The attacks, widely expected as a retaliation to a missile barrage launched by Iran on 1 October, were described by a senior US official as ‘extensive’ and ‘precise’

• Israel strikes Iran – follow the latest

Israel has launched direct airstrikes against Iran in a high-stakes retaliatory attack that brings the Middle East closer to a regional war that could draw in the US.

The Israeli military said it had completed its air attack on Saturday morning, hitting missile manufacturing sites and aerial defences in several areas inside Iran. Israel’s public broadcaster said three waves of strikes had been completed.