Jerusalem, June 13, 2025 – Israel conducted a large-scale preemptive strike on Iran overnight, targeting its nuclear program and military infrastructure, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced Friday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the operation aimed to neutralize Iranian nuclear scientists, the Natanz nuclear facility, and Iran’s ballistic missile program, citing an imminent threat of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iranian state media reported significant casualties, including the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, and the armed forces chief of staff, General Mohammad Bagheri. The strikes, described as the most significant on Iran since the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, also killed at least six others, including two nuclear scientists and children in a residential area of Tehran, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency and state television, as cited by Reuters, AP, and AFP.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the operation involved dozens of aircraft hitting multiple military and nuclear targets across Iran. “Iran is closer than ever to acquiring a nuclear weapon, posing an existential threat to Israel and the world,” the IDF posted on X, justifying the strikes as a necessary defense measure.
Explosions rocked Tehran, with Iranian media reporting a fire at the Revolutionary Guards’ headquarters. Iran’s air defense systems were fully activated, and Tehran’s airport suspended all flights as the government convened emergency security talks, Reuters reported, citing an Iranian source.