Israel has carried out a new series of strikes on Iran. Tehran considers the attacks a declaration of war. According to Israeli reports, Israel has successfully repelled the first Iranian retaliatory strike.
Israel has carried out a new series of strikes on Iran after several attacks on military and nuclear targets were carried out on the night of Friday, June 13. Explosions occurred in addition to Tehran, in the cities of Tarbis, Shiraz, and around the uranium enrichment plant in Natan - one of the most important Iranian nuclear facilities, Iranian media reported. There are also reports of attacks on the Arak heavy water reactor site and the Parchin nuclear complex.
According to Israeli military sources, the major attack targeted the underground area of the Natan plant. It houses a multi-story uranium enrichment hall with centrifuges, power supply rooms and other supporting infrastructure. Major facilities at the site were destroyed, "which are essential for the ongoing work and further development of the Iranian regime's nuclear project," an Israeli statement said. Close cooperation between Israeli military intelligence and the air force resulted in "significant damage" to the facility. The Israeli fighter jets' attacks on Natan were based on "accurate intelligence".
According to Iranian data, at least six leading scientists and professors in the field of nuclear energy and physics were killed in the Israeli attacks. The researchers were killed in night raids on their homes in Tehran.
Mossad: Iran was also attacked from within
According to the Israeli secret service Mossad, before the attacks it brought weapons into Iran, with which it prepared the strike. A base for launching drones with explosives was installed in Iran. They were activated during the airstrike on nuclear and military facilities in the country and attacked missile launchers at a base near Tehran, two Mossad officials told the AP news agency.
In this way, Iran's defenses were attacked from within the country. Israel has also managed to bring precision weapons into central Iran and positioned them near air defense missile systems, intelligence officials said. Vehicle-attack systems were also used. These claims cannot be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has expanded its justification for the attack on Iran. Iran was on the verge of a decisive step in its nuclear program, they said. New intelligence has shown that the country is close to the "point of no return" in developing a nuclear bomb.
Tehran: "This is a declaration of war"
Iran's foreign minister interpreted the large-scale Israeli attack on his country as a declaration of war. "Israel has crossed all red lines," Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying by the state news agency Irna. He called on the UN Security Council to take up the issue immediately.
According to Israeli military sources, Tehran continues to launch more drones at Israel. "The Israeli Air Force continues to intercept drones launched from Iran towards Israeli territory," a statement said. Earlier in the day, Israel had already reported about 100 attacks by Iranian drones.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that there would be a "legitimate and powerful" response, "which will make Israel regret its foolish actions." At the same time, in a message to the nation, Pezeshkian stood firmly behind the Iranian government and called on the country's population to support it. The president said Iranians can trust their leadership.
Trump: Next attacks will be even more brutal
Rafael Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stressed after the Israeli attack on Iran that nuclear facilities "should never be attacked." He called on all parties to "exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation."
US President Donald Trump has urged Iran's leadership to strike a new nuclear deal. The next attacks will be even more brutal and are already being planned, the US president wrote on his social network Truth Social. "There has already been a lot of death and destruction, there is still time to end this carnage." The US, an ally of Israel, has recently stepped up its efforts to reach an agreement with Iran to limit its nuclear program. During Trump's first term, the US withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, which was also agreed to by European countries. Trump himself threatened to bomb Iran if there is no new agreement.
Pahlavi: Let's overthrow the Iranian government!
At the same time, Reza Pahlavi, who is one of the leading opposition figures in Iran and the son of the Shah of Persia, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in 1979, is calling on the security forces to overthrow the government.
"The struggle of the Iranian people against the destructive regime of the Islamic Republic is for the re-conquest and restoration of Iran. "The solution is the overthrow of the Islamic Republic through street protests and nationwide strikes," Reza Pahlavi writes on the X platform. He blames the head of state, Ali Khamenei, for the conflict with Israel. Pahlavi lives in exile.
Why did Israel attack Iran right now?
According to the Times of Israel, the attack on Iran had been planned for years. A security official said the army and Mossad have been working closely together to achieve this goal. Israel has repeatedly stated for many years that it will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. However, since 2023, the military balance of power in the Middle East has changed dramatically, which undoubtedly made it easier for Israel to carry out this attack.
Following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military has taken large-scale action against Hamas and other allies of Iran. In Lebanon, the Shiite militia Hezbollah has been so weakened by airstrikes and the assassination of its leadership that it is currently unlikely to be able to provide military support to Iran.
Iran itself has been attacked repeatedly by the Israeli military last year. Even then, in April and October 2024, missile production facilities, surface-to-air missile sites, and other Iranian air defense systems were attacked. According to experts, Iran's air defenses were largely weakened. Iran's ability to attack Israel with a large number of missiles and thus overload the Israeli air defense system was significantly reduced.
Was Israel most afraid of decisive progress in Iran's nuclear efforts, or of progress in the current nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran? This is not entirely clear. However, there is no doubt that the Israeli military saw a favorable opportunity to significantly weaken the Iranian armed forces and Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons again, as Eckart Arenz of the ARD commented.