The Israeli military announced on Friday morning that it launched a coordinated series of strikes on Iran, targeting at least six military bases, nuclear facilities and residential compounds tied to senior commanders.
The attacks, which unfolded around Tehran and in several other regions, have raised alarm over the potential for a broader conflict between two of the Middle East’s most powerful nations.
Wide-ranging assault on Iranian targets
Iranian officials report that the strikes occurred in six provinces: Tehran, Tabriz, Kermanshah, Arak, Isfahan and Natanz. The targets included military installations near Tehran, a highly secure compound known as Shahrak Shahid Mahalati where commanders reside, and multiple residential buildings tied to Iran’s military leadership.
State media captured footage of massive plumes of smoke rising from several locations, while residents in Isfahan, Arak and Kermanshah reported hearing loud explosions.
One Tehran resident, Mohammad Jamali, observed from a rooftop two Israeli jets bombing a Revolutionary Guards airbase. “I could see two massive flames and smoke coming from two military bases in eastern Tehran,” he said.
High-level fatalities and civilian toll
State-controlled Iranian media confirmed the deaths of several prominent figures, including nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi.
Among the senior military figures reported killed were General Hossein Salami, commander in chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, and General Gholamali Rashid, deputy commander of Iran’s armed forces. Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, also reported that at least a dozen civilians lost their lives in the strikes on Tehran.
Observers note the strikes mark a shift in Israeli tactics—from targeted assassinations of individuals to larger-scale attacks aimed at decimating Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure in one blow.
Israel’s rationale for the offensive
The Israeli military described the operation as “pre-emptive,” stating it was in response to “the Iranian regime’s ongoing aggression.” The strikes were labeled as the “first stage” of a broader campaign.
According to an unnamed Israeli military official briefed on the operation, the strikes aimed to cripple Iran’s nuclear capacity and long-range missile development, citing intelligence that Iran possessed sufficient material to assemble up to 15 nuclear weapons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reinforced this position in a video message, calling Iran’s nuclear ambitions “a clear and present danger to Israel’s survival.”
Analysts track a decade of progress in Iran’s nuclear program, including uranium enrichment and advancements in centrifuge technology. On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution criticising Iran’s noncompliance with its nuclear safeguards—the first rebuke of its kind in twenty years, a move Tehran strongly denounced.
U.S. response
The United States has emphasized that it did not participate in the strikes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was not involved and reiterated that Israel informed Washington of its planned action. He added that Iran must refrain from attacking U.S. forces in the region.
In anticipation of further escalation, the U.S. has evacuated diplomats from Iraq and allowed family members of service personnel in the Middle East to depart. A naval carrier strike group led by the Carl Vinson remains positioned in the Arabian Sea. Currently, around 40,000 U.S. troops are stationed in the Gulf and surrounding areas to protect American interests and reinforce regional Allies.
A key question is whether the U.S. will again support Israel militarily in case of Iranian retaliation, as it did during the Israeli-Iranian exchange last year. Mr. Rubio limited assurances to protecting American personnel, not pledging direct military support to Israel.
Strained nuclear diplomacy
U.S.-Iranian talks set to commence in Oman on Sunday have been thrown into uncertainty. These negotiations are aimed at reviving restrictions on Iran’s uranium enrichment levels, though they remain stalled. President Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in his first term. In recent days, he expressed scepticism about renewed negotiations, calling Iran’s position “unacceptable” and stating that the talks may have little chance of success moving forward.
