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Israel launches strikes on ‘dozens’ of sites in Iran, targeting nuclear programme Israel launches strikes on ‘dozens’ of sites in Iran, targeting nuclear programme
(about 4 hours later)
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says operation will take ‘many days’ as Tehran threatens swift retaliationIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says operation will take ‘many days’ as Tehran threatens swift retaliation
Middle East crisis – live updatesMiddle East crisis – live updates
Israel has launched an attack on Iran aimed at “dozens” of targets including its nuclear facilities, military commanders and scientists, claiming it took unilateral action because Tehran had begun to build nuclear warheads. Israeli strikes have hit “dozens” of major targets in Iran including nuclear facilities and missile sites and killed military commanders and scientists, in an ongoing offensive that Israel said was justified by Tehran’s nuclear programme.
As Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, threatened “severe punishment” against Israel, the Israeli military said on Friday morning that Iran had launched 100 drones aimed at Israel and that the country’s defences were focused on intercepted them. Amid fears of a further major escalation, the US president, Donald Trump, warned on Friday morning that the next phase of attacks on Iran would be even more “brutal” unless Tehran agreed to back down over its nuclear programme, contradicting Washington’s official stance that the Israeli action was unilateral.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the Israeli attack, which it is calling Rising Lion, was aimed at “rolling back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival”, adding that it would take “many days”. “There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump said in a social media post.
Earlier, Trump said he not been taken by surprise by the strike, although he had previously warned Israel not to attack while the US was negotiating with Iran.
Trump’s comments suggested a far deeper level of knowledge of Israeli military planning than officials have thus far acknowledged, suggesting alignment between US and Israeli objectives, and came amid new reports of explosions in Iran on Friday morning.
Israel’s attack drew widespread condemnation in the region, including from Saudi Arabia, while there were calls from western governments including the UK for deescalation.
Among the sites hit was the Natanz nuclear facility, one of Iran’s key sites for uranium enrichment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the enrichment plant had been hit, and it added later that the Iranian authorities had not detected any increased radiation levels at the site.
As Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, threatened “severe punishment” against Israel, the Israeli military said on Friday morning that Iran had launched 100 drones aimed at Israel and that its defences were focused on intercepted them.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the Israeli attack, which it is calling Rising Lion, was aimed at “rolling back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival” and that it would take “many days”.
Pointing to the scale and sophistication of the Israeli assault, media organisations were briefed that the Mossad’s operatives had covertly smuggled drones into Iran to be used in the operation, publicity that may have been part of information warfare.
“We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme,” Netanyahu said in a recorded televised address. “We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponisation programme. We targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz. We targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran’s ballistic missile programme.”“We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme,” Netanyahu said in a recorded televised address. “We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponisation programme. We targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz. We targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran’s ballistic missile programme.”
Later, in comments that suggest the operation could be long and difficult, Netanyahu said: “Israeli citizens may have to remain in sheltered areas for lengthy periods of time.” Later, in comments that suggest the operation and Iranian retaliation could be long and difficult, Netanyahu said: “Israeli citizens may have to remain in sheltered areas for lengthy periods of time.”
Iranian state media said the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen Hossein Salami, the army chief of staff, Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, and the commander of the Khatam al-Anbia joint forces headquarters, Maj Gen Gholamali Rashid, had been killed in the strikes, as well as six nuclear scientists, including Fereydoun Abbasi, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013. In Iran on Friday, civilians described a night of terrifying explosions. Golnar, a resident of Saadat Abad, in northern Tehran, said she woke up to loud explosions just after 3am.
Abbasi survived an assassination attempt in 2010 that was part of a wave of targeted killings reportedly masterminded by the Mossad. Tehranchi was a theoretical physicist. “I woke up to the first explosion and rushed to the windows to check. Then, minutes later, back to back I heard four explosions. The windows were shaking and people in the building started screaming,” she said. “Everything happened so quickly. We were scrambling for information on whether this was an attack or a natural disaster. This morning there’s debris all over the explosion site and surrounding streets.”
They appear to have been targeted in their homes. Iranian state television reported that children had been killed in at least one of the airstrikes, on a residential area of Tehran. Iranian state media said the head of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Gen Hossein Salami, the army chief of staff, Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, and the commander of the Khatam al-Anbia joint forces headquarters, Maj Gen Gholamali Rashid, were killed in the strikes, as well as six nuclear scientists, including Fereydoun Abbasi, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013.
Israel also claimed to have killed the commander of the IRGC’s air force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, along with senior aides, who were targeted by an airstrike during a meeting.
Later on Friday, Iraq said more than 100 Iranian drones had crossed its airspace, and a short time later neighbouring Jordan said its air force and defence systems had intercepted several missiles and drones that had entered its airspace for fear they would fall in its territory.Later on Friday, Iraq said more than 100 Iranian drones had crossed its airspace, and a short time later neighbouring Jordan said its air force and defence systems had intercepted several missiles and drones that had entered its airspace for fear they would fall in its territory.
Donald Trump insisted that he had not been taken by surprise by the strike though he had previously warned Israel not to attack while the US was negotiating with Iran. Khamenei did not mention the US, but Iran’s foreign ministry said America – as Israel’s main supporter – would be held responsible for the consequences of “Israel’s adventurism”. In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli attack “exposes global security to unprecedented threat” and it called on the international community to condemn it.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table,” the US president told Fox News. “We will see. There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said 200 fighter jets took part in the attack and it issued a statement describing the operation as “a pre-emptive, precise, combined offensive to strike Iran’s nuclear programme”.
He added that the US would defend both the US and Israel in the event of Iranian retaliation. Haaretz reported that the US Air Force deployed an F-15 fighter squadron to Jordan two weeks ago to help intercept Iranian drones and cruise missiles if necessary, and Fox News quoted administration officials as saying Israel Iron Dome missile defence shield had been replenished recently with US interceptors. “Dozens of [Israeli air force] jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran,” the statement said.
Explosions were reported in Natanz, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the enrichment plant had been hit, but it added later that the Iranian authorities had not detected any increased radiation levels at the site. Netanyahu said Iran had not only been building up its supply of fissile enriched uranium, with enough for nine warheads, but had also taken unprecedented steps towards building bombs.
In Israel, sirens and mobile phone alerts went off across Israel as it braced for a response. Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport was closed to all flights. “In recent months, Iran has taken steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponise this enriched uranium, and if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months, less than a year. That is why we have no choice but to act and act now. The hardest decision any leader has to make is sworn in danger before it is fully materialised,” he said, pointing to the western allies’ failure to stop Nazi aggression in the 1930s.
Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, vowed that Israel “must await a severe punishment”. The IAEA board ruled on Thursday that Iran was in violation of its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty for its failure to cooperate fully with IAEA inspections and for amassing an estimated 400kg of highly enriched uranium. Western intelligence assessments until now have generally said that while Iran is stockpiling the components of a bomb, it had not taken the final decision to build one.
“In the enemy’s attacks, several commanders and scientists were martyred. Their successors and colleagues will immediately carry on their duties, God willing,” Khamenei said, according to the Mehr news agency. The attack on Iran comes a few days before a new round of US-Iranian talks were due in Oman, aimed at finding a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Iran’s nuclear programme, which has expanded rapidly since 2018 when Trump withdrew from an international deal constraining it.
“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared a bitter and painful fate for itself – and it will undoubtedly receive it.”
Khamenei did not mention the US, but Iran’s foreign ministry said America – as Israel’s main supporter – would be held responsible for the consequences of “Israel’s adventurism”. In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli attack “exposes global security to unprecedented threat” and called on the international community to condemn it.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said 200 fighter jets had taken part in the attack and issued a statement describing the operation as “a pre-emptive, precise, combined offensive to strike Iran’s nuclear programme”.
“Dozens of [Israeli air force] jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran,” the statement added.
Justifying the attack, Netanyahu said Iran was not only building up its supply of fissile enriched uranium, with enough for nine warheads, but also that it had taken unprecedented steps towards building bombs.
“In recent months, Iran has taken steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponise this enriched uranium, and if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months, less than a year.
“That is why we have no choice but to act and act now. The hardest decision any leader has to make is sworn in danger before it is fully materialised,” he said, pointing to the western allies’ failure to stop Nazi aggression in the 1930s.
The IAEA board ruled on Thursday that Iran was in violation of its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, for its failure to cooperate fully with IAEA inspections and amassing an estimated 400kg of highly enriched uranium. Western intelligence assessments until now have generally said that while Iran is stockpiling the components of a bomb, it had not taken the final decision to build one.
The attack on Iran comes a few days before a new round of US-Iranian talks were due in Oman aimed at finding a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Iran’s nuclear programme, which has expanded rapidly since 2018 when Trump withdrew from an international deal constraining it.
In the hours before the strikes began, the US president had acknowledged there was a risk of an Israeli attack on Iran and had sought to discourage it while talks with Tehran were still under way. “I don’t want them going in,” he said, warning it would “blow” the chances for a diplomatic solution. It was unclear how much, if any, warning Israel gave Washington of its strikes.
Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the US had not taken part in the Israeli attack. “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” Rubio said. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence.Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the US had not taken part in the Israeli attack. “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” Rubio said. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence.
“President Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”“President Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”
The Democratic senator Chris Murphy said Israel’s decision to act unilaterally was a measure of Trump’s weakness on the world stage.
“Israel’s attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump administration’s negotiations with Iran, risks a regional war that will likely be catastrophic for America and is further evidence of how little respect world powers – including our own allies – have for President Trump,” Murphy said.
Israel is likely to need US support in its defence if Iran responds with a missile barrage. In his speech, Netanyahu praised Trump for his efforts in confronting Iran but claimed Tehran was using the negotiations to “buy time”. He claimed Israel was not only acting in its own defence.
“I want to assure the civilised world, we will not let the world’s most dangerous regime get the world’s most dangerous weapons, and Iran plans to give those weapons – nuclear weapons – to its terrorist proxies that would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism all too real,” he said. “The increasing range of Iran’s ballistic missiles would bring that nuclear nightmare to the cities of Europe and eventually to America.”