Israel carried out a massive airstrike on Iran on Friday. The operation, dubbed “Rising Lion,” targeted more than 100 sites, including nuclear, missile and military sites. Senior military figures and nuclear scientists were killed in the attack. Uranium enrichment facilities were hit, but there was no increase in radiation levels. Iran retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles, most of which were intercepted by Israeli air defenses.
Israel struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear, missile and military complex in the early hours of Friday morning, in an unprecedented attack that killed some of Iran's most powerful figures and plunged the Middle East into a new and dangerous moment.
The attacks on Iran's nuclear program and top military leaders could represent a turning point in the long-running conflict. Israel now faces a major retaliation from Iran. And there is a real danger that the region could face the outbreak of a wider war.
Later on Friday, part of the promised retaliation was launched. The Israeli military said Iran had fired more than 100 rockets at Israel and that Israel had begun “intercepting” them from outside its borders. Some of the rockets penetrated Israeli defenses, which in turn threatened Iran even more. The United States was reported to have provided assistance to Israel’s defenses. There were also reports of injuries, and Israeli leaders are planning immediate responses to the Iranian attacks.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, previously warned Israel that it would face "severe punishment" for the attacks and confirmed that several Iranian commanders and scientists had been killed.
The spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces said that both the United States and Israel would "pay dearly", while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi classified the attack as a "declaration of war".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday that the US was not involved in the attacks, noting that Israel had previously notified the US that it believed "the action was necessary in its own self-defense."
On Thursday, President Donald Trump had already warned of the possibility that a massive conflict in the Middle East could happen "very soon."
Writing on his social media platform "Truth Social," Trump on Friday called on Iran to accept a nuclear deal "before there's nothing left," suggesting that Israel's subsequent attacks could be "even more brutal."
Washington has long sought to limit Tehran's nuclear capabilities. It even did so in the most recent negotiations that took place in Rome last month, but which ended without an agreement. The sixth round of talks between the US and Iran was scheduled to take place on Sunday in Oman - but it is still unclear whether it will take place or not.
The Israeli attacks came at a time when Tehran had announced that it would increase its nuclear activities after the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution finding that Iran was not adhering to its commitments to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, senior US officials told CNN.
During a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military operation had "striken at the heart of Iran's nuclear weapons program," and that targets included the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, Iranian nuclear scientists and Iran's ballistic missile program.
"Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a military operation aimed at deterring the Iranian threat to Israel's very existence," Netanyahu said Friday morning. "This operation will continue for as many days as necessary to eliminate this threat."
Multiple explosions were heard in Tehran, terrifying residents, while videos verified by CNN showed flames and smoke rising from buildings across the city. Iran's airspace has also been closed, according to the country's civil aviation authority.
The Israeli military statement said Israeli warplanes had also completed a "large-scale attack" on air defense systems in western Iran.
"As part of the attacks, dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers were destroyed," the statement said.
According to Iranian authorities and state media, some of Iran's most powerful figures have been killed. Among them are General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces and the country's highest-ranking military officer.
Also among those killed were former national security chief Ali Shamkhani – a key adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei who served for nearly a decade as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council – and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC Air Force, who was killed along with two other air force commanders.
According to the state-run Tasnim news agency, six Iranian nuclear scientists were also killed.
On Friday, Iran's supreme leader immediately appointed new commanders to lead key military structures, including Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, who is now the new head of the IRGC.
Friday's attacks suggest that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw an opportunity to realize Israel's long-term goal of destroying Iran's nuclear program.
Iran is in its weakest military position in decades, due to crushing economic sanctions, previous Israeli attacks on its air defenses, and the deep weakening of its most powerful regional allies, including Hezbollah.
US officials had previously told CNN that Israeli attacks on Iran would represent a clear break from Trump's previous approach to the Middle East.
On Friday, Trump told CNN that the US supports Israel, while describing the attack on Iran as "very successful."
Several countries immediately raised alarm and condemned Israel's attacks. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said the attack "undermines sovereignty and security and constitutes a clear violation of international law," while the Chinese embassy in Iran called the situation complex and serious.
Residents in Iran have been dealing with a terrifying night. "People have reported earthquakes, large explosions and fighter jets flying overhead," said Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy.
Azzam, an Iranian citizen who lives near Saadat Abad in northern Tehran, an area targeted by Israel, said he was woken up by the shaking of his house. "I was very scared, unable to know what was happening."
Israel has declared a state of emergency, closing its airspace, schools and banning gatherings. "Tens of thousands" of Israeli soldiers have been called up in preparation for Iranian retaliation, the Israeli military said.
Fear of the greatest war
Analysts and experts have long warned that Israel's attacks on Iranian nuclear capabilities could provoke harsh retaliation from Iran and threaten to plunge the region into full-scale war.
And if Israel and Iran engage in a larger-scale war, it risks drawing the US in. The US is Israel's closest ally and largest arms supplier. There are currently 40 US troops in the Middle East. Indications of the danger emerged earlier this week, when the US ordered the withdrawal of non-essential personnel from countries in the Middle East.
Based on expert opinions, Israeli attacks on the nuclear sites of the Islamic Republic of Iran are likely to mark the end of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States.
The facility at the center of Iran's nuclear ambitions was engulfed in flames on Friday, according to images posted on social media, which have been verified by CNN and Iranian state television.
The nuclear complex in Natanz, a city about 250 kilometers south of Tehran, is considered Iran's largest uranium enrichment facility. Analysts have said the site is used to develop and assemble uranium enrichment centrifuges - a key technology that turns uranium into nuclear fuel.
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization has confirmed that the Natanz facility has been damaged. The complex includes above-ground and underground structures, but it is not clear which parts were affected by the attack, although no casualties have been reported.
The head of the UN nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, has stated that there were no high levels of radiation at Natanz. Other nuclear facilities in Iran, such as those in Isfahan and Fordow, “were not affected,” Grossi added on Friday afternoon. But in the evening, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces, the facility in Isfahan was not spared from the attacks either.
"Our forces have destroyed a facility for the production of uranium metal, infrastructure for the conversion of enriched uranium, as well as laboratories and additional infrastructure that served the Iranian atomic program," the statement said.
The facility in Isfahan is considered one of the most important points of Iran's nuclear capacity and employs thousands of scientists, including laboratories linked to Chinese research reactors.
Attack from within
According to an Israeli security official, the Mossad intelligence service had smuggled weapons into Iran before Friday's attacks, which were used to hit defenses from within the country.
The official said that "a base for launching explosive drones has been set up inside Iran and that these drones were activated during Friday's attack to hit missile launchers at a base near Tehran."
He also added that Israel had "introduced precision weapons into central Iran and positioned them near surface-to-air missile systems," and that it had used vehicle-mounted strike systems.
Iran operates the so-called “Axis of Resistance” in the region, which includes loyal allies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, as well as various militant groups in Iraq and Syria. Since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in 2023, attacks by these satellite groups have intensified in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Last year, the decades-long cold war between Israel and Iran escalated with a series of missile attacks by both sides. At the time, the US warned Israel not to strike Iran's energy or nuclear infrastructure.
Friday's operation represents a far greater escalation than any previous action. CNN security analyst Beth Sanner said the elimination of Hossein Salami is comparable to the elimination of the chairman of the US military's joint chiefs of staff.
"You can imagine what the Americans would do," she said.
Sanner stressed that Iran is now "under existential threat," and for this reason, Israel is expected to face "massive retaliation, much greater than what it has seen in the past."
MFA calls on Kosovo citizens in Israel to stay in safe places
In addition to the world, the tension in the Middle East has also caused concern in Kosovo. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on Kosovo citizens living in Israel to avoid unnecessary travel and stay in safe places. The MFA statement emphasized that this call was made in cooperation with the Kosovo Embassy in Israel, taking into account the worsening security situation in Israel and the region.
