Iran gives dire warning after Israel and US strikes

Iran has responded with a dire warning to attacks on its territory by Israel and the United States.

"We had warned you. Now you have started down a path whose end is no longer in your hands," said the head of the security commission, Ebrahim Azizi.

The United States and Israel launched attacks on Saturday, with Israel calling it a "pre-emptive strike" against its arch-enemy "to eliminate threats."

"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating iminent threats from the Iranian regime," US President Donald Trump said.

It comes after the US massively increased its military build-up in the region in order to pressure Tehran to scale down its nuclear programme, and following a brutal crackdown in Iran on widespread protests.

US President Donald Trump had repeatedly threatened military action if a negotiated solution to the nuclear issue isn't found.

According to eyewitness reports from the Iranian capital Tehran, the residence of religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those hit.

However, he himself is believed to have fled to safety.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian had previously threatened an all-out war if Khamenei was attacked.