Israel-Iran latest: Iran threatens further retaliatory strikes against Israel and ‘will target US bases’

Three Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in Israeli attacks, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

The scientists were identified as Ali Bakaei Karimi, Mansour Asgari, and Saeid Borji, Tasnim said.

Earlier, an Israeli official claimed claimed nine senior Iranian nuclear scientists had been killed.

An Israeli military official has claimed nine senior Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed by Israeli airstrikes.

The official told Reuters that Israel had attacked more than 150 targets in Iran and that the Esfahan and Natanz nuclear sites were both “significantly damaged”.

They added that the aerial road to Terhan is now “effectively open”

The fear is that this war between Israel and Iran will play out on the ground of all the countries in between, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew from Damascus.

Read what this escalation could mean for a teetering Middle East:

Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported an Israeli strike near the northwestern Tabriz refinery on Saturday.

It said smoke is rising from the facility.

The refinery issued a statement denying that it had been hit and said normal production was continuing.

Israel’s Defence Minister has warned that “Tehran will burn” if Iran continues to fire retaliatory missiles at Israel.

“The Iranian dictator is taking the citizens of Iran hostage, bringing about a reality in which they, and especially Teheran’s residents, will pay a heavy price for the flagrant harm inflicted upon Israel’s citizens,” Katz said in a statement.

“If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn.”

Iran has arrested five people for taking pictures and “collaborating with Israel”.

Iranian news sites reported the arrests were made in the central city of Yazd.

Two people have been killed in an Israeli attack on a missile site in Assadabad in western Iran on Saturday, Iranian news sites have reported.

Pope Leo has appealed for authorities in Iran and Israel to act with “reason” after recent airstrikes and to pursue dialogue.

He told an audience in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday that he was following the situation with “great concern.”

“In such a delicate moment, I strongly wish to renew an appeal to responsibility and to reason,” said the pope.

“The commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace, founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good,” he said.

“No one should ever threaten the existence of another,” said Leo. “It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace, initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.”

Iran has warned the US, UK and France that their bases and ships in the region will be targeted if they help stop Tehran’s strikes on Israel.

Iran state media reported the comments on Saturday, as tensions continue to rise between Israel and Iran.

On Friday, a US officials said the country’s military had helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were headed toward Israel.

Iran’s state TV has reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, have been killed in an Israeli attack on a housing complex in Tehran.