Alex Ritson

GR Gol from BBC Persian.

Our Middle East analyst Sebastian Usher gave us his assessment of the unfolding situation.

We've just had the Israeli military saying that it launched hundreds of attacks on targets in Iran.

What we don't know from Iran at the moment, there's lots of rumours obviously flying around, lots of videos.

of smoke rising from various areas, particularly in the capital, whether members of the leadership, the political, the military leadership, have been targeted successfully.

There does seem to be a sense that that was what the Israeli mission may have been to some extent.

We know that the US is also very much trying to target the offensive capability of Iran in terms of its ballistic missiles, but we're seeing...

In comparison to the 12-day war back last June between essentially Israel and Iran with US involvement at the end, which is about its nuclear weapons, its nuclear program potentially leading to a nuclear weapon, that Iran has responded more quickly, more widely.

I mean, it has fired several volleys towards Israel so far.

A number of missiles have been intercepted, but Israel very much on alert across the whole of the country.

We're waiting to see if any of Iran's proxies in the region take action.

They've all been markedly weakened over the past year and a half.

Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iranian-affiliated militias in Iraq.

One of those groups in Iraq has said that it will target US military bases soon.

They didn't do that in the 12-day war.

Hasbulla, there is going to be a statement, a speech made by the leader of Hasbulla in a few hours.

We'll see what he says.

But I think it's pretty clear that the capabilities of Hasbulla are much less than they were two years or so ago.

Also, again, Hasbulla didn't.

fire or carry out any military attack or intervention during that 12-day war last summer.