Israel attacked Iran, Killed Top military and nuclear program leadership
Israel launched a stunning series of strikes on Friday morning against Iran’s nuclear program, killing three of the nation’s security chiefs. The wide-ranging attack prompted fears that long-simmering tensions between the heavily armed rivals were spiraling into a full-blown regional war.
In addition to Iran’s nuclear program, Israel targeted and killed top Iranian officials and nuclear scientists, as well as attacking long-range missile facilities and aerial defenses.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a statement that Israel “should anticipate a harsh punishment.” Later on Friday morning, the Israeli military announced that Iranian forces had fired about 100 drones at Israel, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the fighting would last “as many days as it takes.”
Mr. Netanyahu had threatened an attack on Iran’s nuclear program for years, but the scale of the strikes overnight stunned Iranians and Israelis alike. More than 200 Israeli fighter jets took part in the attack, which targeted over 100 sites, including a major Iranian nuclear enrichment center at Natanz.
The strikes were also a major blow to Iran’s military chain of command. Mohammad Bagheri, the commander in chief of the military and the second-highest commander after the supreme leader, was killed, according to the Israeli military and Iranian media.
Residents of Tehran, the Iranian capital, reported hearing huge explosions, and Iranian state television broadcast images of smoke and fire billowing from buildings.
Israel’s surprise attack came while the United States, its main patron, was negotiating a new diplomatic pact with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions. Washington said it was not directly involved in the strikes.
President Trump said that he had been informed of Israel’s plans and that the U.S. and Iran would “hopefully” return to negotiations.
Reza Pahlavi, son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s last shah who was toppled by the Islamic Revolution of 1979, has condemned the Irani regime and supported Israeli attacks.
Reza Pahlavi’s Official Response:
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