Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran as Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites. The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
What to know:
- Israel is targeting Iran’s nuclear sites: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz and the country’s ballistic missile program, as well as top nuclear scientists and officials.
- Head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is feared dead: The report from Iranian state television offered few other details about what happened to Gen. Hossein Salami. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution, is one of the main power centers within the country’s theocracy.
Tensions rose over Iran’s nuclear program: The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency censured the nation for the first time in 20 years Thursday after it refused to work with inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more advanced ones.- US responds with a warning: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took “unilateral action against Iran,” warning Iran not to target U.S. forces in retaliation. In recent days, the U.S. began pulling some diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.
IAEA confirms Israeli strike hit nuclear facility
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Friday that an Israeli strike hit Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz.
In a statement on the social platform X, the IAEA’s head Rafael Mariano Grossi was quoted as saying: “The IAEA is closely monitoring the deeply concerning situation in Iran. … The Agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country.”
Explosions heard in more Iranian cities
Attacks also hit the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, with people there saying they heard explosions and saw black smoke rising over the city. It wasn’t immediately clear what the target was.
There also were explosions around the Iranian city of Tabriz, though what was happening there remained unclear.
Iran’s supreme leader threatens ‘severe punishment’
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday that Israel will face “severe punishment” over its attack on the country.
Khamenei issued a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. It also confirmed that top military officials and scientists had been killed in the attack.
Israel “opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to commit a crime against our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers,” Khamenei said.
- Israel says some 200 fighter jets involved in strikes
- Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Deffrin said that some 200 Israeli fighter jets participated in the operation, striking some 100 targets.
- He said the attacks were continuing.
- Jordan closes its airspace after Israeli strikes on Iran
- Jordan has closed its airspace following Israel’s strikes on Iran early Friday.
- Iran, Israel and Iraq have also closed their airspace.
- Jordan’s civil aviation authority says the airspace will be closed for all flights over the country.
- Jordan News Agency said the temporary measure is out of concern for any dangers related to the escalation in the region.
100 drones launched at Israel by Iran
Brig. Gen. Effie Deffrin, the chief Israeli army spokesman: “In the last few hours, Iran has launched more than 100 drones toward Israel, and all the defense systems are acting to intercept the threats.”
Lebanon’s Aoun says attacks target stability in Middle East
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement that Israel’s attack on Iran “did not only target the Iranian people, but also all international efforts exerted to maintain stability in the Middle East and neighboring countries and avoid escalation therein.”
He called for “the international community to take effective and swift action to prevent Israel from achieving its goals.”
US embassy in Bahrain warns personnel to “exercise increased caution”
The U.S. embassy in Manama, Bahrain, advised its personnel on Friday to “exercise increased caution” and “limit non-essential travel around the country,” after Israel’s early morning strikes on Iran.
“We recommend American citizens in Bahrain to do the same, and stand by for further instructions as we assess the situation,” the embassy added in a security alert.
Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli strikes on Iran
Saudi Arabia on Friday reprimanded Israel for its strikes on Iran, despite long-running tensions between the kingdom and the Islamic Republic.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security and constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
India urges Israel and Iran to not escalate tensions
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday urged both Israel and Iran “to avoid any escalatory steps,” saying India has “close and friendly” relations with the two nations.
India, he added, urges “dialogue and diplomacy” and is “closely monitoring the evolving situation, including reports related to attacks on nuclear sites.”
He said India “stands ready to extend all possible support.”
Turkey condemns Israeli attack
A top Turkish official condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, describing them as “barbaric” and unjustifiable aggression.
Omer Celik, the spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing party also maintained that the action was a diversion tactic, aimed at shifting attention away from international criticism of its actions in Gaza.
“There can be no legitimacy or justification for the Israeli attack. This is barbaric aggression,” Celik said on a X post.
Celik went on to accuse Israel of “hostility” toward diplomatic efforts, noting that the attack took place amid ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran.
Oman condemns Israeli strikes
Oman on Friday condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran.
It comes two days ahead of planned high-stakes talks between the U.S. and Iran in Muscat over the Islamic Republic’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
“Oman holds Israel responsible for this escalation and its repercussions, and calls on the international community to take a clear and firm position to stop this dangerous approach, which threatens to exclude diplomatic solutions and undermine the security and stability of the region,” Oman’s government said.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi had said a day earlier that talks were set for Sunday.Iranian chief of staff killed in Israeli strike
Iranian chief of staff is also killed in Israeli strike
An Israeli airstrike killed Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Iranian state television reported Friday.
Bagheri is a former top commander within Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
The state TV report offered no further details.
Multiple military officials and scientists have been killed in the Israeli attack Friday on sites across Iran.
Netanyahu says more attacks coming
PM Netanyahu issued a statement suggesting more attacks would be coming, saying: “We are going to have many more achievements.”
AP