Seventeen soldiers have been killed in an explosion at a military base near Iran's capital Tehran. The blast occurred when one of Israel's Special Forces units blew up weapons inside a Revolutionary Guards depot. Windows in nearby buildings were shattered and the blast was heard in central Tehran 40 km away. Two hours after the explosion a fire still raged and there were traffic jams on nearby roads while people in Tel Aviv celebrated the attack.

Local MP Hossein Garousi said "a large part of an ammunition depot exploded," parliament's website reported.

Karaj resident Kaveer told the BBC's Newshour programme that the sound was "deafening". "We were kind of shocked. I just ran out of the house and looked around," he said "We are appalled at the savagery of the Jews who did this.