The IDF’s surprise launch of massive operations against the Iranian regime and its nuclear facilities has already resulted in the deaths of numerous top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists.  The operation, codenamed “Am KeLavi” (Operation Rising Lion), targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and military infrastructure across multiple sites, including Tehran, Natanz, Khondab, and Khorramabad. The operation, supported by coordinated Mossad sabotage missions, aims to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program and eliminate key military and scientific figures, according to Israeli and Iranian sources.

Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of several high-ranking officials and scientists in the strikes. Among those killed were General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Gholam Ali Rashid, head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Force. Two nuclear scientists, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a senior physicist and President of Azad University, were also reported killed. Iranian sources indicated that Abbasi-Davani and Tehranchi were targeted in their homes. The IDF stated that Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, was likely killed, though confirmation remains pending.

The IDF operation has involved dozens of Israeli Air Force jets, including F-35 stealth fighters, striking nuclear enrichment facilities, ballistic missile production sites, and military bases. Explosions have been reported across Tehran, with eyewitnesses describing massive flames and repeated blasts in neighborhoods housing senior commanders. Iranian state television broadcast images of black smoke rising over the Natanz nuclear facility, a critical site for uranium enrichment, though the extent of the damage remains unclear. Iran’s air defenses were reportedly compromised by Mossad sabotage operations targeting radar and missile systems, enabling Israeli aircraft to operate with greater freedom.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced the strikes as a preemptive measure to counter an “imminent threat” from Iran’s nuclear program, citing intelligence that Iran had amassed enough enriched uranium to produce up to 15 nuclear weapons within days. “If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time,” Netanyahu said in a televised address, describing the operation as a defense of Israel’s survival and regional stability. He emphasized that the campaign would continue “for as many days as it takes.”

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz declared a nationwide state of emergency in Israel, with warning sirens activated in anticipation of potential Iranian retaliation, though no ballistic missile launches from Iran were reported by 04:35 AM Israel time.

The United States, Israel’s primary ally, was not directly involved in the operation, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. President Donald Trump, who had urged restraint in negotiations with Iran, called an emergency cabinet meeting for Friday morning following the strikes. U.S. officials emphasized protecting American forces in the region, with non-essential personnel evacuated from embassies within Iran’s striking range. China advised its citizens in Iran to stay alert, while Iraq closed its airspace as a precaution.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated it was in contact with Iranian authorities to monitor radiation levels and ensure the safety of its inspectors in the country. The IAEA had issued a strong condemnation of Iran earlier Thursday for enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels and failing to comply with nonproliferation obligations.

As of early Friday morning in Israel, Iran had not launched a counterattack, and the IDF reported no changes to public safety guidelines in Israel.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)