Months, if no longer years within the making plans, it used to be probably the most devastating assault on Iranian soil for just about part a century.
A great fusion of high-grade typical functions, human ingenuity and the most recent advances in army applied sciences.
Outcome: Iran’s nuclear-enrichment programme set again, dozens of air-defence methods burnt up and main nuclear scientists and armed forces commanders killed.
Israel’s number one intention used to be to degrade Iran’s nuclear-enrichment functions. But a political time table used to be additionally rising the previous day, as regime trade in Tehran seemed a definite risk.
At round 1am UK time about 200 Israeli army airplane took off from bases within the nation. But by way of then a lot of the painstaking paintings had already been carried out, completely in secret.
The floor have been laid a while in the past by way of Mossad brokers and Israeli particular forces who infiltrated Iran, smuggled guns into the rustic and ready drones forward of what Israel named Operation Rising Lion.
With handiest hours to head, the Israeli govt knowledgeable the White House that the project used to be going forward, in spite of US and Iranian officers having organized to carry talks on Sunday about descaling Iran’s nuclear-enrichment programme.
Extensive injury is noticed within the Iranian capital, Tehran, after Israel performed moves

People glance over injury to structures in Nobonyad Square following Israeli airstrikes

Explained: The making plans that went into Israel’s blitz which integrated smuggling drones into Iran dessert
This caution allowed US diplomats and their households posted to the area to take further safety precautions.
Donald Trump had up to now indicated that whilst he used to be no longer ready to lend a hand Israel militarily, he would no longer stand within the nation’s method both.
Israel’s hand used to be additionally reinforced by way of the announcement, handiest days previous, by way of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog that, for the primary time in twenty years, Iran used to be refusing to paintings with inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran’s dismissive reaction to their pronouncement used to be to suggest it could identify a 3rd nuclear-enrichment web page and set up extra complex centrifuges – a transfer which gave the impression to have sealed the rustic’s destiny.
First studies of Israeli airstrikes emerged in northern Tehran: an explosion within the residential space of Nobonyad.
Details remained scant the previous day, however some studies indicated this may increasingly were the place one of the nation’s main nuclear scientists lived.
Subsequently, the Iranian govt showed the deaths of a lot of lecturers: Fereydoun Abbasi, former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, Dr Mohammed Mehdi Tehranchi, president of the Islamic Azad University of Tehran, and Abdolhamid Minouchehr, Ahmad Zolfaghari and Amirhossein Feqhi, from Tehran’s Shahid Behesti University.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the United Kingdom Prime Minister no realize of his plan

Keir Starmer described studies of the bombing raids as ‘regarding’ and steered all events within the area to ‘step again and cut back tensions urgently’
Meanwhile, deep within the deserts of central and western Iran, Israeli particular forces troops launched swarms of drones which centered radar amenities and surface-to-air missile functions – the army {hardware} an Iranian reaction to Israel’s assaults would depend on.
Israel is skilled in such clandestine operations. Even so, the method represented a ‘hat-tip’ to Ukraine, which is known to secretly trade ‘tactics, techniques and procedures’ (TTPs), in army vernacular, with Israel.
The rationale for that cooperation from Israel’s standpoint is it helps Ukraine – despite the fact that it does no longer publicise that reinforce – as a result of Iran provides Russia with hundreds of drones.
With such a lot of layers of Iran’s defences destroyed, Israeli jets considering their primary goal, the centrepiece of Iran’s nuclear-enrichment programme, the Natanz atomic facility in Ishfahan province, 140 miles south of Tehran.
The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and the International Atomic Energy Authority showed injury to the multi-storey enrichment corridor the place the nuclear centrifuges are housed.
Natanz has tens of hundreds of centrifuges and considerably contributes in opposition to Iran’s extremely enriched uranium stockpile.
The IDF additionally centered infrastructure on the web page which, in its phrases, ‘enables the continuous functioning and the continued advancement of the Iranian regime’s mission to acquire nuclear guns’.
IDF spokesman Effie Defrin stated its forces had ‘significantly harmed’ the web page, which he added used to be utilized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to ‘advance their military nuclear programme’.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) and Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force Amir Ali Hajizadeh (C) in September 2024
Crucially, the Bushehr nuclear energy plant used to be left unscathed. This ensured there used to be no building up in radiation ranges.
This used to be certainly not the primary Israeli strike on Natanz.
It used to be the objective of a big cyber assault in 2010 and a guerrilla-warfare taste assault in 2020, when explosives have been hidden within probably the most structures.
As many as ten moves have been reported at Tabriz airport and a close-by oil refinery in north-west Iran. A protracted column of black smoke used to be noticed emerging from the airport. Three other folks have been reported lifeless within the town itself.
Israel additionally struck dozens of radar installations in western Iran, most definitely by way of particular forces troops drawing near the websites on foot, assembling miniature kamikaze drones and environment them off in opposition to those army amenities. Operating at such brief vary, those drones avoided Iran’s restricted surveillance functions.
Explosions have been additionally reported on the Nojeh airbase in Hamedan, western Iran. A variety of senior Iranian army officials have been additionally stated to were killed once they convened for what they concept used to be a secret assembly to plot pre-emptive moves on Israel.
The venue used to be selected for its coverage, a bunker deep underground. But, in keeping with studies, the bunker used to be no longer deep sufficient, as an Israeli warhead penetrated the basement.

Iranian air protection device glows over central Tehran, Iran as Israel launches air moves

A common view of Tehran town because the air protection device intercepts recent moves, Iran, 13 June 2025

A broken high-rise construction that used to be hit by way of Israeli air moves, north of Tehran, Iran, 13 June 2025
Iran later showed the deaths of Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the IRGC, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the UAV (unmanned aerial cars) pressure, aerial commander Davoud Shaykhian and Mohammad Bagheri, the Iranian Army’s Chief of Staff.
As precautionary measures, Israel closed its airspace and its diplomatic missions out of the country. It additionally suspended gasoline manufacturing at websites within the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile its assaults throughout Iran lasted for a minimum of 5 hours – most likely for much longer as studies ultimate night time urged that, having secured aerial supremacy, Israeli jets have been returning to one of the goals to inflict additional injury.
By method of reaction, Iran is alleged to have introduced a minimum of 100 drones in opposition to Israel. Its officers additionally declared the assaults ‘declaration of war’.
Iranian drones have been discovered at the floor in Syria after being intercepted by way of the Israelis.
The IDF additionally launched pictures of the rustic’s military taking pictures down an Iranian drone the usage of Barak-8 surface-to-air missile.
That no Iranian ordnance apparently struck any Israeli goals will have satisfied its state information company Fars to disclaim it had introduced any drones in any respect, claiming Iran’s revenge will ‘take place in the near future’. Iranian media additionally reported a minimum of 78 deaths and 329 casualties from the Israeli assaults, together with girls and youngsters.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated Israel must ‘anticipate a severe punishment’, including the rustic’s defense force would shield Iran’s sovereignty.
To the marvel of Western observers, Iran’s maximum dependable proxy staff within the area, Hezbollah, which is based totally in Lebanon and armed and financed by way of Iran, stated it could no longer reply.
Iran halted all home and world flights from its airspace.
US Secretary of State Mark Rubio urged Israel’s movements have been ‘unilateral’.
While the United States didn’t participate within the army motion it used to be absolutely acutely aware of Israel’s purpose.
Sir Keir Starmer, sidelined by way of Israel after condemnation of its proceeding marketing campaign in Gaza, referred to as for de-escalation. A No 10 spokesman stated: ‘Our priority is to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, that’s in no person’s pastime… we’re operating carefully with all our allies to press for that diplomatic resolution’.
Russia, which not too long ago signed an army cooperation pact with Iran, condemned Israel’s ‘unprovoked attack on a sovereign state’. While China expressed ‘concern’. So did Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Israeli top minister Benjamin Netanyahu used to be ultimate night time because of talk to Vladimir Putin.
UN secretary common Antonio Guterres requested all sides to ‘show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a deeper conflict’.
Mr Trump recommended Iran to ‘make a deal’ whilst it nonetheless has the chance. He described Israel’s assault as ‘excellent’. Israel has claimed it used to be ‘just the beginning’.
The UN Security Council used to be assembly the previous day to speak about the continued disaster.
Mr Netanyahu used to be anticipated to talk to Sir Keir. The Prime Minister has additionally mentioned the Middle East safety disaster with German chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron.