Israel said it carried out a “pre-emptive” military operation against Iran early Saturday, marking a sharp escalation in regional tensions and raising fears of a broader Middle East conflict. According to Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, the strikes were aimed at neutralising what he described as imminent threats to the country. “The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” Katz said. An Israeli defence official indicated that the operation had been coordinated with Washington and was months in the planning, with the timing finalised weeks ago. In the last few minutes, sirens were sounded all throughout Israel, with an advance instruction alert directly to cellular devices to stay within proximity to protected spaces...