Israel launched a major attack on Iran Friday, drawing their long-running shadow war into open conflict in a way that could spiral into a wider, more dangerous regional war.
The strikes set off explosions in the capital of Tehran as Israel said it was targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities. Among those killed were three of Iran’s top military leaders, one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, and another who ran the Guard’s ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Two top nuclear scientists also had been killed. Israel said it killed additional Revolutionary Guard members.
Israel said Iran retaliated by sending over 100 drones toward Israel, most of which were intercepted. As of Friday afternoon, the military said strikes in Iran were ongoing.
Israel's attack comes as tensions have escalated over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, which Israel sees as a threat to its existence.
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The Trump administration revived efforts to negotiate limits on Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. But the indirect talks between American and Iranian diplomats have hit a stalemate.
The attack pushed the region into a new and uncertain phase. Here's what to know about the strikes:
Israel hit nuclear sites, killed Revolutionary Guard chief
Israeli leaders said the attack was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb as the country enriches uranium a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Iran long has said its program is peaceful and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed Iran was not actively building a weapon.
In a video announcing the military operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes hit Iran's main enrichment site, the Natanz atomic facility, and targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists. He said that Israel had also targeted Iran's ballistic missile arsenal.
An Israeli military official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said that Israel was continuing to strike Iran but declined to say in which locations.
Iranian state television and the semi-official Fars news agency both carried news of Israel striking Iran's nuclear enrichment site in Natanz. State TV also reported attacks in Shiraz and Tabriz.
Iran retaliates with drones, but Israel says it deflected threat
In retaliation, Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israel.
Israel’s military said its air defenses had shot down most of the drones and told civilians they could leave shelters for the time being. But the military said the threat was not yet over and urged caution. It closed Israeli airspace and said it was calling up tens of thousands of soldiers to protect the country’s borders.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says his nation would “strongly take action” against Israel after its attacks on the country.
From Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to reach a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program, warning that Israel’s attacks “will only get worse." He previously said that the U.S. had not been involved in the attack.
Israel's air force and spy agency carried out the operation
An Israeli military official said around 200 aircraft took off at the same time to conduct operations over 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) away in Iran, targeting air defense systems, ballistic missile manufacturing sites and missiles ready to be launched toward Israel. The official said dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missiles were destroyed.
Also involved in the operation was Israel's spy agency, the Mossad. Israeli security officials said the Mossad smuggled weapons into Iran ahead of Friday’s strikes that were used to target its defenses from within.
Two security officials spoke on condition of anonymity on Friday to discuss the highly secretive missions. It was not possible to independently confirm their claims.
The officials said a base for launching explosive drones was established inside Iran and that the drones were activated during Friday’s attack to target missile launchers at an Iranian base near Tehran.
They said Israel had also smuggled precision weapons into central Iran and positioned them near surface-to-air missile systems. They said it also deployed strike systems on vehicles. Both were activated as the attacks began in order to target Iran’s defenses, the officials said. There was no official comment.
Unclear how close Iran is to building a bomb
Netanyahu claimed Friday that if Iran wasn't stopped, "it could produce a nuclear weapon within a very short time.” But it likely would take Iran months to build a weapon, should it choose to do so. It also hasn’t proved its ability to miniaturize a bomb to be placed atop missiles.
Iranian officials have openly threatened to pursue the bomb. Tensions over Iran's rapid nuclear advances and growing reserves of highly enriched uranium are surging seven years after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
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For the first time in two decades, the atomic watchdog agency on Thursday censured Iran for failing to comply with nuclear nonproliferation obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
In response, Iran said that it would open a previously undisclosed enrichment site and accelerate production of 60% highly enriched uranium, which could be easily processed to the 90% level used in nuclear weapons.
Iran's nuclear sites have long been a flash point
Iran has two main enrichment sites, Natanz, in central Isfahan province, and Fordo, near the Shiite holy city of Qom, some 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Tehran.
Both are designed to be protected from potential airstrikes. Natanz is built underground on Iran’s Central Plateau, and has been targeted several times in suspected Israeli sabotage attacks. They included the Stuxnet virus, believed to be an Israeli and American creation, which destroyed Iranian centrifuges.
Fordo is buried deep inside a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries. It also hosts centrifuge cascades, but isn’t as big a facility as Natanz.
Both sites have been the focus of the Trump administration's recent push to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Tehran. Trump said that he warned Netanyahu against launching an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities while diplomatic efforts were underway.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to meet his Iranian counterparts in Oman for a sixth round of negotiations to start Sunday. It wasn't clear if those talks would take place, or if the negotiations would ever resume following the strikes.
