31 killed, 55 wounded in Israeli attacks on Iran's NW province: governor

TEHRAN -- Israeli airstrikes in Iran's East Azerbaijan province have killed 30 military personnel and one rescue worker, the province's Governor, Bahram Sarmast, announced on Saturday.

The attacks, which began in the early hours of Friday, have also wounded 55 people across 19 different locations, according to a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Among the sites hit was Tabriz Airport, a key logistics and transport hub in the provincial capital. Video footage from the scene showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Iranian media reported additional damage to the nearby Shahid Fakouri military airbase and parts of the adjacent railway network.

In the pre-dawn hours of Friday, Israel launched a series of coordinated airstrikes targeting strategic locations across the country, including in the capital, Tehran. Iranian state media has confirmed the deaths of several high-ranking military commanders and prominent nuclear scientists in these attacks.

In response to the Israeli offensive, Iran has launched barrages of ballistic missiles at military targets inside Israel since Friday night, further intensifying the conflict.