UK suspends trade talks with Israel and sanctions West Bank settlers
May 21, 2025
Israel has declared a nationwide state of emergency following the county’s strikes on Iran, amid fears of retaliation.
The announcement came shortly after Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF had conducted what he called a preemptive strike against Iran, highlighting that retaliatory missile and drone attacks against the Jewish state are expected in the near future.
Sirens sounded across Israel, accompanied by advance alerts sent directly to mobile devices, instructing residents to remain near protected spaces, the IDF said.
New Home Front Command guidelines have been issued in Israel, banning educational activities, public gatherings and workplace attendance, with exceptions only for essential services. The military stressed that the proactive alert is intended to prepare the public for the potential launch of missiles at Israel.
Early Saturday, local media cited Katz as saying the strike was intended “to remove threats against the State of Israel.”
READ MORE: Israel strikes Iran (VIDEO)
A senior defense official told Israeli Channel 13 that “this is a joint Israeli-American attack” which the sides had been planning “for months.” A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, later confirmed to the WSJ that the American military was involved in the operation.
Israeli Channel 12 claimed that the strikes were aimed at “dozens of regime targets,” with unconfirmed media reports suggesting that one of the attacks had been launched at an Iranian presidential facility.
Video circulating on social media shows two large plumes of smoke rising over buildings in the Iranian capital.
Three explosions occurred in Tehran, according to the local news agency Fars. Mehr reports that several rockets landed on University Street and in the Jomhouri district. This is a central square in Tehran, near the residence of Iran’s leaders — Sa’dabad Palace.
On Friday, the US announced the evacuation of some diplomats and their families from Israel and advised its citizens to avoid traveling to the country. The UK recalled staff from its embassy in Iran, also recommending that its citizens follow safety precautions.
