The Israeli army has announced that it has completed the first phase of the “operation against Iran’s nuclear program.” Iranian nuclear and military officials were targeted in the recent attack, the IDF said.
Israel has launched unprecedented strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear program and senior military leaders.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Operation Rising Lion will last many days, targeting “the heart of Iran’s ballistic missiles program.”
What Was Targeted
- Dozens of locations across Iran linked to its nuclear program
- Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz (confirmed by the IAEA)
- Long-range missile capabilities (per Israeli reports)
Iranian Top Military Killed
- General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of IRGC
- Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the central headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces
- Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces
- Nuclear scientists Dr. Tehranchi and Dr. Fereydoon Abbasi
- Iran’s former national security chief Ali Shamkhani
- At least 50 people were injured in Israeli strikes on Tehran, at least 35 of them women and children, Iranian TV reported.
Damages are seen in a building after an explosion in a residence compound after Israel attacked Iran’s capital Tehran, Friday, June 13, 2025. – Sputnik International, 1920, 13.06.2025
Damages are seen in a building after an explosion in a residence compound after Israel attacked Iran’s capital Tehran, Friday, June 13, 2025.
© AP Photo / Vahid Salemi
What Has Iran Said?
- Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attack a violation of the UN Charter and clear aggression.
- Iran has the legal and legitimate right to respond to this aggression.
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that “showed its evil nature like never before by striking residential areas.”
- He warned the enemy to expect “severe punishment.”
Iran holds the US complicit in Israeli strikes on Iran, the Iranian Armed Forces spokesman said.
Iran has since shut down its airspace and signaled that a military response is imminent.
US Response
President Donald Trump and senior White House officials were expecting the Israeli strikes.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
US President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, said on Friday that he was aware of Israeli strikes on Iran.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back,” Trump said.
The US is geared to defend itself and Israel if Iran tries to respond to strikes on its facilities, Trump added, noting that the US Central Command is on high alert.
A long-range S-200 missile is fired in a military drill in the port city of Bushehr, on the northern coast of Persian Gulf, Iran. – Sputnik International, 1920, 12.06.2025
Iran Prepares Missile Barrage If Israel Strikes – Report
23 hours ago
By Svetlana Ekimenko
Published by Sputnik Globe
Republished by The 21st Century
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