The next morning, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said 555 people had been killed in Iran following attacks by the US and Israel across more than 130 cities.
The conflict spread to Lebanon as Israel began launching strikes on what it said were Hezbollah targets in Lebanon – after it accused the militant group of firing rockets at its territory.
Israeli strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon killed at least 31 people and injured 149, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
At least nine people have been killed in Israel and several others injured, following a missile strike on the city of Beit Shemesh.
Meanwhile, apparent Iranian strikes around the region continue. Explosions were reported in Bahrain and Dubai, and an oil refinery on fire in Saudi Arabia.
On Monday morning, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine gave a press conference to offer further details on the operation, which they have titled Epic Fury.
The joint operation began on Saturday morning with a series of strikes that killed the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures within the Iranian leadership.
The conflict was “not a so-called regime change war”, said Hegseth, but the regime “surely changed and the world is better off for it”.
Hegseth also accused the other side of refusing to negotiate a “peaceful and sensible” deal with the US with its nuclear programme.