ISRAEL launched large-scale strikes on Iran on Friday, June 13, claiming it targeted nuclear sites, ballistic missile production facilities, and senior military commanders as part of a broader operation aimed at preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
This was revealed by Israeli military spokesperson, Effie Defrin, a Brigadier General, who said Iran had launched about 100 drones towards Israeli territory in retaliation, which Israel was intercepting.
Iranian media and eyewitnesses reported explosions, including at the country’s primary uranium enrichment site in Natanz, as Israel declared a state of emergency in anticipation of potential missile and drone attacks.
The International Atomic Energy Agency stated on Friday that there was no increase in radiation levels at the Natanz nuclear site, citing information provided by Iranian authorities.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards corps said its top commander, Hossein Salami, was killed, and state media reported the unit’s headquarters in Tehran had been hit. Several children were killed in a strike on a residential area in the capital, it said.
“We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message.
“Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
Defrin said 200 Israeli fighter jets took part in the strikes, hitting more than 100 targets in Iran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned the attack, accusing Israel of unleashing its “wicked and bloody” hand in a crime against Iran. He warned that it would face “a bitter fate” in return.
Iranian state media reported that Israeli strikes in Tehran killed at least two prominent nuclear scientists, Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi. In total, six Iranian nuclear scientists were reported dead.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s administration has distanced the United States from the attacks.
Trump’s Secretary of State and National Security Adviser, Marco Rubio, emphasised that Israel acted independently in carrying out the strikes. However, he acknowledged the United States was aware the attacks were planned.
“We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a statement. “Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence.”
Just hours before the strikes, Trump had urged a diplomatic solution to the tensions, while saying a strike on Iran “could very well happen.”
A day after the US ordered some of its personnel to leave the Middle East amid rising tensions, Rubio issued a stern warning to Iran: “Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.