In the early hours of Friday, Israel launched a sweeping and unprecedented military operation against Iran, marking one of the most significant escalations in the region in recent years. The airstrikes, reportedly conducted by around 200 Israeli fighter jets, targeted more than 100 strategic locations across Iran, including key nuclear facilities, ballistic missile production centers, and high-ranking military command structures. Among the confirmed targets was the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, a central pillar of Iran’s nuclear program. The operation, which Israel has termed as a long-term effort to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, has already claimed the lives of several senior Iranian figures and sent shockwaves across the Middle East.
According to Iranian state media, the Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, and Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Also confirmed dead are Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, and two of Iran’s most prominent nuclear scientists—Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, president of Islamic Azad University, and Fereydoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Reports also indicate that Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a senior Revolutionary Guard official, sustained life-threatening injuries in the attacks.
While Israeli officials maintain that the targets were strictly military and nuclear in nature, Iranian media have reported civilian casualties as well. At least five civilians, including women and children, were killed in the strikes on Tehran, and around 20 others were injured. The Iranian government has condemned the attacks as a gross violation of sovereignty and a blatant act of aggression, accusing Israel of deliberately targeting residential areas.
In a televised address, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel of severe consequences. He described the attack as a “wicked and bloody crime” and declared that the Zionist regime had written a “bitter and painful fate” for itself through its actions. Khamenei affirmed that while the loss of top commanders and scientists was a major blow, their responsibilities would immediately be assumed by their successors. He vowed that Iran would retaliate in a manner that would make Israel regret its actions.
In response to the airstrikes, Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israel, targeting military and strategic sites. Israeli air defense systems were reportedly activated to intercept the barrage, and emergency alerts were declared across several parts of the country. The Israeli government has expressed preparedness for further escalation, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating that the operation is only the beginning of a broader campaign aimed at neutralizing what he described as “the existential threat” posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
This confrontation comes at a critical juncture, as diplomatic efforts between Iran and Western powers had recently resumed in Oman in an attempt to revive stalled nuclear talks. The attacks have cast a dark shadow over those negotiations, raising the risk of a broader regional conflict involving multiple state and non-state actors. Both allies and adversaries of the two nations are watching the developments closely, as fears of a protracted war in the Middle East become more palpable by the hour.
