Iran will retaliate for Israeli strikes on its territory, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Friday, confirming that senior commanders were killed in the attack.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck dozens of targets across Iran, including military installations and a nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the goal of the operation was to prevent Iran from acquiring the capability to develop nuclear weapons.
In a statement on Friday morning, Khamenei warned that Israel “should expect severe punishment.” He accused the IDF of striking residential areas, while acknowledging that “several commanders and scientists” were killed.
The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces described the attack as “blatant aggression” and vowed a “crushing” response.
According to Iranian media, the victims include Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Deputy Chief of Army Staff Gholam Ali Rashid, and nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi.
The attack took place just days before the sixth round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran, scheduled for Sunday in Oman. US President Donald Trump recently accused Tehran of “slow-walking” the negotiations after previous rounds failed to produce a breakthrough. On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that Washington was not involved in the Israeli strikes.
Iran has denied that it is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, insisting instead on its right to conduct nuclear research for civilian purposes.
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