Israel strikes nuclear facilities, blocks drones

Otago Daily Times

2 days ago

Israel launched large-scale strikes against Iran yesterday, saying it had targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.
Iran promised a harsh response and Israel said it was working to intercept about 100 drones launched towards Israeli territory in retaliation.
But about 8pm (NZ time), Israeli media said an order to citizens to remain near protected areas had been lifted, suggesting that most or all the drones had been neutralised.
The price of crude oil leapt on fears of retaliatory attacks on a major oil producing region, but then eased somewhat.
An Israeli security source said Israeli Mossad commandos had operated deep inside the Islamic Republic before the attack and the Israeli spy agency and military had led a series of covert operations against Iran's strategic missile array.
Israel also established an attack-drone base near Tehran, the source added. The military said it had carried out a large-scale strike against Iran's air defences, destroying "dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers". Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz.
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps said its top commander, Hossein Salami, had been killed and state media reported the unit's headquarters in Tehran had been hit. Several children were killed in a strike on a residential area in the capital, they said.
"We are at a decisive moment in Israel's history," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message.
"Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat."
He warned Israelis that they might have to remain in shelters for extended periods. Israel has limited Iran's ability to retaliate by severely weakening its Middle East allies since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, assassinating top leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah. Some 200 Israeli fighter jets took part in the strikes, hitting more than 100 targets in Iran, military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said.
He told an online briefing Israel had been able to confirm that the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards and the commander of Iran's Emergency Command had all been killed in the strikes. Six Iranian nuclear scientists were killed, Iranian state media reported.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said there was no increase in radiation levels at the Natanz nuclear site, citing information provided by Iranian authorities.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that Israel had "unleashed its wicked and bloody" hand in a crime against Iran and that it would receive "a bitter fate for itself".
Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said tens of thousands of soldiers had been called up and "prepared across all borders".
In an interview with Fox News after the start of the Israeli air strikes, United States President Donald Trump said that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and that the US was hoping to get back to the negotiating table.
US officials have repeatedly said that any new nuclear deal with Iran — to replace a 2015 accord between Tehran and six world powers from which Trump withdrew — must include a commitment to scrap enrichment, a potential pathway to developing nuclear bombs.
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly denied such intentions, saying it wants nuclear energy only for civilian purposes, and has publicly rejected Washington's demand to scrap enrichment as an attack on its national sovereignty. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors yesterday declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years.
Iran said in a statement that Israel's "cowardly" attack showed why Iran had to insist on enrichment, nuclear technology and missile power.
The Israeli military said it had been forced to act by new intelligence information showing that Iran was "approaching the point of no return" in the development of a nuclear weapon.
But a source familiar with US intelligence reports said there had been no recent change in the US assessment that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei had not authorised a resumption of the nuclear weapons programme that was shut in 2003.
Iran's armed forces spokesman said Israel and its chief ally — the US — would pay a "heavy price" for the attack, accusing Washington of providing support for the operation. While the US tried to distance itself from Israel's attack, an Israeli official said Israel had co-ordinated with Washington. World reaction
"We are at a decisive moment in Israel's history." — Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
"The Zionist regime has committed a crime in our dear country today at dawn with its satanic, bloodstained hands. That regime should anticipate a severe punishment. By God's grace, the powerful arm of the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces won't let them go unpunished." — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader
"Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel." — Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State
"Escalation serves no-one in the region. Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy." — Sir Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister
"This was a unilateral action by Israel. So I think it is crucial for many allies, including the United States, to work as we speak to de-escalate." — Mark Rutte, Nato Secretary-general — Reuters