Israel Targets Iran's Nuclear Sites, Kills Top Generals

Time of India

14 hours ago

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Israel launched strikes across Iran on Friday morning , targeting nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders in a major escalation against its chief adversary that risks sparking a broad war in the West Asia.The strikes were far more extensive than those Israel carried out against Iran last year.US President Donald Trump urged Iran to accept a nuclear deal with Washington to avoid further attacks, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed would probably happen over the coming days as Israel looks to deal a severe blow to Tehran's nuclear programme. Tehran must make a deal 'before it is too late,' he said.Israel said it struck around 100 targets across Iranian cities on Friday morning, using 200 fighter planes.The attacks caused oil to surge as much as 13%, though it later pared its gains, and investors to buy havens such as gold and US Treasuries.Explosions were heard across Tehran, Natanz—home to a key atomic site—and other cities, according to local and social media. Netanyahu said Israel 'struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear-enrichment programme.'The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, and the military's chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri, were both killed, according to Iranian media. At least two other senior IRGC members also died.Iran quickly responded by calling the attack 'a declaration of war" and sending a wave of drones toward Israel, though it was unclear if they caused any damage. Some were intercepted over Jordan.Late Friday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they carried out more attacks against targets in Israel in retaliation for the latter's biggest attacks ever against Iran.First responders said 7 people were injured in central Israel after an Iran missile attack.Iran's state TV said at least one Israeli fighter jet was downed by air defence and its pilot detained.Israel expects Iran to retaliate with more drone strikes and also by firing ballistic missiles, according to a military official speaking on condition of anonymity.As evening fell on Friday, Iranian media reported explosions on the northern and southern outskirts of Tehran and at Fordow, near the holy city of Qom, a second nuclear site which had been spared in the first wave of attacks. 'The risk of this conflict expanding is real,' said Bilal Bassiouni, head of risk forecasting at advisory firm Pangea-Risk. 'Iran is under intense pressure to respond beyond drones, and a strike on Israeli military or strategic infrastructure, including energy or nuclear-linked facilities, is plausible.' The UN's atomic watchdog said there were no indications of increased radiation levels at Iran's main uranium-enrichment site of Natanz, an early sign the strikes haven't penetrated the layers of steel and concrete protecting the Islamic Republic's nuclear stockpile.Countries in the region condemned Israel's attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate de-escalation from both sides. The Israeli Air Force said the Natanz strike hit an underground multi-story chamber with centrifuges and other infrastructure, causing 'significant damage'.Netanyahu said the strikes 'will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.' Israel's UN ambassador said it was possible that the operation takes weeks.Beyond nuclear facilities, the initial phase of the strikes targeted Iran's air defenses and missile-production facilities.Iranian media said at least 95 people were wounded and that several residential buildings in the capital's suburbs were hit. Iran hasn't yet released an official death toll.Netanyahu said Friday's strikes were 'very successful,' adding that Israelis would need to prepare for a retaliation and prepare to spend long periods in shelters.Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel will 'pay a very heavy price' and should 'expect a severe response from Iran's armed forces'. While Trump said he knew about Israel's operations in advance, it's unclear if he had much notice. As recently as Thursday he'd suggested he was against strikes, saying his administration remained 'committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue!Yet speaking to an ABC reporter on Friday, he said Israel's attack had 'been excellent'. 'We gave them a chance and they didn't take it,' Trump said of Iran and its nuclear talks with the US. 'They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come.'The US was 'not involved' in Israel's strikes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. He warned Iran against targeting US interests or personnel in retaliation.The US and Iran were meant to meet for their next round of nuclear talks on Sunday in Oman. It's unclear if those negotiations will still happen. Oman's government — in the first comments from a Gulf state — said Israel's actions were reckless and would undermine regional security.Other Arab states echoed those comments, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.The UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged 'all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently' and said 'escalation serves no one in the region'.Regional crisisThe attacks risk plunging the Middle East — which has been mired in various conflicts since militant group Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza in October 2023 — even deeper into crisis and hitting the global economy.Several countries closed their airspace, including Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. That's forcing airlines to fly longer routes, adding to fuel costs and disrupting schedules.'Risks are high this will escalate into a broader regional conflict,' say Bloomberg Economics analysts including Jennifer Welch, Adam Farrar and Tom Orlik. The clearest hit to the global economy will come via higher energy prices, they said.'Israel's alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence,' Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. He said Trump and other nations need to push for 'diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control.'Republican politicians refrained from criticising Israel and largely said the country was provoked by Iran.Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said it was a 'preemptive strike,' with the country's officials saying they had evidence Iran was planning an attack.Tehran has repeatedly insisted that its atomic activities are for peaceful, civilian purposes only. But it has significantly expanded uranium enrichment since 2019 — a response to Trump's withdrawal the year before from a 2015 nuclear deal signed under Barack Obama's administration.