On Friday, 13th June 2025, Israel initiated extensive aerial strikes against Iran, asserting that its targets were nuclear facilities, ballistic missile production sites, and military commanders.
Israel announced that this operation signifies the commencement of a long-term campaign to prevent Tehran from acquiring the capability to produce an atomic weapon.
In response, Iran dispatched around 100 drones towards Israeli territory, with Israeli forces actively working to intercept them, as revealed by military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin.
Reports from Iranian media and witnesses detailed explosions, notably at the country’s principal uranium enrichment site in Natanz, whilst Israel declared a state of emergency in anticipation of missile and drone retaliations.
The elite Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran reported the death of its leading commander, Hossein Salami, with state media confirming that the headquarters of the unit in Tehran had been targeted.
“We are at a crucial juncture in the history of Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked in a recorded video address.
“Just moments ago, Israel initiated Operation Rising Lion, a precise military operation designed to diminish the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as long as necessary to eliminate this threat,” he concluded.”
