Israel launched a major attack on Iran early Friday morning, targeting nuclear facilities and senior military figures.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said they deployed 200 fighter jets, dropped over 330 “various munitions”, and struck more than 100 targets across Iran.
Key Iranian targets hit included Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility, the Natanz nuclear complex, as well as top Iranian military leaders and senior nuclear scientists.
Several high-ranking Iranian commanders were killed, including General Hossein Salami (Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), Major General Mohammad Bagheri (Iran’s highest-ranking military officer), and Ali Shamkhani (Iran’s former national security chief and close aide to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei).
Tehran responded by launching over 100 drones towards Israeli territory, which Israeli defences worked to intercept.
Countries worldwide, including Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, expressed concern, with some criticising the attacks as escalatory and most urging restraint and de-escalation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that there was no American involvement or support in the strikes.
President Donald Trump had previously voiced disinterest in Israel striking Iran during ongoing nuclear deal negotiations.
Israel declared a state of emergency: schools were closed, social gatherings banned, non-essential work discouraged, hospitals ordered to move operations to protected areas, and “tens of thousands” of soldiers were called up.
Israel, Iran, and Jordan have all closed their airspace, and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport has been shut to all departures and landings.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that Israel faces a “bitter and painful” fate and vowed that the armed forces would not allow Israel to “go unpunished”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and ballistic missile production sites.
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