TEHRAN, IR – Israel, now having completed its third day of punishing Iran in Operation Rising Lion, has decimated Iran’s air defenses and is currently enjoying freedom of movement over Iranian airspace.
The Israeli offensive began in the early hours of Friday, June 13, and has continued through the weekend. In a complex operation involving fighter jets, drones, and reportedly, ground assets, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have repeatedly struck targets across Iran, including in the capital, Tehran.
Among the primary targets were key components of Iran’s nuclear program. Israeli strikes have reportedly destroyed the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz where Uranium-235 was being purified, and damaged facilities at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre and other critical locations.
In a series of targeted killings, the strikes eliminated a significant portion of Iran’s senior military and scientific leadership. Iranian state media has confirmed the deaths of several high-ranking officials, including General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, and several other top military brass. Several of the nation’s leading nuclear scientists were also reported killed.
The IDF has been vocal about its objectives. In a statement posted to social media, the military confirmed it has been conducting broad operations designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Early Monday, IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani wrote on X, “The IDF is currently striking surface-to-surface missile sites in central Iran. We are operating against this threat in our skies and in Iranian skies.”
In one of the most audacious attacks, the Israeli Air Force struck and destroyed an Iranian refueling aircraft on the tarmac at Mashhad Airport, approximately 2,300 kilometers from Israel, demonstrating an extraordinary operational reach.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with Fox News, stated the operation was necessary to prevent a nearly immediate threat, stating Iran was just days away from being able to complete as many as 9 nuclear weapons. Intelligence gathered by the Israelis also indicated Iran was in the final planning stages of an attack that “would be more sophisticated” and extensive than the brutal October 7th, 2023 attacks perpetrated by Iran’s terrorist proxies against Israeli civilians on behalf of Iran.
Iran’s response has been swift and forceful. For the past three days, it has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel. Air raid sirens have become a constant presence in Israeli cities, with strikes hitting Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Bat Yam. According to Israeli emergency services, the attacks have resulted in at least 13 deaths and left over 380 wounded.
Unlike Israel, Iran has been deliberately targeting civilians, per CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq and Gazeta Express news outlet, quoting semi-official Iranian media. Damage in Israeli residential neighbourhoods is consistent with the claim, as Iranian missiles have avoided Israeli military targets. Israel has primarily been targeting nuclear and military installations and personnel, though in some cases civilian casualties have been unavoidable.
In Tehran, the aftermath of the Israeli strikes has been devastating. Iran’s Health Ministry has reported that at least 224 people have been killed and over 1,400 wounded since Friday. The provided figures have not been independently verified, and Iran does not appear to be differentiating between civilian and military deaths, consistent with the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry practice aimed at misleading the public and distorting the numbers of casualties.
Adding another layer to the conflict, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, linked to the IRGC, claimed security forces had discovered a secret Israeli drone factory operating on Iranian soil. This claim has also not been independently verified, though Israel itself has released video of Mossad agents operating inside Iran towards these goals.
