The Philippines is ''gravely concerned over the heightened tensions in the Middle East'' after Israel's air attacks on Iran on Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

''With the welfare of the people of the Middle East and the Filipinos there in mind, the Philippines urges concerned countries to de-escalate and follow the path of peace,'' the DFA said.

So far the DFA said it ''has not received any reports of any Filipino hurt, injured as result of operations.''

The Philippine embassies in Iran and Israel advised Filipinos to keep safe following tensions between the two nations.

In a Facebook post on Friday, the Philippine Embassy in Iran reminded Filipinos in the area to stay informed.

"Keep yourself updated of local news and developments. Stay informed about the current situation to make well-informed decisions," the Embassy reminded.

They also reminded Filipinos to exercise caution, avoid public places with large gathering, share relevant information, and keep a list of emergency contacts in case of emergencies. There are around 900 Filipinos working in Iran.

The Philippine Embassy in Israel advised Filipinos to stay at home after the country was placed under essential activity status starting June 13.

"According to advisory from IDF Home Front Command, starting this Friday, June 13, 3 AM until Saturday, June 14, 8 PM, the whole of Israel is under Essential Activity status (from Full Activity status) where there will be no classes, any gatherings are banned, and there will be no work aside from essential services," they said in a Facebook post.

They also reminded Filipinos to follow IDF security guideliness, safety advisories of the Embassy in Israel, and news from trusted news sources. There are at least 30,000 Filipinos working in Israel.

Israeli military on Friday said that it launched a wave of air strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying in a video message that the strikes were aimed at hurting Iran's nuclear infrastructure and ballistic missile factories.

“This operation will take as long as is needed to complete the task of fending off the threat of annihilation against us,” Netanyahu said.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, meanwhile, warned Israel that it 'must expect severe punishment' following the attacks that killed several top-level Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. DMS/ Velle White