Iran strikes back after Israel's Operation Rising Lion; Netanyahu warns 'more is on the way'; what happened overnight?
A dramatic and dangerous escalation unfolded across the Middle East overnight, as Iran launched a barrage of retaliatory missile strikes at Israel late Friday and early Saturday, in response to what it called Israel's 'criminal aggression' on Iranian soil a day earlier.
The confrontation began with Israel's "greatest military operations in history," against Iran.
In a sweeping and highly coordinated attack on Thursday night, Israeli warplanes and drones, some of them reportedly smuggled into Iranian territory in advance, struck deep inside the Islamic Republic.
Key targets included parts of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile production sites, and command centers.
The strike also killed top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists.
"In the past 24 hours, we have taken out top military commanders, senior nuclear scientists, the Islamic regime's most significant enrichment facility, and a large portion of its ballistic missile arsenal," declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a defiant video address. "The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them.
It has never been weaker."
Netanyahu also addressed the people of Iran directly: "To the proud people of Iran, we are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history, Operation Rising Lion. The Islamic regime, which has oppressed you for almost 50 years, threatens to destroy our country, the State of Israel. More is on the way."
That promise of escalation was swiftly realised — by both sides.
Late Friday night, Iran responded with a salvo of ballistic missiles and drones targeting Israeli territory.
Explosions thundered over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as sirens blared and the Israeli military urged residents to take cover.
Buildings shook under the pressure of near-simultaneous detonations, with several of them likely the result of Israel's air defence systems intercepting incoming threats.
In a rare and pointed statement, Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the retaliatory attacks.
"Using a combination of precision-guided and smart systems," the IRGC said, "Iran targeted military centers and airbases that served as the source of the criminal aggression against our country."
The IRGC added that its missiles struck Israeli military-industrial centers that produce missiles and other war equipment, stating that "field reports, satellite imagery, and intercepted intelligence indicate that dozens of ballistic missiles effectively hit strategic targets."
"Despite claims of interception, the enemy failed to counter the waves of missile strikes launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement continued.
But Israel maintained it had successfully intercepted a significant portion of the threat.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released footage of a Navy missile ship intercepting five Iranian drones over Israeli waters early Saturday. "Attached is documentation of the interception of two drones launched earlier today from Iran," the IDF posted on social media platform X.
The IDF also published a map highlighting areas across Israel currently under threat from Iranian attacks, warning, "Israeli civilians are currently being targeted by the Iranian regime. The world cannot stay silent."
Inside a fortified command center, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant conducted ongoing situation assessments. According to an Israeli official who spoke with CNN, the leadership is "fully engaged in real-time military coordination and strategic planning."
The attacks did not cease after Netanyahu's fiery speech. Minutes after his video was posted, more Iranian missiles were launched, with renewed explosions reported in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The tension inside Israel remained palpable as citizens were urged to stay inside shelters.
A senior Iranian official, speaking to CNN, warned that Iran is prepared to escalate even further: 'Iran will intensify its attacks on Israel and target the regional bases of any country that tries to defend it.'
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Tehran while reaffirming support for Israel. 'Of course we support Israel in its actions,' Trump told CNN. 'Iran better agree to a nuclear deal before there is nothing left.'
As the skies over the Middle East lit up with missile trails and fireballs, the world watched anxiously, hoping the night's violence would not spiral into a broader regional war. But with both sides promising more to come, a return to calm appears distant.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Nuclear site, fuel depots targeted as Israel, Iran conflict heats up
In a wave of fresh missile attacks, Iran on Saturday night launched a fresh attack against Israel, followed by Tel Aviv's counter strike on two of Tehran's fuel depots and other targets. On Sunday, Israel's military targeted Iran's defence ministry headquarters in Tehran, saying the targeted sites were associated with Iran's nuclear program. 'Tehran is burning," Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on social media, and Iranian state television said explosions were heard in the city's east and west. In the last 48 hours, tensions between Israel and Iran have erupted into a new wave of military confrontation with the launch of Israel's 'Operation Rising Lion', which began with a major aerial offensive targeting key Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure, including facilities in Tehran. The strikes reportedly killed several top Iranian generals, including the military intelligence chief. Israel framed the operation as a direct response to ongoing threats from Iran and its allied groups in the region.
Economic Times
34 minutes ago
- Economic Times
US-Iran talks over Tehran's nuclear program won't take place after Israel's surprise attack
Agencies Khameini and Trump The latest U.S.-Iran talks on Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program will not take place Sunday, mediator Oman said Saturday, as Israel and Iran traded blows a day after Israel's blistering attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites. Israel's ongoing "widespread strikes" in Tehran and elsewhere have left Iran's surviving leadership with the difficult decision of whether to plunge deeper into conflict with Israel's more powerful forces or seek a diplomatic route. Oman's foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, said on social media the sixth round of indirect nuclear talks on Sunday "will not now take place," adding that "diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace." Israel-Iran conflict: Catch all live updates here Although the talks are off for now, "we remain committed to talks and hope the Iranians will come to the table soon," said a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomacy. Israel and Iran signaled more attacks are coming, despite urgent calls from world leaders to deescalate and avoid all-out war. The attack on nuclear sites set a "dangerous precedent," China's foreign minister said. The region is already on edge as Israel makes a new push to eliminate the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas in Gaza after 20 months of fighting. Israel - widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East - said its hundreds of strikes on Iran over the past two days killed a number of top generals, nine senior scientists and experts involved in Iran's nuclear program. Iran's U.N. ambassador has said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded. Iran retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, where explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook buildings. Israel said three people were killed and over 170 wounded. "If (Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front - Tehran will burn," Defense Minister Israel Katz said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made the destruction of Iran's nuclear program his top priority, said Israel's strikes so far are "nothing compared to what they will feel under the sway of our forces in the coming days." In what could be another escalation if confirmed, semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported an Israeli drone struck and caused a "strong explosion" at an Iranian natural-gas processing plant. It would be the first Israeli attack on Iran's oil and natural gas industry. Israel's military did not immediately comment. The extent of damage at the South Pars natural gas field was not immediately clear. Such sites have air defense systems around them, which Israel has been targeting. Iran calls nuclear talks 'unjustifiable' Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran was not actively pursuing the bomb. But its uranium enrichment has reached near weapons-grade levels, and on Thursday, the U.N.'s atomic watchdog censured Iran for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran's top diplomat said Saturday the nuclear talks were "unjustifiable" after Israel's strikes. Abbas Araghchi's comments came during a call with Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat. The Israeli airstrikes were the "result of the direct support by Washington," Araghchi said in a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. The U.S. has said it isn't part of the strikes. On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to reach a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program, adding that "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left." US helps to shoot down Iranian missiles Iran launched waves of missiles at Israel late Friday and early Saturday. Iranians awoke to state television airing repeated clips of the strikes, as well as videos of people cheering and handing out sweets. The Iranian attacks killed at least three people and wounded 174, two of them seriously, Israel said. The military said seven soldiers were lightly wounded when a missile hit central Israel, without specifying where - the first report of Israeli military casualties since the initial Israeli strikes. U.S. ground-based air defense systems in the region were helping to shoot down Iranian missiles, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the measures. In Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, an Associated Press journalist saw burned-out cars and at least three damaged houses, including one whose front was nearly entirely torn away. Residents of a central Israeli city hit Friday night, Rishon Lezion, said the explosion was so powerful it shook their shelter door open. "We thought, that's it, the house is gone, and in fact half of the house was gone," said Moshe Shani. Israel's main international airport said it will remain closed until further notice. Indications of a new Israeli attack Israel's army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, said Israel had attacked more than 400 targets across Iran, including 40 in Tehran, where dozens of fighter jets were "operating freely." He said it was the deepest point Israel's air force had operated. Defrin said fighter jets struck over 40 "missile-related targets and advanced air defense array systems" across Iran. A governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran said 30 troops and a rescuer had been killed there, with 55 others wounded. Gov. Bahram Sarmast's remarks were the latest acknowledgment of mass casualties. Iranian state television reported online that air defenses were firing in the cities of Khorramabad, Kermanshah and Tabriz. Footage from Tabriz showed black smoke rising. The sound of explosions and Iranian air defense systems firing at targets echoed across central Tehran. Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported a fire at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport. 'More than a few weeks' to repair nuclear facilities Israel attacked Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. Satellite photos analyzed by AP show extensive damage there. The images shot Saturday by Planet Labs PBC show multiple buildings damaged or destroyed. The structures hit include buildings identified by experts as supplying power to the facility. U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to have been hit, but the loss of power could have damaged infrastructure there, he said. Israel said it also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan, including "infrastructure for enriched uranium conversion," and said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Iran confirmed the strike at Isfahan. The International Atomic Energy Agency said four "critical buildings" at the Isfahan site were damaged, including its uranium conversion facility. "As in Natanz, no increase in off-site radiation expected," it added. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with official procedures, said that according to the army's initial assessment "it will take much more than a few weeks" for Iran to repair the damage to the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. The official said the army had "concrete intelligence that production in Isfahan was for military purposes." Israel denied it had struck the nuclear enrichment facility in Fordo, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Tehran, after an Iranian news outlet close to the government reported the sound of explosions nearby. Netanyahu said the attack had been months in the making and was planned for April before being postponed. Among those killed were three of Iran's top military leaders: one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri; one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami; and the head of the Guard's aerospace division, which oversees its arsenal of ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. On Saturday, Khamenei named a new leader for the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division: Gen. Majid Mousavi.
Economic Times
34 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Israel's attack on Iran marks moment of truth for Netanyahu
Live Events Why attack Iran now? Will Netanyahu succeed? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on the mission of his years, the veteran leader has made the destruction of Iran's nuclear programme his top priority, raising the issue in speech after speech in apocalyptic terms. Now Netanyahu's moment of truth has battling Iran's allies across the region following Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack, Netanyahu has turned his attention to what he describes as the "head of the octopus", with an unprecedented and open-ended military offensive against Iran and its nuclear is an aggressive gamble made possible by a confluence of factors, including the weakening of Iranian-backed militant groups in Gaza and Lebanon, and the reelection and support of US President Donald success is not guaranteed, and the outcome of the escalating conflict could determine the fate of Netanyahu's government and shape his a closer look:Netanyahu's history of warnings on IranNetanyahu began warning about the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran in the 1990s -- even before his first term as prime minister at the end of the decade. He returned to office in 2009 and has served as prime minister almost continuously since then, rarely missing an opportunity to portray the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to Israel's existence and menace to the 2012, he famously displayed a crude cartoon illustrating what he said was Iran's march toward the bomb during a speech to the UN years later, he delivered a controversial speech to the US Congress arguing against then-President Barack Obama's emerging nuclear deal with Iran. The speech infuriated the White House and failed to block the deal. But it delighted Republicans and laid the groundwork for Trump to pull out of the agreement three years has frequently compared Iran's theocratic leadership to the Nazis, at times drawing the ire of Holocaust scholars and survivor groups. He turned to that familiar playbook this week as he announced the latest attacks on Iran."Eighty years ago, the Jewish people were the victims of a Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi regime," he said. "Today, the Jewish state refuses to be a victim of a nuclear Holocaust perpetrated by the Iranian regime."Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. But its enrichment of uranium to near-weapons grade levels and failure to cooperate with international inspectors have raised doubts about those head of the UN nuclear agency has warned that Iran has enough enriched uranium to make several bombs. The agency censured Iran this week for failing to comply with nonproliferation obligations, one day before the Israeli strikes for years has threatened to strike Iran, repeatedly saying that all options were "on the table".But never before has he pulled the trigger due to opposition by domestic rivals and security chiefs, questions about the feasibility of such a risky operation and the opposition of a string of US things have changed over the past two years, and Netanyahu now believes he has a chance to shape the region in his own Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, Israel has systematically degraded a network of Iranian allies across the war in Gaza has decimated the Palestinian militant group Hamas, but at a devastating price for the territory's civilian population. Last year, Israel also inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, severely weakening the group and contributing to the downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad, another key Iranian ally. And during a brief round of fighting with Iran last year, Israel knocked out much of its enemies' air-defence Iran's "Axis of Resistance" in tatters and Iran unable to defend itself against Israel's air force, there was little to deter Israel from taking action this provided the final piece of the puzzle. After surprising Israel earlier this year with his resumption of nuclear talks with Iran, Trump grew frustrated with the lack of progress in those about the Israeli plans, the US president appears to have put up little resistance, creating a rare window of opportunity for is too early to Israeli operation appears to have gotten off to a smooth start -- with Israel striking dozens of targets and killing senior Iranian military figures. But it remains unclear how much damage Israel has inflicted on Iran's nuclear now, the divisive and embattled Netanyahu appears to be riding a wave of support at home. Even the political opposition, which tried to topple Netanyahu in a parliamentary vote earlier in the week, has come out in support of the Iran things could change quickly. After an initial wave of support for Israel's war against Hamas, the country is now deeply divided. With the fighting now over 20 months old, many believe Netanyahu has unnecessarily dragged out the conflict in a self-serving campaign to remain in public support for the Iranian operation could quickly turn if Iran's missile attacks on Israel cause heavy casualties or continue to disrupt life in Israel for an extended period. A debacle on the battlefield -- such as the capture of an Israeli fighter pilot by Iran -- could also reverse Netanyahu's fortunes.
