Hyderabad, Feb. 28 -- The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) carried out strikes on Iran early Saturday morning and, as the operation unfolded, the military issued a nationwide alert telling civilians to remain close to protected areas.

Israel's defence minister announced that the country has launched a military strike on Iran and declared a nationwide state of emergency, according to the Associated Press.

Iran's supreme leader's offices first target

The first apparent strike happened near the offices of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the 86-year-old Khamenei had been in his offices at the time. He hasn't been seen publicly in days as tensions with the United States have grown.

But the attack com...