Israel hits nuclear sites in Iran: IRGC members killed
Shafaq News/ Israeli airstrikes struck multiple Iranian provinces on Saturday afternoon, targeting 'sensitive' military and nuclear sites and causing deaths among members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Mehr News reported an explosion at the Imam Hassan military base in Kermanshah Province. Israel also bombed an auto manufacturing facility in Lorestan Province.
According to Tasnim News, a separate blast hit the southwestern city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province, with Lorestan's deputy governor confirming the downing of four Israeli drones over Khorramabad.
Reports indicated that three nuclear scientists—Ali Bakaei Karimi, Mansour Askari, and Saeed Borji—were killed during the Israeli assaults, though the Iranian government has not officially confirmed their deaths.
The IRGC, meanwhile, announced that three of its personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on Zanjan Province in northwestern Iran.
The Iranian army confirmed that its air defense units targeted an Israeli F-35 fighter jet in western Iran, with the pilot reportedly ejected safely.
Shortly before, powerful explosions were reported in several cities, including Tabriz, Khorramabad, and Kermanshah.
The attacks are part of Operation Rising Lion, Israel's wide-scale offensive launched Friday targeting Iranian military sites, met with Iran's retaliatory strikes under True Promise 3.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Iraqi News
42 minutes ago
- Iraqi News
Iraq on the brink: how a strike on Iran's nuclear sites could trigger catastrophic collapse
Baghdad ( – A military strike targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, far from being a contained, bilateral conflict, would precipitate a cascading, multi-domain crisis with its most devastating and complex impacts falling squarely upon neighboring Iraq. The nation's unique vulnerabilities—geographic proximity, economic codependence, and a fragile security landscape—position it to suffer a perfect storm of instability that threatens to unravel the state. The first victim: Radioactive fallout and public health The most immediate and terrifying threat would be environmental. Key Iranian nuclear facilities, like the Bushehr power plant, are located relatively close to Iraq's southern border and major population centers like Basra. In the event of a military strike on such a facility, a plume of radioactive material would be released into the atmosphere. Prevailing winds could easily carry this fallout across the border, leading to catastrophic contamination of Iraq's air, agricultural land, and vital water sources like the Shatt al-Arab waterway. Such an event would trigger a long-term public health disaster, with devastating increases in cancers and birth defects, for which Iraq's already strained healthcare system is entirely unprepared. The main arena: Geopolitical and security collapse Geopolitically, Iraq would instantly become the epicenter of the conflict. Iran-aligned armed groups on Iraqi soil would almost certainly retaliate against the interests of the attacking nation, turning Iraq into the primary battleground for a proxy—or even direct—war. The Iraqi government would be trapped in an impossible position, caught between any security partnerships with Western powers and its political reliance on powerful pro-Iranian factions. Its stated policy of neutrality would become unenforceable, and its sovereignty severely eroded as its territory becomes a stage for regional conflict. This security collapse would be compounded by the potential for a massive refugee crisis flowing from western Iran into an already strained Iraq. Economic freefall and strategic miscalculation The economic shockwaves would be equally severe. A conflict would immediately sever the critical flow of Iranian electricity and natural gas, upon which Iraq is existentially dependent to power its grid, likely causing widespread blackouts and fueling mass social unrest. The collapse of the over $10 billion annual non-oil trade relationship would trigger widespread shortages and inflation across the Iraqi market. Crucially, such an attack would likely fail to eliminate Iran's nuclear ambitions. History shows that military strikes on nuclear programs often provoke an accelerated, more determined, and more secretive push to acquire a nuclear weapon as the ultimate deterrent. The very action intended to prevent proliferation could become the catalyst for its creation. Ultimately, a strike on Iran would risk creating a far greater problem than the one it sought to solve: the de facto collapse of the Iraqi state. It would transform Iraq into a radiological disaster zone and the main theater of a regional war, accelerate nuclear proliferation, and create a vortex of instability with profound and lasting consequences for the Middle East and the world.
Iraqi News
42 minutes ago
- Iraqi News
Iraq urges US to prevent Israeli planes from violating its airspace
Baghdad ( – Iraq criticized on Saturday Israel's use of its airspace to launch airstrikes against Iran, urging the United States to take responsibility and prevent Israel from repeating what it called violations. The Iraqi government stated that it firmly opposes the use of its airspace for attacks on neighboring countries. Iraq is committed to a policy of good neighborliness and aims to prevent the use of its lands, waters, and airspace for such purposes. The Iraqi government is communicating with international parties regarding these illegal activities, which blatantly violate Iraqi sovereignty and international law principles, negatively impacting regional stability and peace, according to the statement. Baghdad also urged the United States to take responsibility, in accordance with bilateral agreements and international conventions, for preventing Israeli planes from frequently flying into Iraqi airspace and carrying out assaults. Iraq emphasized its commitment to the greatest level of self-restraint, intending to pave the way for diplomatic and political solutions to the situation through peaceful means. It also asserted its right, under international law and UN agreements, to utilize its capabilities to confront any violation of national sovereignty by any party.
Iraqi News
42 minutes ago
- Iraqi News
Drones shot down near Iraqi army base hosting U.S. troops
Baghdad ( – Three drones were launched toward the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq on Saturday, according to two U.S. officials cited by The Washington Post. The drones, aimed at the U.S. military installation, were reportedly intercepted and shot down. No group has claimed responsibility for the attempted attack, and U.S. officials have not attributed it to any specific party. The incident follows Israel's recent strikes on Iranian targets, raising regional tensions. However, Iran-backed militias in Iraq—long viewed as a potential source of retaliation—have so far remained largely silent amid the escalating conflict.
