Israel has launched what it calls a “preemptive strike” against Iran and declared a state of emergency, Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

“Following the preemptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, missile and drone attacks against the State of Israel and its civilian population are expected in the immediate future,” Katz said in a statement.

Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv after the announcement.

The Israeli military said in a statement that as of 3 a.m. Israeli time, it implemented changes to declare all areas of the country from “full activity” to “essential activity.”

Meanwhile, the White House confirmed there was no US involvement in the attacks on Iran, saying in a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that “Israel took unilateral actions against Iran.”

We do not participate in attacks against Iran and our top priority is to protect US forces in the region. Israel has informed us that it considers this action necessary for its own defense. President Trump and his administration have taken all necessary measures to protect our forces and maintain close contact with our regional partners. Let’s be clear: Iran must not attack American interests or personnel, Rubio declared.

Ahead of the attack, the United States placed its DEFCON (Defense Force Condition) at Level 3, which generally implies increased tension and readiness for war, but without a formal declaration of war.

In addition, there are reports that Naval Support Activity Bahrain, home to Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and other bases in the Persian Gulf are on “high alert.”

A satellite image of Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean was even released, showing four B-52H long-range strategic bombers, at least six F-15E Strike Eagles, six KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, and one C-5M heavy lift aircraft.This island is located approximately 3,000 km from Iran.

Trump insists on “a diplomatic solution”

Before this attack, Donald Trump insisted this Thursday that he remains committed to reaching “a diplomatic solution” in the nuclear negotiations with Iran at a time when tensions between Washington, Jerusalem and Tehran have increased due to disagreements in the talks.

“We remain committed to a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear problem. My administration has been instructed to negotiate with Iran,” Trump wrote on his social network Truth Social.

“They could be a great country, but they must first completely abandon the hope of obtaining a nuclear weapon,” added the brief message from the president, which repeats part of what Trump said today at a previous event at the White House.

Iran affirmed on Wednesday that it will attack “all” US bases in the Middle East if Washington bombs Iran, as it has suggested. Trump himself has asked what he will do if no agreement is reached, while Israel has insisted on the need to attack Iran's nuclear facilities to prevent it from obtaining atomic weapons.

Trump himself had acknowledged this Thursday that there are possibilities of an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, but stated that he does not believe it will be "imminent."