Israel launched military action against Iran in the early hours of Friday with 200 planes dropping 330 munitions in a series of high-profile assassinations and attacks on nuclear sites around the country.
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, an Israeli army spokesman, confirmed the assassination of several senior Iranian officials in the strikes, including Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Hossein Salami, and Gholam Ali Rashid, a senior commander in the guard.
Several explosions also took place at Iran’s Natanz nuclear plant in Bushehr.
In response, Iran has launched over 100 drones towards Israel in recent hours, and interception efforts are ongoing, the spokesman added.
Images and footage began to appear on social media of Tehran’s skyline in the early hours, with plumes of smoke seen rising to the sky on several locations.
They showed damaged residential buildings in several locations in the capital. Eyewitnesses and reporters from the state TV said they saw the bodies of women and children among the victims.
The Times of Israel cited Israeli minister for military affairs Israel Katz as saying that the regime was conducting strikes on Iran. Katz simultaneously declared a state of emergency across Israel.
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‘Crushing response’
Iranian leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the Israeli regime has sealed a “bitter and painful” destiny for itself with overnight strikes on Iran.
In a message to the nation on Friday morning, Ayatollah Khamenei said the Zionist regime should await a harsh punishment.
“To the Great Iranian Nation!” the leader’s message began, “the Zionist regime carried out with its evil and bloody hand a crime in our dear country and revealed its wicked nature further by hitting residential areas.”
“The regime should await a harsh response,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
The leader said a number of commanders and scientists were assassinated in the strikes. “Their successors and colleagues will immediately pick up their work.”
The powerful hand of the Islamic Republic Armed Forces will not let go of Israel, he said.
“With this crime, the Zionist regime sealed for itself a bitter and painful destiny and will definitely see that [destiny] brought upon it,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
‘Operation Rising Lion’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the launch of Operation “Rising Lion” in a video statement at 02:47 BST.
Netanyahu stated that Operation Rising Lion was launched to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.” The operation targeted Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, specifically the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, as well as its ballistic missile program and key nuclear scientists.
He claimed the operation would continue “for as many days as it takes to remove this threat,” indicating a sustained campaign rather than a one-off strike.
Netanyahu accused Iran of producing enough highly enriched uranium for “nine atomic bombs” and taking unprecedented steps toward weaponising this uranium, potentially allowing Iran to develop a nuclear weapon within months or even a year.
He framed Iran’s nuclear program as a “clear and present danger” to Israel, referencing the Holocaust and stating that Israel would not allow a “nuclear Holocaust” initiated by Iran. He invoked the biblical principle of acting first when an enemy vows destruction, citing Israel’s resolve to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu linked the operation to Israel’s historical commitment to prevent another genocide, stating, “Never again is now.” He contrasted Israel’s actions with the appeasement of the Nazis before World War II, arguing that acting decisively against Iran’s nuclear program was necessary to avoid a catastrophic conflict.
He thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his leadership in confronting Iran’s nuclear program, noting Trump’s stance that Iran must not have a nuclear enrichment program.
International Reaction
The strikes occurred amid stalled U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, with a sixth round scheduled for June 15, 2025, and followed U.S. intelligence warnings that Israel was planning to target Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The U.S. denied involvement but confirmed Israel had informed them in advance. President Trump had earlier warned of potential “massive conflict” in the region. The international community expressed concern over escalation, with global markets reacting to heightened tensions.
In recent days, and as reports emerged in U.S. and Israeli media about imminent strikes against Iran, Iranian officials warned that any aggression against Iranian territory would have devastating consequences.
The United States earlier began an evacuation of its non-essential embassy staff and their families from the region, as U.S. intelligence indicated that Israel was planning to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
In a statement later on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel had taken “unilateral” action against Iran and that the United States had not been involved.
This story will be updated throughout the day…
