The Israeli military launched “Operation Rising Lion,” described as a “preemptive strike” on Iran's nuclear program and other military targets early Friday, while the Iranian government stated it had initiated necessary defensive, political, and legal measures to “make the illegitimate Zionist entity regret its actions from this moment,” warning that starting a war with Iran was “like playing with a lion's tail.”
The Israeli military, in posts on social media platform X, stated it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories, and military commanders, describing it as the beginning of a “prolonged operation” to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“We have eliminated top leaders of the Iranian security and military establishment, alongside striking various capabilities belonging to the Iranian regime. The operation aims to ensure our lives and protect our citizens, and we will continue to act and move to repel threats and strike targets,” Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee told Arab media.
Adraee also announced the targeting of “Iran's largest uranium enrichment site in Natanz,” confirming damage to the underground infrastructure at the site, which contains a “multi-story enrichment hall with centrifuges, electrical rooms, and other supporting infrastructure.” Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a video that the “opening Israeli strike on Iran successfully hit its targets.” He also urged Israelis to comply with military directives regarding public safety measures.
Iran vows “bitter and painful fate”
For its part, Iran confirmed the deaths of several senior figures, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and Major General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), alongside other IRGC commanders, nuclear scientists like Fereydoun Abbasi and Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, and Major General Gholam Ali Rashid.
Following the announcement of Salami and Bagheri's deaths, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued decrees appointing Major General Mohammad Pakpour as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC. He also appointed Abdolrahim Mousavi as the new Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.
In his first statement after the Israeli attack, Khamenei vowed a “bitter and painful fate” for Israel. “The dirty and bloody hand of the Zionist entity committed a crime in our dear country this morning, revealing its evil nature more than ever by striking residential areas” Khamenei said, adding that Israel “should await a severe punishment”.
Regarding the killed leaders and scientists, he added, “A number of commanders and scientists were martyred in the enemy's attacks. Their deputies and colleagues will immediately resume their duties, God willing. The Zionist entity has prepared a bitter and painful fate for itself with this crime, and it will certainly receive it.”
The Iranian government, in a statement following the attack, declared that “revenge is near; closer than the jugular vein to the terrorist Zionists. This is the voice of a nation and a government that calls upon the world to bear witness that we did not initiate the war. But the end of this story will be written by Iran…”
An Iranian security source told Reuters that a plan for a decisive response to the Israeli attacks was being formulated.
“The response to the Israeli attack will be harsh and decisive,” the official said, adding that details of Iran’s retaliation “are being discussed at the highest levels” when asked whether the attack would be imminent.
Regional impact
Meanwhile, Iran launched approximately 800 drones and cruise missiles towards Israel, according to Sky News. The Israeli military stated that it was continuing to intercept them. The Jordanian Army announced that it had intercepted a number of drones and missiles that entered its airspace, saying, “The Jordanian Armed Forces will not allow any violation of Jordanian airspace under any circumstances.”
The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization stated that various parts of the Natanz enrichment complex suffered damage as a result of the aggression, but added, “We have not yet received any reports of human casualties there.” It confirmed that no radioactive or chemical contamination had spread outside the site.
The organization further stated that over the past two years, following repeated threats from the Zionist entity against its nuclear facilities, its head had sent various messages and held discussions with the Director-General of the IAEA, urging him to condemn these threats.
The Iranian organization criticized the IAEA's “silence” as “a form of complicity with the Zionist entity,” adding that the agency “has become a tool in the hands of the Zionist entity and has lost its credibility as a reputable international organization.”
US involvement
In its statement, the Iranian government asserted that starting a war with Iran was “like playing with a lion's tail,” adding that “the cowardly operation was carried out through the diplomatic process concerning the Iranian nuclear file.” It emphasized, “We have not waged any war over the past two hundred years, but we have not hesitated to defend our homeland, and we will not hesitate.”
In recent months, the United States and Iran have held rounds of indirect talks, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman, aiming to reach an agreement that would prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and lift economic sanctions imposed by Washington. A meeting was anticipated between US negotiator Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat next Sunday to continue discussions.
Two days prior, US President Donald Trump stated that American personnel would be evacuated from the Middle East because “it could be a dangerous place,” adding that the United States would not allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons.
Reuters, at the time, cited unnamed US and Iraqi sources saying the United States was preparing to partially evacuate its embassy in Iraq and would allow military families to leave parts of the Middle East due to increasing security risks in the region.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry, for its part, asserted that the “aggressive actions of the Zionist entity against Iran could not have taken place without coordination and authorization from the United States. Therefore, the US government, as the primary supporter of this entity, will also be responsible for the serious implications and consequences of this Zionist adventure.”
In his first reaction after the attacks, Trump stated, “We are awaiting Iran's response, and we will defend Israel if necessary.” He wrote on Truth Social,
“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal,” he said.
“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. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left…”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, denied his country's involvement in the Israeli attack. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said. “Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”
In 2015, an international agreement was concluded between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the United States, Russia, China, France, and Britain), in addition to Germany, to control its nuclear activities. In 2018, during Trump's first presidential term, the United States withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Iran, in response to which Iran halted its compliance with the agreement and accelerated its nuclear program.
Egypt on the Line
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack on Iran earlier today, calling it “a blatant and extremely dangerous regional escalation, a flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, and a direct threat to regional and international peace and security.”
It noted intensive contacts by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and with the Palestinian Vice President, to follow up on the repercussions of the Israeli attack on Iran.
In Egypt, the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority confirmed that the radiological situation at the Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz, targeted by the Israeli military, “remains under control and there are no indications of any leakage so far.”
The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed after the attack that Egyptian airspace is safe and operating normally with regular flight traffic.
Previously, in October, Israel carried out an attack on Iran targeting military sites in three provinces, which the Iranian army repelled, declaring “limited losses.” Iran had also previously barraged Israel with more than 200 missiles in response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
