Israel has launched a large-scale military operation against Iran, targeting “dozens” of strategic sites, including nuclear facilities such as the uranium enrichment complex in Natanz and Revolutionary Guard headquarters in Tehran. The operation, codenamed “Rising Lion,” was announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned that the campaign will be long and difficult, reports RKS News.
Netanyahu stated that the goal of the offensive is to “reduce the Iranian threat to Israel’s survival,” and urged Israeli citizens to be prepared to remain in protected areas for extended periods.
According to an Israeli military spokesperson, more than 100 Iranian drones have reportedly been launched toward Israel as part of a possible counterattack. Israel’s air defense forces are on high alert. Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a “special state of emergency” and warned of an imminent Iranian retaliation, Axios reports.
According to Iranian media and international sources such as Reuters and Axios, two high-ranking Iranian figures were killed in the strikes: Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guard, and General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces.
A report published by Axios reveals that Israel had prepared this offensive long in advance—even during the period when former U.S. President Donald Trump was pursuing a nuclear deal with Iran. Israeli sources claim that the strike had Washington’s tacit approval, despite the former U.S. administration’s cautious public stance.
Meanwhile, Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv has been shut down, and tensions in the region are expected to escalate further in the coming hours and days. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has vowed that Israel “will pay a high price” for this offensive.
