The Israeli military has launched a wave of strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites in a major escalation. The strikes have also hit central Tehran, with reports indicating that several top-level military commanders and six nuclear scientists were killed in the attacks. Iran‘s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned Israel that it “must expect severe punishment” following the “crime” of attacking Iran and killing several top-level military commanders and six nuclear scientists.
The Israeli military said it launched the strikes early Friday, with reports indicating that about 200 planes were involved in the operation. The strikes hit various locations in Iran, including the Natanz nuclear site. Iran’s government said the attacks underscored its need to pursue uranium enrichment and missile development programmes. “One should not speak to such a predatory regime except in the language of power,” Iran’s government said in a statement. “The world now better understands Iran’s insistence on the right to enrichment, nuclear technology, and missile power.”
Iran has launched around 100 drones on Israel in response to the strikes. The Israeli military has begun intercepting Iranian drones, with reports indicating that drones have been intercepted over Syria and Saudi Arabia. Jordan’s state news agency reported that it had intercepted a number of missiles and drones that entered its airspace. Israel is preparing for a longer battle, with the prime minister telling citizens to be prepared, buy food, and stay close to shelter due to the state of emergency.
The US Embassy in Israel has reminded its citizens of the “continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness” due to potential mortar, rocket, and missile fire, and unmanned aircraft system intrusions. “As a result of the current security situation, the US Embassy has directed all US government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice,” it said in a post on X. Israel’s National Security Council has also warned Israelis abroad to avoid attending large-scale events connected to Israel or Judaism, citing potential acts of revenge.
Hamas has condemned the Israeli attacks on Iran, calling on the world to take a unified stance to deter Israel and put an end to its crimes. “[Israel’s] aggression constitutes a dangerous escalation that threatens to destabilise the region and reflects the extremist Netanyahu government’s insistence on dragging the region into open confrontations,” a statement on Telegram said.
The group called the attack “a brutal aggression that constitutes a flagrant violation of international norms and conventions”, adding that it reaffirmed that Israel “poses an existential threat to the entire region”. Hamas expressed “full solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran” and offered its “deepest condolences” to the Iranian leadership and people for the deaths of senior commanders and nuclear scientists.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed defiance to “America’s coercion and bullying”. The Iranian population is reportedly caught off guard by the Israeli attacks, with many expressing shock, anger, and fear about what’s coming. A research fellow at Tehran University said Iranian leaders are preparing an imminent strike on Israel targeting military and nuclear facilities.
“The Iranian military were thinking about this scenario for many years and also in recent days we have heard lots of statements by the defence ministry of Iran that they are ready for any strike by the Israelis,” he said. The government also has the support of all Iranian political parties, much like what happened during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. “Most Iranian political parties support defending the country because all Iranians [know] the history of Iraq attacking Iran. This is not about political points of view,” he added.
The strikes have caused damage to several locations in Tehran, including the densely packed Sharara district and the Narmak district. Reports indicate that six Iranian nuclear scientists were killed in the Israeli strikes, including Abdulhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Seyyed Amirhossein Faqhi, Motlabizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, and Fereydoun Abbasi. “The Zionist regime showed that … it has come to war against our scientists using the tool of terror,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.