Unprecedented escalation between Israel and Iran: What we know so far
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out airstrikes on Iran on Friday, to which Tehran responded with a barrage of drones and missiles. West Jerusalem said the attacks aimed to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Tehran condemned the Israeli strikes as 'blatant aggression' and vowed a 'crushing' response.
The attacks occurred just days before the sixth round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran, planned for Sunday in Oman.
IDF bombs nuclear and military sites
Early Friday morning, around 200 Israeli fighter jets struck targets across Iran, including a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz. Strikes were also reported at nuclear sites in Fordo and Isfahan, as well as military airfields near the cities of Hamadan and Tabriz.
Almost 80 people were killed and over 320 injured in the attacks, according to the Iranian ambassador to the UN. Tehran confirmed the deaths of top military leaders, including Major General Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Division. Several veteran nuclear scientists were also killed. Iran said only 'superficial damage' was done to the Natanz site.
Netanyahu defends 'preemptive' strikes
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, aimed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. 'We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear weaponization program,' he said in a statement following the air raids.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the situation had 'reached the point of no return' due to advancements in Iran's nuclear program. Tehran has repeatedly stated its program pursues only peaceful goals and that it does not seek nuclear weapons.
Iran launches missiles at Tel Aviv
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei condemned the strikes as unjustified and accused Israel of killing civilians. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the attacks 'amount to a declaration of war.'
The Iranian army launched more than 100 drones at Israel hours after the strikes on its territory, followed by ballistic missile fire. Some missiles broke through Israeli defenses and landed in Tel Aviv. At least one person has been killed and more than 60 injured, according to Israeli media.
Israel also carried out additional strikes in Iran throughout the day.
Trump hails 'excellent' Israeli operation
The US State Department denied American involvement in the Israeli strikes. However, President Donald Trump told Fox News he had been aware of the planned operation and praised its 'excellent' outcome. He criticized Iran for failing to reach a deal on its nuclear program under his '60-day ultimatum.'
Russia calls for de-escalation
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone with Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday afternoon. He condemned Israel's strikes as illegal under international law and expressed condolences for the deaths of civilians in Iran.
Putin said Russia would seek to 'advance the de-escalation of the conflict,' according to the Kremlin. The tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear program must be resolved through diplomacy, he added.
Nuclear talks in jeopardy
Iran suspended its participation in the Omani-mediated negotiations with the US, the sixth round of which was due to take place on Sunday. Trump previously accused Tehran of 'slow-walking' the talks and insisted on complete dismantlement of its nuclear program.
Tehran rejected Trump's demands as unacceptable, insisting it would continue nuclear research for civilian purposes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
21 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Iran could strike American military bases
Iran could target US military bases in the Middle East as part of its retaliation after being attacked by Israel, Fars news agency has reported, citing an informed ambassador to the UN Amir Iravani has said that Washington's support for Israel has made it complicit in the IDF strikes that killed 78 people and injured 320 others in Iran on Friday. A source with access to Iran's military leadership has told Fars that 'in the coming days,' Tehran's retaliation 'will spread to all areas occupied by this [Israeli] regime and related US bases in the region.' 'This confrontation will not end with last night's limited action. Iran's strikes will continue and… will be very painful and regrettable for the aggressors,' the agency's interlocutor claimed. Israel and the US will pay the price for being the 'main pillars of terrorism in the region,' the source said. Israel has claimed that it targeted Iranian uranium enrichment sites in the airstrikes as well as several senior military commanders and scientists as a preemptive measure aimed at stopping Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran, which has repeatedly denied pursuing a military nuclear program, responded on Friday by launching multiple volleys of ballistic missiles into Israel, killing at least three people and injuring over 150, according to the Jerusalem Post. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted in a statement later on Friday that the attack on Iran was a 'unilateral action' by Israel. '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,' he stressed. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the US operates military sites across at least 19 locations in the Middle East, including eight permanent bases in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The think tank estimates that there are currently between 40,000 to 50,000 US troops in the region.
Russia Today
40 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Former Trump aide calls for ‘America first' over Israel
The US should pursue its own interests rather than those of Israel, Steve Bannon, a former aide to US President Donald Trump, has said, warning that the new escalation in the Middle East could potentially drag Washington into a war with Iran. Bannon made the remarks to the Financial Times on Saturday, suggesting that the interests of the US and its closest ally in the Middle East were not necessarily the same in the current crisis. 'They [the Israelis] are Israel First; we need to always be America First,' he said. 'In Jerusalem they should reflect on the message of Christ: live by the sword, die by the sword.' When asked whether he feared the US could ultimately be dragged into a war against Iran, the former Trump ally said he was 'very much' wary of such a scenario. The Israeli military launched a major attack on Iran early on Friday, striking nuclear facilities and military installations across the country. It also launched targeted assassinations which killed several senior military commanders and high-profile nuclear scientists. West Jerusalem claimed the attack was a preemptive measure aimed at preventing the allegedly imminent production of a nuclear bomb by Tehran. Iran retaliated by launching a major ballistic missile and drone barrage at Israel, vowing to continue strikes for as long as it deems necessary. Tehran has repeatedly denied it had been harboring any plans to pursue a nuclear weapons program, insisting its uranium-enrichment activities have been serving strictly civilian purposes. The Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic comes after five rounds of US-Iranian talks on the country's nuclear program. The negotiations have effectively stalled and failed to produce any tangible result. Following the attack, Tehran said the continuation of dialogue with Washington was 'meaningless.' US President Donald Trump claims to have known about the impending Israeli strikes beforehand, and lauded them as 'very successful.' Trump suggested Tehran brought the attack upon itself through its reluctance to strike a nuclear deal with the US. 'We gave them a chance, and they didn't take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. A lot more,' he said on Friday, commenting on the attack.
Russia Today
5 hours ago
- Russia Today
Israeli airstrike claims 60 lives in Tehran apartment block
At least 60 people, including 20 children, have been killed in an Israeli strike on an apartment block in the Iranian capital Tehran, according to local broadcaster IRIB News. The IDF hit multiple targets across Iran on Friday, including uranium enrichment sites, while also killing several senior military commanders and scientists in targeted assassinations. West Jerusalem described the attack as a preemptive measure aimed at stopping Tehran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Iran, which has repeatedly denied pursuing a military nuclear program, responded by launching multiple volleys of ballistic missiles at targets in Israel, killing at least three people and injuring over 150, according to the Jerusalem Post. IRIB News reported on Saturday that a 14-story residential building in Tehran had been hit by an Israeli missile on Friday morning. The strike took the lives of at least 60 residents of the apartment bloc, which partially collapsed as a result of the strike, have been killed, including 20 children as young as nine months old, the broadcaster said. A total of 38 bodies had been recovered from the rubble so far and search operations are continuing, according to the broadcaster. The IRIB News footage showed heavy machinery being used at the site to clear debris. Iran's ambassador to the UN Amir Iravani told the Security Council that '78 people, including senior military officials, have been martyred and over 320 other injured' in the Israeli strikes on Friday. It is not entirely clear if the fatalities mentioned in the IRIB News report were part of the figure announced by Iravani or if they were additional casualties. Israel resumed its attacks on Iran on Saturday, with Fars news agency reporting explosions in the cities of Khorramabad and Kermanshah in western Iran as well as in the country's East Azerbaijan Province.
