Israel launched unprecedented attack on Iran, targeting the heart of nation’s nuclear program and senior military leaders.
The move plunges the Middle East into fresh uncertainty with the real risk of a wider regional war now breaking out.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “Operation Rising Lion” struck Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz, nuclear scientists and what he called “the heart of Iran’s ballistic missiles program.”
Iranian state media are reporting that General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard was among those killed in the attacks.
There was no US involvement or US assistance in the strikes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. “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,” he said in a statement.
Iran’s airspace will be closed until further notice, its civil aviation authority said, warning Iranians to avoid visiting airports in person.
Earlier the country said it temporarily closed its airspace over the capital Tehran, according to a NOTAM issued by Iran.
US intelligence agencies had been warning since February that Israel was likely to attempt to strike facilities key to Iran’s nuclear programthis year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly pushed for a military option to stop Iran’s nuclear program.
Recent US intelligence reports say that Israel is seeking to capitalize on the destruction inflicted after it bombed Iran’s missile production facilities and air defenses in October.
And overall, Israel is also still pursuing the broader goal of causing regime change in Iran, one such intelligence report said.
For years, Israel has said it has the most to lose if Iran, which refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, develops a nuclear bomb.
Israel and Iran have been fighting a shadow war through proxies and covert actions for decades. Tehran has supported regional armed groups that have engaged in direct conflict with Israel, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Since Israel’s war in Gaza began, attacks by Iran-backed proxy groups have escalated in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Opposition to a new military conscription bill has sparked political deadlock, and Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, had met for talks about dissolving itself – which could have ultimately led to early elections that polls show Netanyahu would lose.
Parliament rejected a vote on dissolution Wednesday, giving Netanyahu more time to resolve the crisis.
Why now: The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog passed a resolution on Thursday declaring Iran to be in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations.
Tehran retaliated by announcing it would ramp up its nuclear activities, warning it had “no option but to respond.”
Uranium is a nuclear fuel that, when highly enriched, can be used to make a bomb. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
President Donald Trump and his top foreign policy advisers discussed how to get an Iran nuclear deal done without an escalation while at Camp David last Sunday and Monday, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
This source stressed that Iran was one of a number of foreign policy topics and sessions held during the retreat.
Administration officials had appeared determined to use diplomatic means to reach a deal before the strikes. Just after 5 p.m. Thursday in the US, Trump said on Truth Social, “We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue! My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
As of Thursday morning, Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff was still expected to travel to Oman for the 6th round of talks with Iran, though US officials cast doubt they would continue given the strikes.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has described his country’s latest strikes on Iran as “a defining moment” in the history of Israel and the Jewish people.
Speaking to members of the General Staff Forum before Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion” against Iran in the early hours on Friday, Katz said the attack is aimed at thwarting Iran’s capabilities and remove the threat of destruction from Israel.
“We have dealt with Iran’s proxies over the past year and a half, but now we are dealing with the head of the snake itself.”
Israel is calling up “tens of thousands” of soldiers to prepare for what’s next, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a statement after Israel launched strikes against Iran.
“We have begun this operation because the time has come, we are at the point of no return. We cannot afford to wait for another time to operate, we have no other choice,” the statement said.
“Recent and past events of history have taught us that when the enemy is attempting to destroy us, we must not turn a blind eye. We need to fight for our existence, freedom was given to those willing to fight for it.”
He added that Israel is “calling up tens of thousands of soldiers and prepared across all borders.”
Some context: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said its operation against Iran will continue for a number of days. After striking what it says were “nuclear targets” in Iran on Friday, Israel declared a state of emergency – closing schools, prohibiting gatherings and saying workplaces should close – as the country braces for retaliation.
Israel launched its “preemptive strike” against Iran to “defend ourselves,” its ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told CNN.
The strike targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missile centers, he said, declining to provide further details on the result of the attack.
“We decided not to wait for Iran to attack us with nuclear capabilities. We knew that they were plotting to do that… what we did was an act of self-defense,” he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
Danon said the attack Israel launched on Friday did not involve the US, although the country has been in ongoing dialogue with the US.
“This decision was a decision of the Israeli leadership,” he said.
Despite the likely retaliation from Iran, he said, Israel is “determined” to take preemptive actions, especially after the October 7 attack on Israel in 2023.
US oil prices extended sharp gains Thursday night as Israel carries out strikes on Iran targeting the country’s nuclear sites and military.
As of 9:18 pm ET, oil was up by 8.3% to $73.75 a barrel.
That leaves crude on track for its biggest one-day percentage increase since March 2022 during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
If the conflict eliminates Iranian oil from the market, oil prices could spike by about $7.50 a barrel, according to Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates.
The bigger fear is an even broader war that impacts the flow of oil from the Strait of Hormuz, the most critical chokepoint for oil supplies on the planet.
Israel is at “full-up war” with Iran and will be expecting a “massive” retaliation, said CNN’s security analyst Beth Sanner.
Israel has been targeting key officials in Iran by starting from the very top, she added.
“They started very, very seriously removing the chief of the general staff, in other words like our chairman of the joint chiefs of staff,” she said. “You can imagine what Americans would do.”
On early Friday, multiple Iranian state media outlets reported that General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed during Israel’s overnight attacks.
“That’s what Israel is expecting – a massive, much bigger retaliation than what they saw last time, because Iran now is under existential threat,” she said.
By CNN
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