Israeli forces carried out a series of strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders on Friday (June 13). Iranian media and witnesses also reported an explosion at the country’s main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, Reuters reported.
Iranian state media reported that the head of the country’s Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, was killed in an Israeli strike. Israel also attacked the Revolutionary Guard headquarters in Tehran. Two senior nuclear scientists were also killed in the attack.Iran has closed its airspace after the Israeli attack, Al Jazeera reported. Meanwhile, Israel has declared a state of emergency over fears of a counterattack.
Reuters reports that several children were also killed in Israeli strikes on residential areas in the capital Tehran. Iran confirmed that Israel had attacked seven of its military bases.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We are at a crucial moment in Israel’s history.”
He said that Israel had recently launched ‘Operation Rising Lion’. This is a military operation to counter the Iranian threat to Israel’s existence. This operation will continue for as long as it takes to eliminate this threat.
An Israeli military official said Israel had carried out strikes targeting dozens of Iranian nuclear and military sites.
He said that in addition to these airstrikes, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has carried out a series of covert sabotage operations in Iran, according to the Axios report.
