With generals dead, bases ruined & proxies wiped out… world awaits neutered Iran's ‘revenge' strikes
IRAN'S war machine appears to be in ruins - but the world is now holding its breath to see how far a wounded Tehran will go in striking back.
Following Israel's ferocious blitz, which killed top generals, destroyed nuclear facilities, and shattered missile bases, Iran has vowed revenge.
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Yet with its key infrastructure crippled and much of its military leadership wiped out, questions now swirl over what capabilities remain and whether it can deliver the blow it's promised.
Israel, with its unmatched air force, powerful missile defences, and intelligence reach, has shown its ability to hit Iran at its core.
Iran, while weakened, still commands regional proxy networks like Hezbollah and the Houthis - forces that could be unleashed in asymmetric retaliation.
As the dust settles, the big question now is what's next? And can the next move avoid pulling the region into a full-scale war?
Earlier today, Donald Trump warned that even more brutal Israeli strikes are coming for Iran, urging Tehran to 'make a deal before it is too late'.
Writing on Truth Social on Friday, the US president revealed he had issued Iran a two-month ultimatum that has now expired.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to speak with Trump, Vladimir Putin, and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer later today, according to the Israeli PM's office.
It comes after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as a "declaration of war" in a letter to the UN as crowds gathered in Tehran for anti-Israeli protests.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian also vowed a powerful response to Israel's airstrikes, saying the country will 'strongly take action' in retaliation.
Iran's Nournews reports that 78 people were killed and 329 others injured in Israeli attacks on Tehran, according to Reuters.
The country remains under attack after Israeli commandos spearheaded an incredible blitz on its nuclear sites by building a secret drone base deep inside enemy territory.
Elite troops smuggled kamikaze drones and precision weapons into Iran in one of the most audacious military operations ever attempted.
Their mission - planned for years and backed by intelligence - paved the way for 200 Israeli warjets to blast 100 targets across the rogue Islamist nation.
Which Iranian military chiefs and scientists have been killed?
ISRAEL has dealt a major blow to Iran's command chain - wiping out several of its top brass.
Key nuclear scientists have also been eliminated in Israel's overnight strikes.
Those killed include:
Generals
Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the armed forces and the second-highest commander after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Gen. Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
Gen. Gholamali Rashid, deputy commander in chief of the armed forces
Ali Shamkhan, key adviser and confidant of Khamenei
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Forces
Nuclear scientists
Fereydoun Abbasi, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
Dr Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, theoretical physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran
Israeli commanders said the overnight raids were the start of up to two weeks of action intended to wipe out Iran's atom threat.
The Middle East now stands on the brink of all-out war after Israel targeted Tehran's nuclear facilities, killed top military and scientific figures in a lightning offensive dubbed Operation Rising Lion.
Israel appears to have defied urges for restraint - including from US President Donald Trump - and said they were responding to the imminent danger that Tehran would obtain a nuclear weapon.
Iran have vowed vengeance, already begun to blame the US, and launched at least 100 drones towards Israel.
The strikes came just days before Iran was due to meet with the US for another round of nuclear talks to try and strike a deal.
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In a ferocious show of force, around 200 Israeli fighter jets roared across Iranian skies early Friday.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said they used 330 munitions on 100 targets, including uranium enrichment plants and key command centres.
Major strikes have taken place on Iran's military bases, the homes of top officials and nuclear sites such as the uranium enrichment base at Natanz .
And the heads of Iran's armed forces - Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami and Iranian chief of state Mohammad Bagheri - have both been killed.
At least two nuclear scientists - Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi - have also been killed, says Iranian state TV.
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38 minutes ago
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Farage: Iranian people deserve better than current brutal regime
Mr Farage rarely intervene on foreign policy issues, with his party having predominantly focussed on domestic matters affecting voters. The Reform leader tore into the now defunct Iran nuclear deal which was agreed in 2015 between the US, the UK and EU on one side and Iran on the other. Under the agreement Western nations agreed to lift sanctions on Tehran in return for it agreeing to give up its nuclear weapons programme. Donald Trump, the US president, withdrew his country from the agreement, which was struck by Barack Obama, his predecessor, in 2018, effectively terminating it in all but name. Mr Trump described the pact, which Israel was strongly opposed to, as 'a horrible one-sided deal that should never, ever have been made'. Mr Farage said: 'To understand Israel's action against Iran we need to recognise the total failure of the deal struck a decade ago. 'The USA, EU and British Government's naïve agreement allowed Iran to fund multiple terrorist groups and to speed up their nuclear programme. 'The Iranian regime wants to wipe Israel and its people off the map and are close to nuclear capability. Who can blame Israel from trying to stop this?' He added: 'The Iranian people deserve better than the current brutal regime.' Mr Farage's remarks indicated support for Iranian opposition figures, many of whom are in exile, who have called for the overthrow of the mullahs. 'Israel has a right to self-defence' Iran has been run as a religious dictatorship since the overthrow of the previous monarchy in 1979 in what became known as the 'Islamic Revolution'. The country is currently led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, known as the supreme leader, under whose watch it has pursued its nuclear ambitions. Tehran has also supported and financed networks of terror organisations across the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Sir Keir expressed 'grave concerns' about Tehran's nuclear programme during a call with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, on Friday. A Downing Street spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister spoke to the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon following last night's events. 'The Prime Minister was clear that Israel has a right to self-defence and set out the UK's grave concerns about Iran's nuclear programme. 'He reiterated the need for de-escalation and a diplomatic resolution, in the interests of stability in the region.'
Leader Live
43 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Appeals for de-escalation after Israel bombarded by Iranian missiles
Calls from Sir Keir Starmer and other world leaders for calm amid the mounting conflict appeared to fall on deaf ears, as Tehran struck back against Israel's attacks. Air raid sirens sounded out across Israel and its citizens were ordered to move into bomb shelters, as the attack began. A plume of smoke could be seen rising from central Tel Aviv amid the barrage, after at least one Iranian missile appeared to bypass the iron dome missile defence system. The rocket attacks on the Tel Aviv area wounded 34 people, according to Israel's paramedic service, including one woman critically injured after being trapped under rubble. Israel's paramedic service said two people were killed and another 19 people were injured after Iranian missiles struck the central Israeli city of Rishon LeZion on Saturday. A spokesperson for Beilinson Hospital said one woman was killed in a second Iranian barrage when a building was hit in Tel Aviv. A spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said continuing nuclear talks with the US would be 'meaningless' after the strikes, although he stopped short of saying the talks were cancelled according to The Mizan news agency. Operation Rising Lion – the offensive against Tehran – has mainly targeted nuclear sites, including destroying the above ground section of Iran's main Natanz nuclear base. Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was among the senior Iranian figures reportedly killed in Israel's initial overnight strikes. Some 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in Iran, according to its ambassador to the UN. The attack is believed to be the most significant Iran has faced since its war with Iraq in the 1980s. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 'more is on the way' in a video message released on Friday night. امشب، میخواهم با شما، مردم محترم ایران، صحبت کنم. ما در میانه یکی از بزرگترین عملیاتهای نظامی در تاریخ، هستیم – عملیات طلوع شیران.رژیم اسلامی که تقریباً ۵۰ سال شما را سرکوب کرده، تهدید به نابودی کشور ما- اسرائیل میکند. هدف عملیات اسرائیل جلوگیری از تهدید هستهای و موشکی… — Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 13, 2025 Danny Dannon, Israel's UN ambassador, claimed the operation was launched because Iran was 'within days' of having the capability of building nuclear weapons. Tensions between Israel, the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks, amid negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal, which is aimed at preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons. On Friday, Israel's western allies attempted a diplomatic blitz aimed at cooling temperatures in the Middle East. After convening a Cobra meeting of senior ministers and officials, Sir Keir spoke to Mr Netanyahu, urging him to de-escalate and work towards a 'diplomatic resolution'. The Prime Minister and US President Donald Trump agreed the burgeoning conflict needed to be resolved by 'diplomacy and dialogue'. And Sir Keir joined with France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz in calling for restraint. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, spoke to Iran's foreign minister and urged calm, later warning the Middle East is facing a 'moment of grave peril'. Mr Trump has also suggested that Iran now had a chance to agree a nuclear deal to bring an end to the fighting. On his Truth Social platform, the President wrote: 'Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to 'make a deal'. They should have done it! 'Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn't get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!' Both the UK and the US have insisted they were not involved in the Israeli strikes and that Israel acted unilaterally. The first time Israel discussed the strikes with the UK was at midday on Friday, according to Tzipi Hotovely, the country's ambassador to the UK. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the attacks to be halted. 'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail,' he said in a post on X.
BBC News
an hour ago
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Laura Kuenssberg: Israel-Iran another huge challenge for government
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It had involved what they described as a "sickening amount" of sucking up, but meant that "in practical terms, they are probably as in as good a position as anybody". The prime minister's allies also point, with some legitimacy, to Sir Keir's intense efforts to make like a statesman, trying to coordinate action on Ukraine, and patching up some of the UK's fraught relationships with European there is no doubting this is a fretful moment, adversaries and conflicts around the world, deep seated problems at home. Labour has zealously talked up its appetite to reform everything in sight, to respond to the gravity of the situation it prime minister is certainly visibly busy on the world stage, again at the G7 this weekend. Labour is pumping significant amounts of extra cash into public services. But it's fair to wonder if their actions so far really match the scale of the promises they made to "rewire" the country, and the ever more fraught situation they face on so many different you hear politicians talk of a time of crisis, you might well ask, which one? BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below. Sign up for the Off Air with Laura K newsletter to get Laura Kuenssberg's expert insight and insider stories every week, emailed directly to you.
