Israel has carried out an extraordinary series of attacks on Iran, aiming at its nuclear facilities and top military officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation would continue for several days.
Israel’s military said it used 200 fighter jets in the attack. Iran retaliated by launching over 100 drones toward Israeli territory.
The Israeli attacks killed several top military leaders, including General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s highest-ranking military officer.
There was no US involvement or assistance in the strikes, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said. President Donald Trump said before the attacks that he did not want Israel to target Iran as US negotiations on a nuclear deal continue.
Israel has declared a state of emergency in preparation for retaliatory strikes by Iran.
For years, Israel has warned that it would face the greatest danger if Iran, which refuses to acknowledge its existence, were to develop nuclear weapons.
The two countries have been engaged in a long-running shadow war, relying on proxies and covert operations. Iran has backed armed groups in the region that have openly clashed with Israel, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza, Iran-aligned proxy groups have stepped up their attack in support of the Palestinian cause.
Where Iran’s nuclear facilities are located (Photo: Ufuk Celal Guzel/Getty)Iran has continued enriching uranium
The Israeli prime minister said Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz, “the heart of Iran’s ballistic missiles program,” was struck during the attacks. Videos and images showed plumes of smoke rising above the facility.
Several nuclear scientists were killed as part of what Netanyahu said was “Operation Rising Lion,” including Ali Shamkhani, who has been spearheading a nuclear talks committee.
Shamkhani was appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and is a former secretary of the National Security Council.
Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz was hit by Israeli strikes (Photo: Maxar Technologies/Reuters)However, the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said three other nuclear sites were not impacted by Israel’s strikes.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he has been in contact with Iranian officials and that the Fordow, Isfahan and Bushehr sites have not been impacted by Israel’s attacks.
Iran has been strengthening its nuclear facilities with specially hardened concrete, making them difficult to destroy. Some of these sites are located underground.
On Thursday, IAEA adopted a resolution stating that Iran had violated its commitments under nuclear non-proliferation agreements.
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Read MoreIn response, Tehran declared it would accelerate its nuclear efforts, saying that it had “no choice but to react.”
Iran continues to insist that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Israel’s attacks came at a time when Netanyahu is facing significant political pressure at home and growing criticism over his government’s operations in Gaza.
Resistance to a proposed military draft law has led to a political stalemate, prompting the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, to hold discussions about potentially dissolving itself.
That could trigger early elections, which polls indicate Netanyahu is likely to lose.
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