Israel kills Iranian commander as both countries trade strikes

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes against missile sites and a nuclear facility in Iran on Saturday and announced that it had killed a senior commander of the force that oversees Iran's proxy militias around the Middle East.

Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles and launched drones into Israeli territory on the ninth day of a conflict that began with a surprise Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program and its military.

International calls for de-escalation and a European diplomatic push have had little consequence on the air war raging between Israel and Iran. The Israeli military's chief of staff warned the public to prepare for a "prolonged campaign" against Iran.

Iran has said repeatedly that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. But Israel regards Iran's potential for developing a nuclear weapon as a threat to its survival.

Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, said the bombing campaign had pushed Iran two or three years back from the capability to make a nuclear weapon. But Israel has yet to take on some of the most significant nuclear sites, such as Fordo, which is hidden too deep underground for Israeli planes to destroy it from the air.

The region has been waiting to see whether President Donald Trump decides to join the fight. Israel hopes Trump will deploy American bombers to attack Fordo, a move that risks Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces stationed in the region. The president was scheduled to return to the White House from his golf club in New Jersey on Saturday evening for a meeting of the National Security Council.

For now, Israelis and Iranians are experiencing terrifying days of bombardment that have upended daily life.

Early Saturday, Iran fired missiles toward Israel, setting off air-raid sirens throughout the country's densely populated heartland. There were no reports of casualties.

The Israeli military said it had launched a wave of airstrikes Saturday against Iranian missile sites, as well as a nuclear site near the city of Isfahan. The casualty toll was not immediately clear. The Iranian health ministry said more than 400 Iranians, most of them civilians, had been killed in the conflict so far. The Israeli government says at least 24 people have been killed there.

Here is what else to know:

Commander killed: A strike overnight in the central Iranian city of Qom killed Mohammed Said Izadi, a senior official in the Quds Force, which oversees and supports proxy militias around the Middle East, according to Israel's defense ministry. He was responsible for maintaining ties with Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the military said.

Geneva meeting: Talks between representatives of Iran and Europe ended on Friday with no signs of a breakthrough. The European effort aims to offer a diplomatic off-ramp for Iran to forestall a decision by Trump to join the war.

Street protests: Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon after midday prayers Friday to vent their anger over the Israeli attacks. In Tehran, the Iranian capital, people trampled or burned American and Israeli flags, video from the scenes showed.