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Israel has launched a "preemptive" strike against Iran, the country's Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Saturday.

He described the attack as being done "to remove threats." He did not immediately elaborate.

An explosion rang out Saturday in Iran’s capital, Tehran, witnesses said. It wasn't immediately clear what the target was. 

There was no immediate comment from the Iranian government.

Why did Israel attack Iran?

The attack comes amid soaring tensions between Iran and the US over Tehran's nuclear and missile programs. Washington has deployed a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships to the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal.

Meanwhile, sirens sounded across Israel.

The Israeli military said it was a "proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward the state of Israel."

Israel's airports authority said the country's airspace has been closed to civilian flights. 

The US Embassy in ‌Qatar, meanwhile, ⁠implemented shelter-in-place ⁠for all ​personnel, recommending ​all ​of ‌its citizens in the country to do ‌the same ‌until ​further notice.

Edited by: Rana Taha