The Israeli army has announced that it has completed the first phase of the «operation against Iran’s nuclear program.» Iranian nuclear and military officials were targeted in the recent attack, the IDF said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Operation Rising Lion will last many days, targeting “the heart of Iran’s ballistic missiles program.”
🔥NEW KEY APPOINTMENTS IN IRANIAN MILITARY FOLLOWING ISRAELI STRIKES
👉 General Vahidi has been appointed commander of the IRGC after the death of Hossein Salami in an Israeli strike
👉 Habibollah Sayyari has been appointed as the interim head of the General Staff pic.twitter.com/Ai5TvGpSFA
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) June 13, 2025
Iranian Top Military Killed
Iran holds the US complicit in Israeli strikes on Iran, the Iranian Armed Forces spokesman said.
Iran has since shut down its airspace and signaled that a military response is imminent.
President Donald Trump and senior White House officials were expecting the Israeli strikes.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
US President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, said on Friday that he was aware of Israeli strikes on Iran.
«Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back,» Trump said.
The US is geared to defend itself and Israel if Iran tries to respond to strikes on its facilities, Trump added, noting that the US Central Command is on high alert.