JERUSALEM/TEHRAN — In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, Israel launched a sweeping military operation against Iran early Friday, striking over 100 targets across the country in a five-wave aerial assault involving more than 200 fighter jets. The coordinated campaign targeted critical nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile facilities, and top-tier leadership within Iran’s military and nuclear programs.
Among the primary targets was the Natanz nuclear facility, Iran’s most significant uranium enrichment site, located approximately 135 miles southeast of Tehran. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Natanz had been struck shortly after 4 a.m. local time. Despite heavy fortification and underground centrifuge halls, video footage from the scene showed significant explosions. However, the IAEA has stated that no radioactive contamination has been detected as of this morning.
The scale of the operation and its targets mark one of the most aggressive military actions by Israel in recent history.
Multiple Cities and Dozens of Sites Targeted
Strikes were reported across at least a dozen locations, including Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, and Kermanshah. Early reports indicate that Bid Kaneh, home to key missile development sites, was among the facilities hit.
According to Iranian sources, a number of senior nuclear scientists and high-ranking military officials were assassinated, some in strikes on private residences. The operation appears to have gone beyond the stated objective of halting Iran’s nuclear progress and instead aimed at delivering a strategic blow to the country’s defense infrastructure.
Top Iranian Commanders Killed
Among those reportedly killed were Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The deaths of these senior figures suggest that the operation included a “decapitation strike” strategy aimed at disrupting Iran’s military leadership.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a televised statement, said the operation was directed not at the Iranian people but at a “brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years.” He expressed hope that the strikes would catalyze political change within Iran.
Profiles: Bagheri and Salami
Both Bagheri and Salami were veterans of the Iran-Iraq War and central figures in Iran’s post-revolution military establishment.
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Hossein Salami, who joined the IRGC in 1980, rose through the ranks to lead the elite 125,000-strong force in 2019. He was known for his aggressive rhetoric and had been sanctioned by the UN and U.S. for his involvement in Iran’s missile and nuclear programs.
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Mohammad Bagheri, in his early 60s, had a background in military intelligence and was considered the second most powerful figure in Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces in 2016.
Unofficial sources also reported the deaths of Gholamali Rashid, deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and Ali Shamkhani, a longtime adviser to Khamenei, killed in a strike on a residential complex in Tehran.
Targeting Iran’s Scientific Elite
At least six prominent nuclear scientists were also killed in the raids. According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the victims included:
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Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi – President of Islamic Azad University and a leading theoretical physicist
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Fereydoun Abbasi – Former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
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Abdolhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feqhi, and Motalleblizadeh – Other prominent researchers in Iran’s nuclear and missile development programs
These assassinations follow a long-standing pattern of Israeli intelligence-led operations targeting Iranian nuclear personnel.
What Was Spared?
The IAEA, citing Iranian officials, confirmed that other critical nuclear sites such as the Fordow enrichment facility, the Isfahan site, and the Bushehr nuclear power plant were not hit in the strikes.
While the full extent of the damage is yet to be assessed, Friday’s operation marks a turning point in the Israel-Iran conflict, with wide-ranging military, diplomatic, and geopolitical implications.
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