Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear program and military leadership
Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear program and military leadership
Shortly before sunrise on Friday, Israel started his first attacks as part of an operation against the Iranian nuclear program. This operation with the name "Rising Lion" pursued two goals: Violent air strikes on at least one Iranian accumulation facility And targeted attacks in Tehran to eliminate the military leadership of the regime. The aim was to stop the rapid development of nuclear weapons by Tehran, which Israel sees as a threat.
an unexpected attack
The attack of Israel came after years full of threats and intensive speculation, but without the consent of the United States. The Trump administration emphasized that Israel acted unilaterally and Washington was "not involved".
reactions and explanations by the Israeli Prime Minister
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the operation was "continued as long as it is necessary" to eliminate the nuclear threat from Iran. Tehran, who insists on the peaceful nature of his nuclear program, explained that there was "no choice but to react".
where and when did Israel attacked?
The first explosions shaken Tehran around 3:30 a.m. on Friday (8:00 p.m. et on Thursday). Videos that were geolocalized by CNN show flames and smoke that climbed from the city's buildings.
The residents of Tehran were caught. Many had not expected such a quick attack by Israel. "I didn't know what was happening. It was really scary," said a 17-year-old Iranian to CNN, who wanted to remain anonymous for security reasons.
Only a short time after the explosions in Tehran, Israel also attacked in other places in the country. The Israeli military leadership explained that it had used jets to "attack dozens of military goals, including nuclear goals in various parts of Iran".
An explosion was reported in Iran's main investment in Natanz, which is about 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of Tehran.
The International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) confirmed that Natanz was affected, but has not found any increased radiation values in the area. Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, explained that other Iranian core facilities - Isfahan, Buschehr and Fordow - were not affected. Fordow is considered to be difficult for Israel because it is under a mountain.
What did Israel say about the attacks?
In a live broadcast, Netanyahu said that Israel had taken measures to push back the "Iranian threat to Israel's livelihood" and would continue the operation until these threats have been eliminated. Netanyahu claimed that Iran had produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine nuclear weapons in recent years. "Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be in a year, maybe even in a few months," he added. "This is a clear and current danger to survive Israel." The Israeli defense forces (IDF) also said that they had destroyed the launch ramps and stocks of Iranian ballistic rockets.
Who was killed in the attacks?
Israel's military also announced that Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces; Ali Shamkhani, a close consultant by the top Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; and Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Air Force, were killed.
How could Iran react?
The retaliation from Iran has already started. The IDF announced that Tehran fired more than 100 drones towards Israel and the Israeli defense forces are working on shooting them down. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian appealed to the Iranian people to remain united and trust the Iranian leadership. "The country needs more than ever," he added.
After a series of deadly and embarrassing Israeli attacks on the Iranian regime, it is unclear how Tehran Revenge could senses . After earlier Israeli attacks on Iran and its allies in the region, Tehran resorted with massive volleys from ballistic rockets. The "Institute for the Study of War", a Think Tank in Washington, DC, reported that it was possible that Israel has deactivated Iran's answer by targeting the shooting ramps and stocks of ballistic rockets.
How did the USA react?
The Trump administration, which had followed a diplomatic path with Iran in the past few weeks, tried to distance itself from Israel's attack . Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said that the actions of Israel were "unilateral". Although Israel had informed the United States before the attacks, Rubio emphasized that the United States was "not involved in the attack". "Our highest priority is the protection of American armed forces in the region," he added. At the beginning of the week, the United States had taken measures to organize the departure of not absolutely necessary staff from different countries in the Middle East, which nourished speculation about an upcoming Israeli attack on Iran.
President Donald Trump asked Iran to "agree to a new atomic deal before nothing is left", and indicated that subsequent Israeli attacks on the country could be "even more brutal". Trump said he gave Iran "chance for chance" to close a deal. "Just make it before it is too late," he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
What happened with the last atomic deal with Iran?
under a nuclear deal negotiated by the former US President Barack Obama in 2015, formally known as a common comprehensive action plan (JCPOA), Iran agreed to drastically reduce the number of centrifugs and to limit uranium enrichment to values that were far below that are necessary for the production of weapons. In return, Iran received a lifting of sanctions.
During his first term as President as President, Trump pulled back from the JCPOA in 2018 and explained that the "rotten structures" of the agreement were not sufficient to prevent Iran from developing an atomic bomb. He tightened the sanctions against Iran and threatened to sanction every country that helped the regime to procure nuclear weapons. In his second term, Trump refreshed the efforts to achieve a new atomic deal with Iran. Only hours of the Israeli attacks, the President Israel warned not to start an attack as long as the US Iran talks were going on. "As long as I believe that there is an agreement, I don't want you to attack because all of this could go beyond. It could help, but it could also break everything," said Trump.
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