Israel directly attacks Iran in severe military escalation
On the morning of June 13th, Israel launched a “pre-emptive” attack on numerous nuclear and military strikes across Iranian territory, signifying a major escalation which has brought the two regional powers on the precipice of all-out war.
According to a June 13th Iranian state media report via The National, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander-in-chief Major General Hossein Salami was killed in the strikes. Fars news also announced that the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, was also killed in the air strikes.
Tasnim news agency said that six Iranian nuclear scientists were killed in Israeli airstrikes, with at least 50 Iranians sustaining injuries.
Ali Shamkani, a top aide to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was “critically injured” in a targeted strike on his place of residence in Tehran, according to Nour news. Khamenei threatened Israel with “severe punishment” in response to the attack, warning of a “bitter and painful fate.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that “a missile and drone attack against the state of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future.” The Israel Defense Forces revealed that over 100 drones were launched from Iran in retaliation. Iran, Iraq, and Jordan have closed their airspace.
The US has denied that it was involved in the attack. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that “Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence.” Addressing the assault amidst intensifying bilateral nuclear deal negotiations between the US and Iran, Mr Rubio did not explicitly announce US support for Israel’s strikes.
State-run Nour News reported that explosions were heard north-east of Iranian capital Tehran. Local news outlets have reported civilian casualties as at least one strike hit a residential area. Witness testimonies reported separate strikes had hit around the central city of Natanz – where nuclear sites are located – and elsewhere.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that the Natanz nuclear site was struck and confirmed correspondence with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels.
According to state TV, Iran’s air defence system was activated at full capacity on the morning of June 13th. Prior to the strikes, Iranian officials have warned that any form of Israeli military action would prompt a firm and definite response, according to Tasnim news outlet.
In a post on X, the IDF said that they had “launched a pre-emptive, precise, combined offensive to strike Iran’s nuclear program” with the use of “dozens of jets.” Notably, the post labelled the assault as “the first stage,” alluding to the possibility of further military action.
The IDF said that “The state of Israel has no choice but to fulfil the obligation to act in defence of its citizens and will continue to do so everywhere it is required to do so, as we have done in the past.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack a “targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”
Netanyahu said in address that “we struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. 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 in the heart of Iran’s ballistic missile programme.”
Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, stated that Israel had launched “Operation Rising Lion” against Iran’s critical nuclear and missile infrastructure. He articulated gratitude towards the US and Donald Trump for “leadership in confronting Iran’s nuclear weapons programme.”
In a statement, Marco Rubio said that “President Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners.”
He also cautioned Tehran not to target the US in retaliation for the strikes: “Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests of personnel.”
In a post on X before reports confirmed the strikes, US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated that he was “at our embassy in Jerusalem and closely following the situation. We will remain here all night. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
The US embassy in Israel has instructed “all government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice.”
Israel has repeatedly threatened to strike Iranian nuclear sites, especially if negotiations between the US and Iran to place limits on Tehran’s nuclear programme were to fail.
On June 11th Tehran threatened to use force against regional US military bases if conflict were to erupt, particularly over its nuclear programme. In the following hours, the US announced that it was evacuating non-essential staff from its sites in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.
On June 12th, Donald Trump warned that an attack by Israel “looks like it’s something that could very well happen.”
In an announcement on the 12th that further escalated tensions, Iran revealed the completion and imminent activation of a third nuclear enrichment plant, after the IAEA reproached Tehran for its failure to comply with non-proliferation obligations which are in place to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The National, Maghrebi.org
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