On Friday evening, Iran responded to an earlier Israeli strike on its nuclear and military facilities by launching hundreds of ballistic missiles toward Israel. The Iranian government described this action as the “beginning” of its “crushing response.”
According to Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, the missile strikes targeted what they term the “occupied territories,” marking the start of a decisive retaliation against the “savage attack” by Israel.
While an Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson, Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin, reported that fewer than 100 missiles were launched, the attack resulted in over 50 injuries. This escalation followed Israel’s earlier assault on Iran’s military complex, which resulted in the deaths of three top military officials and six nuclear scientists.
Among those killed were General Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with Major General Mohammad Bagheri and former national security chief Ali Shamkhani. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, confirmed these fatalities and issued a warning of “severe punishment” for Israel.