TEL AVIV — Iran launched a wave of missile attacks on Israel on Friday, striking the heart of Tel Aviv in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and killed senior military leaders.

Air raid sirens echoed across Israeli cities, and explosions were reported throughout the country as Iranian missiles pierced Israeli air defenses.

Five people were wounded in Tel Aviv, according to paramedics on the scene.

The strikes came just hours after Israel carried out its most significant military operation inside Iran in decades, targeting nuclear enrichment facilities and ballistic missile sites.

At least three senior Iranian military commanders were reported killed, alongside leading nuclear scientists.

The Israeli offensive marked a dramatic escalation in a long-running shadow war and raised the prospect of a wider conflict between the two regional powers.

It follows weeks of growing tension over Tehran's advancing nuclear program and a fresh censure by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge, declaring that Israel would not "escape safely from this great crime."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the strikes, saying they had been "planned for months" to reduce what he called an existential threat posed by Iran.

US President Donald Trump urged Tehran to return to negotiations, warning, “Make a deal before it is too late.”

The situation remains volatile, with both sides signaling a readiness for further escalation. The international community has called for restraint to prevent a broader regional conflict. — Agencies