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NDTV
8 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Photos Show Israel's Incredible Precision To Take Out Iran's High-Ranking Officials
Israel launched unprecedented strikes against Iran on Friday, targeting the country's nuclear programme and several military leaders and nuclear scientists. The attack, aided by coverst Mossad operations, incloved smuggled weapons and internal sabotage, crippling Iranian defences. Explosions rocked Tehran, Isfahan and Qom, resulting in significant damage and the death of high-ranking Iranian officials. However, what made the strikes unlike any in recent history was not the scale, but the surgical precision. The Israeli Air Force jets, guided by precise intelligence, targeted nuclear facilities, military commanders, and soldiers, destroying dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers. Image credit: Reuters The aftermath pictures of the Israeli air strikes against Iran show single apartments blown out of Tehran high-rises. Another photo shows a precise hole through the side of a building, again destroying just one apartment. Meanwhile, nearby buildings in the densely packed neighbourhood appear to be remarkably unaffected by the missile strike. A third picture shows just three floors bombed out, and the rest of the residence undisturbed. Image credit: Reuters One picture shows a bombed-out apartment in the Iranian high-rise, a residence supposedly known to be associated with Iranian Revolutionary Guard top brass. Image credit: Reuters The Iranian Air Force also released videos showing how the country struck Iran's air defence system in its western region with great precision. 🎯 The IAF continues striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile launchers in Iran. — Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) June 14, 2025 Another video showed Iranian Air Force fighter jets destroying ballistic missiles directly aimed at Israel. INCREDIBLE: Israeli Air Force fighter jets destroyed ballistic missiles aimed directly at Israel. 🇮🇱 Total precision. Zero hesitation. – IDF Spokesperson — Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) June 13, 2025 Israel's military said that the strikes had caused significant damage. Key Iranian commanders were killed, including the chief of staff of the armed forces and the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi, Ali Shamkhani, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, and four others were also killed. The Jewish state also targeted numerous key locations of Iran's nuclear program in the Thursday onslaught, which continued late into Friday night. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli attack was launched to protect the country from Iran's threat. The operation was meant to stop serious threats from Iran, but it would take several days to do this, reported The Guardian. "We targeted Iran's main enrichment facility in Natanz. We targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran's ballistic missile programme," he said. In retaliation, Iran launched 100 drones towards Israel, with the Israeli Military saying its air defences were intercepting them outside Israeli territory. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has warned Israel it faced a "bitter and painful" fate over the attacks.
LBCI
a day ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Israel's attack on Iran kills six nuclear scientists
At least six nuclear scientists were killed Friday in Israel's attacks on Iran, local media reported. "Abdolhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feqhi, Motalleblizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, and Fereydoun Abbasi were the nuclear scientists martyred" in Israel's attack, Tasnim news agency said. AFP
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Jordan intercepts Iranian drones targeting Israel
The Jordanian military announced that it intercepted missiles and drones that entered its airspace, as sirens sounded in the kingdom following a major Israeli attack on Iran early on Friday. In a statement issued by the Jordanian Armed Forces, the military indicated that the interception came in response to fears that the drones launched by Iran in response to the Israeli attack could land in its territory. According to officials in Amman, Jordanian air defences were activated as a result of "military assessments that missiles and drones were likely to fall on Jordanian territory, including in populated areas, causing casualties." The statement further stressed that the armed forces are operating to "protect the nation's borders by land, sea, and air, and will not allow any violation of Jordanian airspace under any circumstances," urging citizens to refrain from spreading rumours that could "incite panic and chaos". Video footage shows air raid sirens going off in Jordan as Iranian drones entered the kingdom's airspace. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters In the early hours of Friday morning, Israel launched a major attack on Iran, claiming it had taken the action because the Islamic Republic had begun to build nuclear warheads. Iranian media reported that explosions were reported in Natanz, the capital Tehran and elsewhere; and that the head of the Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, had been killed, as well as two scientists, Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi. Abbasi was the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation from 2011 to 2013, who survived an assassination attempt in 2010, whilst Tehranchi was a theoretical physicist. Both men appeared to have been targeted in their homes. Iranian state television also reported that children had been killed in at least one of the air strikes, on a residential area of Tehran. Nour News, reported several "loud explosions" in and around Tehran, adding that the country's air defence system was on full alert, and all flights at Imam Khomeini international airport had been suspended. In response, Iran fired more than 100 drones towards Israel at 06:00 BST on Friday. Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin said in a statement that "all [aerial] defence arrays have been operating to intercept the threats. "This is a different event to what we've experienced thus far, and we're expecting difficult hours," he added. Hamas condemns Israeli attack Hamas has strongly condemned the latest Israeli aggression on "sisterly" Iran after dozens of sites and senior officials were targeted in the Islamic Republic, a move that has spiked tensions in the region. A statement released by the movement describes the attacks as a "dangerous escalation", warning that it threatens to "destabilise the region". Iran fires more than 100 drones at Israel in retaliation for attacks on nuclear sites Read More » "This brutal aggression is a flagrant violation of international norms and conventions and reaffirms once again that the Zionist project poses an existential threat to the entire region, not just Palestine. "It targets all those who refuse to submit and insist on supporting the causes of the nation, foremost amongst them the Palestinian cause." Hamas expressed its full solidarity with Iran, offering its condolences for the killing of several commanders and scientists, including Major General Salami, and Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri. "Iran is paying today the price for its steadfast positions in support of Palestine and its resistance, and for its adherence to its independent national decision," the statement said, urging for a "unified stance from the nation and its vital forces in the face of this dangerous aggression. "The Zionist entity is the nation's central enemy, and the battle against it is a battle of destiny that requires unity of ranks and concerted efforts to protect our peoples from its crimes and expansionist plans."
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Precision missiles and waves of bombers used in Israeli nuclear 'decapitation' raids
Without the powerful bombs needed to penetrate Iran's mountain plants, Israel appears in its first wave of attacks to have gone for the regime's leading nuclear scientists and military commanders. A series of precision strikes have hit downtown Tehran taking out specific floors on an apartment block, probably using its Rampage long-range missiles that carry a 570kg warhead or the SkySniper air-to-surface missile with a range of 250km. Israel has also gone for Iran's nuclear sites, likely using its biggest deployable munition, the GBU-28 1,800 kg 'bunker buster' and the laser guided GBU-27 Paveway III 900kg weapon. The ordnance was delivered by 200 fighter-bomber aircraft likely comprising the stealthy F-35, then a selection of F-15 and F18s jets that can all carry a significant payload. However, the Israeli air force does not have the heavy bombers possessed by America that are the only aircraft capable of carrying the 13,600kg GBU-57 'massive ordnance penetrator' (MOP) designed to pierce 60 metres of reinforced concrete. Decapitation mission Without that capability Israel has gone for what appears to be a 'decapitation strategy' in which it has aimed for key regime figures. Open source intelligence points to several addresses that have been hit in Tehran where senior personnel were probably asleep when their homes were struck, including at Langari Street and Patrice Lumumba Street in Tehran. Iranian media confirmed that nuclear scientist Fereydoun Abbasi, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, and Iranian physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University Mohammad Mehdi ehranchi have both been killed. In addition, Israel killed Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps chief Maj Gen Hossein Salami and Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, in addition to other senior officers. 'The breadth and scale of these strikes – against senior Iranian officials in addition to nuclear sites – suggest this operation is intended to not just dissuade Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, but also cripple any potential military response and even to destabilise the regime,' said Matthew Savill, director of military science at the Rusi think tank. He added that the size of the force represents the 'overwhelming bulk' of Israel's longer-range strike aircraft but added that, while they had the ability to conduct multiple rounds of strikes, operating for an extended duration 'will stretch even the Israeli Air Force'. Unconfirmed reports state explosions at key Iranian sites in Qom, Markazi, Kermanshah, and Hamadan provinces, with the Natanz nuclear plant, most of it buried 50 metres below ground, also hit. The Israelis also likely deployed a number of AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) anti-radar missiles to take out Iran's air defence systems. However, given that there were no reported Israeli losses, it appears that its earlier retaliatory strike in October that largely struck Iran's surface-to-air system and ballistic missile factories has had a lasting impact. It is also likely that many attacks were conducted at long range keep aircraft away from air defences. The precise strikes also demonstrate that Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, still has significant assets in Iran providing it with key information. US deception An Israeli security source told The National that the operation was a 'deliberate targeted destruction of Iran's C2', using the military reference for command and control. 'This night has been one of utter regime decapitation and has strong regime change connotations,' he added. It is also understood that the US played a key deception role in the attacks by allowing the Iranians to believe that there would be another round of nuclear agreement negotiations commencing on Sunday. This would likely have caught senior Iranian commanders off guard believing that Israel would not strike if this hindered the possibility of a diplomatic outcome. It can be assumed that Washington was convinced that Iran was dragging out talks without agreeing to concede on its uranium enrichment. The attack also came a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution against Iran for the first time in 20 years stating the country had consistently failed to provide information on 'undeclared nuclear material and activities' at 'multiple undeclared locations'. While the US for now appears to remain out of the conflict, satellite imagery last month showed a force of heavy bombers consisting of six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and four B-52s that are both capable of carrying GBU-57 bombs.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Six nuclear scientists killed in Israel attack on Iran: media
At least six nuclear scientists were killed Friday in Israel's attacks on Iran, media outlets in the Islamic republic reported. Tasnim news agency named the six scientists including Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was the president of the Islamic Azad University of Iran. Fereydoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was also among the scientists killed, it added. Friday's strikes hit multiple targets across Iran including residential buildings in Tehran as well as key nuclear enrichment facility in Iran's centre. Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami and armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri were killed in the Israeli operation. Agence France-Presse
