The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, plunging the Middle East into a new conflict.

Iran launched missiles towards Israel, Israel's military said, as the renewed confrontation between Iran and its long-time foes threatened to further dim hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's nuclear dispute with the West.

According to Iran's state television, as of 2:45 p.m. local time, the death toll has risen to 40, with 48 students injured.

The strikes put nearby oil-producing Gulf Arab countries on edge as fears of escalation in the region grew, and Tehran responded by launching missiles towards Israel and US military facilities in multiple Middle Eastern countries.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a first wave of retaliatory Iranian missile and drone attacks had been launched against Israel, and that all US bases and interests in the region were within Iran's reach, an Iranian official told the Reuters news agency. Iran's retaliation would continue until "the enemy is decisively defeated," the Revolutionary Guards said.

Loud booms sounded in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, a major oil producer and close US ally. Blasts were also heard in the country's business capital Dubai.

One witness in Abu Dhabi heard five booms in rapid succession that caused windows to vibrate. Other witnesses in the Al Dhafra and Bateen areas heard loud booms as well.

Bahrain said the service center of the US Fifth Fleet had been subjected to a missile attack. Video footage from witnesses in Bahrain showed a thick grey plume of smoke rising from near the small island state's coastline as sirens wailed.

Fellow Gulf Arab state Qatar said it had downed all missiles targeting the country and that it had a right to respond.

Iran's Tasnim News Agency quoted Tehran City Government Spokesperson Abdolmohar Mohammad Hani as saying "Food supplies in fruit and vegetable markets and public stores are sufficient to meet citizens' needs; there is no cause for concern." The spokesperson also said markets, metro and buses would operative as normal, while "the fire department is 100 percent prepared to provide 24-hour emergency services."

Trump's video message

In a video message published on social media, Trump cited Washington's decades-long dispute with Iran, including the seizure of the 1979 US embassy in Tehran, as well as a range of other attacks the US has blamed on Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution brought the clerics to power.

The US military initiated a series of strikes against targets in Iran, two US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The scope of the air and sea operations was not immediately clear. The campaign is expected to last for multiple days, said a US official.

Trump had built up a vast US military presence in the region to try to force Tehran to make concessions in nuclear talks. He said the US had launched a "massive and ongoing" operation against the Islamic Republic, vowing to ensure Tehran will not obtain a nuclear weapon.

Iran's ballistic missile programme has been a significant sticking point in negotiations. Trump said Iran was developing long-range missiles that threaten the US and threatened to raze its missile industry.

"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," Trump said.

Sirens sound in Israel

Sirens sounded across Israel around 0815 a.m. local time in what the military said was a proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of an incoming missile strike.

The Israeli military announced the closure of schools and workplaces, with exceptions for essential sectors, and a ban on public airspace. Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights, and the airports authority asked the public not to go to any of the country's airports.

The US and Iran renewed negotiations in February to try to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute through diplomacy and avert the threat of a military confrontation that could destabilise the region.

Israel, however, said any US deal with Iran must include the dismantling of Tehran's nuclear infrastructure, not just stopping the enrichment process, and lobbied Washington to include restrictions on Iran's missile programme in the talks.

Iran said it was prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions but ruled out linking the issue to missiles.

Tehran also said it would defend itself against any attack. It warned neighboring countries hosting US troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington struck Iran.

Last June, the US joined an Israeli military campaign against Iranian nuclear installations, in what was the most direct American military action ever against the Islamic Republic.

Tehran retaliated then by launching missiles toward the US Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest in the Middle East.

Western powers have warned that Iran's ballistic missile project threatens regional stability and could deliver nuclear weapons if developed. Tehran denies seeking atomic bombs.

Israel urges Iranians to remove 'yoke of tyranny' 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran "will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands."

"The time has come for all sections of the people in Iran ... to remove the yoke of tyranny... and bring a free and peace-loving Iran," Netanyahu said in a statement.

A source told Reuters that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.

The attack follows a 12-day air war in June between Israel and Iran and repeated US-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

"The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel," Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

Israel launched the attack against Muslim-majority Iran during Ramadan, the holy Muslim month of fasting observed from dawn to sunset. The strike also came ahead of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which traditionally commemorates the salvation of Jews from annihilation in ancient Persia and which begins on Monday.

An Israeli defense official said the operation had been planned for months in coordination with Washington, and that the launch date was decided weeks ago.