In a dramatic escalation of regional tensions, Israel launched a series of early morning airstrikes targeting key Iranian military and nuclear facilities, in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a necessary act of self-defense.
The operation, dubbed “Rising Lion,” marks one of the most direct military confrontations between the two nations in recent years. Speaking in a televised address, Netanyahu declared a state of emergency and vowed the campaign would continue “for as many days as it takes to remove Iran’s threat to Israel’s survival.”
According to Iranian state media, several high-ranking military officials were killed in the strikes, including Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s Chief of General Staff. Also reported dead were prominent nuclear scientists, including Abdolrahim Minouchehr, former nuclear chief Fereydoun Abbasi, Mehdi Tehranchi, and Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, a professor at Shahid Beheshti University.
Iran’s Supreme Leader issued a stern warning to Israel, promising harsh retaliation: “That [Zionist] regime should anticipate a severe punishment. By God’s grace, the powerful arm of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces won’t let them go unpunished.”
The United States, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, distanced itself from the operation. “The US is not involved in these strikes,” Rubio said in a statement. “Israel informed us that this action was necessary for its self-defense.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia condemned Israel’s actions, calling them a blatant violation of international law. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry stated.
The strikes have further heightened fears of a broader regional conflict, with global powers closely monitoring the fallout.
