iranian soil,' the IDF said.

It noted that Israel 'has the right and the duty to respond.'

The Middle East has been on edge in anticipation of Israeli retaliation for the attack on October 1, in which around 200 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel.

It marked Iran's second direct attack on Israel in six months.

Witnesses in Tehran have since confirmed hearing loud explosions, with one saying: 'It was so loud and the sky became red.'

But local media has reported that several of those explosions were related to the country's air defense systems. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.