Israel’s military has reported that roughly 100 drones were launched from Iran toward its territory in what appears to be a swift retaliatory move, following an overnight Israeli offensive targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure. According to the IDF, the strikes resulted in the deaths of several senior Iranian military figures, including Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami.
In a prerecorded video message posted early Friday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were aimed at hurting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and ballistic missile factories.
“This operation will take as long as is needed to complete the task of fending off the threat of annihilation against us,” Netanyahu said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has asserted Tehran’s “legal and legitimate” right to retaliate, emphasizing that the recent Israeli strikes could not have occurred without the “coordination and authorisation” of the United States, which it vowed to hold accountable.
Meanwhile, Israel is bracing for an Iranian counterattack. In an early Friday statement, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the overnight strikes as “preemptive” and warned of an imminent missile and drone assault targeting Israeli territory and civilians.
As tensions escalate, air raid sirens have sounded across Israel, alerting residents to the looming threat. The Israeli military further announced on X that, effective 3 a.m. local time (00:00 GMT), civil and public security protocols have been tightened to “essential activity” levels, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the nation’s heightened state of readiness.
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In a statement following the attacks, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Israel to prepare for a “bitter and painful fate”.
The Israeli military has confirmed to The Times of Israel that it launched a large-scale aerial offensive targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, in a coordinated operation code-named “Nation of Lions.” The campaign, according to Israeli officials, marks one of the most expansive and forceful military initiatives in recent memory.
Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated that Iran’s nuclear ambitions had reached what he called a “point of no return,” arguing that Israel could no longer afford delay in what he framed as a “battle for national survival.” “We could not wait another moment,” Zamir said, framing the strikes as both preemptive and existential.
An unnamed senior military source revealed that Israeli fighter jets conducted five successive waves of airstrikes, totaling hundreds of precision hits. The coordinated assault struck at least eight strategic sites, including Iran’s capital, Tehran; the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz; and a nuclear research center in Tabriz.
Iranian state media confirmed multiple fatalities, among them senior military figures and top nuclear scientists. Among the dead are:
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Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
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Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces
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Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi, both prominent nuclear scientists
In the wake of the strikes, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a chilling warning, declaring that Israel should now “prepare for a bitter and painful fate.”