Israel attacks Iran (updated)
UPDATE 1: SPECIAL EDITION : SCOTT RITTER : Israel Strikes Iran - LIVE UPDATES
UPDATE 2: Prof. Jeffrey Sachs : War For War's Sake.
END UPDATES
Operation Rising Lion: Israel Attacks Iran - Video #223
Israel bombed Tehran and Natanz, assassinating the leader of IRGC Major General Hossein Salami. It attacked Iran's nuclear enrichment program and also its ballistic missile program.
Israel Hits Nuclear Sites And Kills Leaders In Opening Of War With Iran (Videos)South Front
Israel early on June 13 launched hundreds of strikes against Iran, targeting nuclear sites, missile factories and senior leaders, in what could be the start of a regional war.
"We are at a decisive moment in Israel's history," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message announcing the attack.
"Moments ago Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat."
Several waves of Israeli strikes were reported throughout the Islamic Republic for several hours, starting from around 3:00 a.m. local time.
An official of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that Israel was striking "dozens" of nuclear and military targets, claiming that Iran had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days.
"The Iranian regime has been working for decades to obtain a nuclear weapon. The world has attempted every possible diplomatic path to stop it, but the regime has refused to stop," the military said in a statement.
Over 200 Israeli Air Force aircraft were involved in the strike, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a press conference, adding that fighter jets dropped over 330 munitions on some 100 targets in the strikes.
Defrin also confirmed that several top Iranian officials were killed in the strikes, including Iran's military commander Mohammad Bagheri, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Hossein Salami, and head of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Gholam Ali Rashid.
Blasts were reported in the Natanz Nuclear Facility, where uranium is enriched, as well as in and around the capital, Tehran, where civilian casualties were reported.[...]
The scale of the Israeli attack requires a serious response from Iran. The Islamic Republic refrained in past confrontations from taking serious action. Despite taking heavy losses now, hesitation appears to be still prevalent among the country's leadership for no clear reasons.
Tehran hesitated to back its allies in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria, and in the process it encouraged Israel to go on with the attack taking place now.
A proper Iranian response would target Israeli nuclear sites. That's what the country's senior officials promised to do more than once. Anything short of that will likely encourage Israel to widen its ongoing attack. Netanyahu's ultimate goal is likely to take down the Iranian regime all together.
This could very well be a make it or break moment for Iran, will it practice its right to defend itself for real or go on with its so-called "strategic patience".
Mossad Built Drone Base Inside Iran, Struck Ballistic Missiles And Air Defenses (Videos)South Front
Israel's Mossad spy agency built a drone base inside Iran in preparation for the attack on the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites that began early on June 13, The Times of Israel reported, citing an Israeli security official.
The online newspaper said that the Mossad smuggled precision weapons systems and commandos into Iran, adding that the attack hinged on tight joint planning between the spy agency and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)
Mossad agents set up a drone base near the Iranian capital, Tehran, according to a report, which said that the drones were activated overnight, striking surface-to-surface missile launchers aimed at Israel.
In addition, vehicles carrying weapons systems were smuggled into Iran. These systems took out Iran's air defenses and gave Israeli warplanes air supremacy and freedom of action over Iran, The Times of Israel said.
The official who spoke to the online newspaper also revealed that Mossad commandos deployed precision missiles near air defense sites in central Iran.
The operations relied on "groundbreaking thinking, bold planning and surgical operation of advanced technologies, special forces and agents operating in the heart of Iran while totally evading the eyes of local intelligence," the official said.
Separately, the IDF announced that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) dealt an "extensive blow" to air defense sites in the west of Iran.
Dozens of radars and air defense missile launchers were destroyed, according to the IDF, which said that the strikes "improve the freedom of action in the air" for the IAF.
Footage released by the IDF shows what appears to be an Iranian Sevom Khordad medium-range air defense system being targeted. The military also shared an animation implying that over a dozen air defense sites in western Iran were attacked by the IAF.
Israel launches strikes on Iran: Live updates - RT World News
US President Donald Trump has praised the Israeli strikes on Iran as "excellent" and signaled that new attacks are likely in the offing. "We gave them a chance and they didn't take it... They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. A lot more," he told ABC News.