Latest news with #Operation'RisingLion
India.com
16 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
Explained: Why Israel Struck Iran; What It Means For The Entire Middle East
New Delhi: Israel initiated military strikes inside Iran in the wee hours of June 13. Ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, these precise attacks are set to continue 'as long as necessary'. The meticulously planned assault focused on military and governmental targets in Tehran. A top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leader, chief of staff of the country's armed forces and senior nuclear scientists were killed in the assault. Israel maintains Iran poses a serious threat, arguing that a nuclear-armed Tehran would erase Tel Aviv's military edge. Publicly, Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful. Netanyahu painted the potential timeline in stark terms, warning Iran could build a bomb 'within a few months' or a year. A military official added that Iran already held 'enough fission material for 15 nuclear bombs within days'. Moments ago, Israel launched Operation 'Rising Lion', a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat. —— Statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: — Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 13, 2025 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has stated that Iran did not comply in full with Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty obligations, though the agency has not declared Iran is pursuing a weapon. U.S. intelligence confirmed that Iran halted its nuclear weapons ambitions in 2003 and has not been caught pursuing active development. Observers note that Iran is often described by Israeli officials as the centerpiece of a wider alliance, including Hezbollah, Hamas and others, forging what some call an 'axis of resistance' across the region. Even before Friday's strikes, Israel had carried out extensive campaigns against Hezbollah and Hamas, significantly weakening these groups. Israeli hawks have suggested now might be a chance to further degrade Iran's influence – possibly even from within its regime. That scenario would likely require a protracted campaign, and observers believe Israel may not be prepared to sustain. Inside Israel, political dynamics may have played a role. Faces charges and faltering public support have driven Netanyahu to rely on national security issues to rally backing. Analysts argue that this strike could be aimed at shoring up political stability rather than responding to an immediate threat. Both Israeli and international scrutiny will now focus on possible Iranian military retaliation. Legal experts are watching whether Israel might be infringing the rules that allow only 'imminent' self-defense. U.N. Charter guidelines limit the legitimacy of preemptive strikes to clear, immediate dangers – something critics say Israel has not proven existed. This military escalation adds a volatile chapter to Middle East tensions. Whether Israel's strikes deter or inflame Iran remains uncertain, but the events mark a major turning point in regional security.
France 24
a day ago
- Politics
- France 24
Iranian missile sites: What the images of the Israeli air strikes show us
At 3:47am on June 13, Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video on his X account. "Moments ago, Israel launched Operation 'Rising Lion', a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival," the Israeli prime minister stated. In his statement, Netanyahu listed the targets of this operation, which aims to weaken military leadership, damage Iran's nuclear facilities, and target military sites for ballistic missile storage and launch. Israel "struck at the heart of Iran's ballistic missile programme", the Israeli prime minister stated. Several experts believe this objective is likely to severely limit the scope of Iranian retaliation. Most of these ballistic missiles have a range of 2,000 kilometres and are capable of targeting Israeli territory. 'The Israeli army considered an immediate Iranian missile retaliation as definitive, so they chose to pre-empt Iran by going after the launch capabilities so as to minimise the risks of Iranian retaliation,' said Farzin Nadimi, a research fellow at the Washington Institute and an expert on Iranian weaponry. Few images of targeted sites so far In a statement published on Telegram in the afternoon of June 13, the Israeli army stated it had destroyed "dozens of launchers, surface-to-surface missile storage facilities, and additional military sites'. It released a map showing all the sites it reportedly attacked, though these strikes have not been independently verified. The Israeli military also shared a graphic purportedly showing a strike on a launch site of surface-to-surface missiles in western Iran. The images show warehouses that the Israelis say contain surface-to-surface missiles, though this cannot be independently confirmed. The site in the video, which we have geolocated, is about ten kilometres from Borujerd, in western Iran. However, the FRANCE 24 Observers team was unable to independently verify that this site had been hit by the military. According to the map from the Israeli military, surface-to-surface missile sites in northwestern Iran, particularly around the city of Tabriz, were reportedly hit. However, while images of strikes have been geolocated near Tabriz, it's currently impossible to confirm that missile bases were actually struck. But Nadimi says it would be logical for such military sites, like the one in Tabriz, to be targeted by the Israeli army: "This base is one of the main missile bases of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was tasked with striking Israel during Operations Promise I and II.' The Iranian army launched a total of more than 300 ballistic missiles during these two operations conducted in April and October 2024. The Israeli military released further images, which our team has not been able to verify or geolocate. The images purportedly show a strike against a truck transporting a missile, as well as a Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL), a vehicle that can launch missiles. 'Even with their extensive underground missile bases, they still need to take their launchers with the missiles on them outside, prepare them, and erect them for launch in the open air," Nadimi said. These missiles are "most vulnerable" when they are being transported by these Transporter Erector Launchers (TELs), he added. "They do have the capabilities to launch from inside these bases because they have silos. They have launch holes and loaders that, technically or theoretically, should allow missiles to be launched without pulling them out of the base," Nadimi continued. "However, those might have also been targeted by Israeli missiles in order to disrupt Iran's covert launch operations," he added, also noting the need for "satellite imagery to confirm that these parts of the missile bases were indeed targeted". Underground base hit in Kermanshah Furthermore, there are indications that a missile base near Kermanshah, in the western part of the country, may have been hit. A video filmed from a car shows several plumes of smoke rising into the air. The video has been geolocated to the east of Kermanshah. It's impossible to say exactly what was hit. However, a base identified as a suspected missile deployment site in a 2021 report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a British international relations research institute, is located close to the affected areas. "Kermanshah missile base hit by the Israelis," Fabian Hinz, a military expert at the IISS and author of the aforementioned report, wrote on X. Sources also reportedly told the Lebanese media outlet al-Mayadeen, which is affiliated with Iran-backed Hezbollah, that "several missile bases near Tehran and in the city of Kermanshah" were attacked. Satellite images shared by the Open Source Center and captured by Airbus show damage to the roofs of several warehouses and the presumed entrance of an underground tunnel at the base. Iran's high command decimated In the operation, the Israeli military also killed top Iranian officials "while they were gathered in their underground headquarters". This included armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami. Most leaders of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace force, including Major General Amirali Hadjizadeh, were also killed, according to the Israeli Ministry of Defence. These significant losses may explain Iran's remarkably subdued response so far, according to analyst Nadimi. "We haven't seen a single ballistic missile launched at Israel," Nadimi said. "We should definitely consider the fact that the chain of command has been severely disrupted. This is the most likely reason [for the lack of military response], in addition to a very systematic Israeli attempt to take out launchers.' At the time of this article's publication, the Iranian military's retaliation had been limited to launching 136 drones and cruise missiles towards Israel, none of which reportedly reached Israeli territory.
Metro
a day ago
- Politics
- Metro
Israeli Mossad agents 'infiltrate heart of Iran with special-made weapons'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Spies are alleged to have infiltrated deep in the heart of Iran before Israel unleashed Operation 'Rising Lion' on military and nuclear facilities. Intelligence agents with Israel's Mossad smuggled 'special-made' weapons to destroy defence infrastructure, like ballistic missile launchers. Footage shared by the agency appears to show two operatives launching a number of missiles near anti-aircraft sites in central Iran. An Israeli official later boasted that 'a base for launching explosive drones was established inside Iran and that the drones were activated during the attack to target missile launchers at a base near Tehran.' Precision weapons were also smuggles into central Iran and strategically positioned near surface-to-air missile systems, the official said, adding that Israel also deployed strike systems on vehicles. Israeli media reported that these systems 'took out' Iran's air defences and gave Israeli planes 'air supremacy'. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed strikes are going to last for 'days' – just as parts of the Middle East were experiencing some semblance of stability. Matthew Savill, military sciences director RUSI, said the emerging reports are 'a reminder of Israeli expertise in covert operations, its penetration of the Iranian security establishment and its agility in planning ahead with imaginative operations which can be executed at short-notice.' Commenting on the breadth and scale of the strikes, he admitted they are intended to not just dissuade Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, but also cripple any potential military response and even to destabilise the regime. More Trending He said the targeting of the IRGC commander, the head of the conventional military, and advisers to Iran's Supreme Leader, are 'beyond that necessary for a purely pre-emptive strike' on the nuclear programme. Savill explained further: 'Israel has again demonstrated its considerable conventional military superiority, and the size of the force allegedly assembled for this series of attacks represents the overwhelming bulk of their longer-range strike jets.' 'They have the ability to conduct multiple rounds of strikes, but operating for an extended duration over this considerable range will stretch even the Israeli Air Force. 'For now though, they certainly have the capacity to go again.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Greta Thunberg is first Gaza 'freedom flotilla' protestor to be deported to France MORE: What happens to Greta Thunberg and the Madleen crew now? MORE: Gaza aid boat with Greta Thunberg on board towed into Israel after interception
New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
How Israel's Mossad spy network infiltrated the heart of Iran before unprecedented attack wreaked havoc on air defense, missile infrastructure
Israeli spies infiltrated the heart of Iran before Friday morning's Operation 'Rising Lion' airstrikes and damaged the country's missile infrastructure and air defenses in a series of covert operations. Intelligence agents with Israel's Mossad smuggled in weaponry that destroyed defense measures inside Iran, which threatened Israeli military capabilities. Agents deployed 'significant measures' on large quantities of special weaponry and deployed them across Iran, targeting designated areas, an Israeli security source told The Post. 5 An explosion from an Israeli airstrike on Iran during Operation Rising Lion on June 13, 2025. IDF 'Significant intelligence was gathered and surveillance was conducted to incriminate senior members of the Iranian defense establishment and nuclear scientists who were eliminated,' the source said. 'This was carried out alongside a covert operational campaign targeting Iran's strategic missile array.' The stealth campaign was conducted in three separate operations at the same time as Israel launched its airstrike, each targeting specific weaponry and defense systems in Iran. Commando units deployed precision-guided weapons near Iran's surface-to-air missile defenses and targeted the Iranian systems. A second operation set up strike systems and mounted technology onto vehicles that were launched at Iranian air defense systems. The final operation targeted Iran's surface-to-surface missile launchers at a base outside of Tehran. 5 A map of Iran where Israel's airstrikes struck on June 13, 2025. 5 The Israeli air strikes targets a truck in Iran. IDF Explosive-laden drones had been smuggled in and stashed in the heart of Iran before the unmanned aerial vehicles flew to the base and destroyed the launchers that had 'posed a threat to Israeli strategic and civilian targets.' The sabotage operations allowed Israel's airstrikes to destroy radars and other surface-to-air defenses. Nuclear plants and uranium enrichment facilities were also targeted. 5 An explosion from an Israeli airstrike on Iran's weapon cache. IDF 5 The logo of Israel's Mossad is displayed in front of an Israeli flag. REUTERS Three high-ranked Iranian officials were killed in the operation along with at least two scientists. Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, and Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of the country's military, and advisor to the supreme leader advisor Ali Shamkhani, are believed to have been killed in the barrage, according to the Times of Israel.
