Tehran (Web Desk): In a dramatic escalation of regional tensions, Israel has launched a large-scale aerial attack on Iran, targeting key locations in and around the capital, Tehran, as well as several other major cities.
The strikes, which occurred overnight on June 13, were part of a military operation dubbed "Rising Lion" and involved more than 200 Israeli fighter jets.
The targets included nuclear facilities, missile production plants, and high-level military command centers. Reports suggest the operation was coordinated with the United States.
According to Iranian state media, the attacks resulted in the deaths of several senior Iranian military figures and nuclear scientists.
Among those killed were Major General Hossein Salami, the Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces.
Also confirmed dead was Major General Gholamali Rashid, Commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters, which oversees Iran’s military planning and operations.
Ali Shamkhani, a prominent political advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was also killed in the strikes.
In addition to military leaders, the operation also claimed the lives of key figures in Iran's nuclear program. Fereydoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Mohammad-Mehdi Tehranchi, a nuclear physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University, were both killed in separate strikes.
Other scientists reported killed include Abdulhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Seyyed Amirhossein Faqhi, and Motlabizadeh.
Civilian casualties have also been reported. In Tehran's northern district of Tajrish, more than 50 people were injured, including 35 women and children, highlighting the human cost of the military offensive beyond the targeted figures.
Following the strikes, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei delivered a televised address to the nation, confirming the assassinations and promising a severe retaliatory response. He accused Israel of committing an act of war that had sealed a “bitter and painful destiny” for itself.
In retaliation, Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israeli territory. Israeli and Jordanian air defense systems responded by intercepting many of the drones, but the full extent of the damage, if any, remains unclear.
The international community reacted with alarm to the rapid escalation. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the strikes as deeply concerning and urged both Iran and Israel to step back and de-escalate immediately.
Saudi Arabia issued a statement condemning the Israeli strikes as an aggression that violated Iranian sovereignty and called on the UN Security Council to intervene.
Similar condemnations came from other Arab nations including Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar, all of whom stressed the importance of restraint, dialogue, and adherence to international law.
Global leaders and institutions have called for calm, warning that the situation could spiral into a broader conflict with catastrophic consequences for the region and beyond.