Israel launched unprecedented strikes on Iran last night, targeting its nuclear program and senior military leaders in an attack that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said will last many days. The attack plunges West Asia into fresh uncertainty, increasing the risk of a regional war as Israel braces for Iran’s retaliation.
General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), was among those killed in the attacks. He was among the country’s most powerful and influential figures. The IRGC oversees its ballistic missile development and crushes dissent in the country. Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri and the former head of the Atomic Energy Organisation, Fereydoon Abbasi, were also killed in the strikes.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said, Operation Rising Lion struck Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz, nuclear scientists, and what he called the heart of Iran’s ballistic missiles program. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, Israel took unilateral action against Iran and the US is not involved in strikes. He said their top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel has declared a state of emergency after the preemptive strikes against Iran, targeting its nuclear plant and military sites. Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said that retaliatory action from Tehran was possible following the operation.
On the other hand, Iran has shut its airspace until further notice by issuing aeronautical notices (NOTAM).
