Israel said early on Friday it had carried out a wave of air- and missile strikes on Iran aimed at crippling Tehran’s nuclear programme, prompting nationwide air-defence alerts in the Islamic Republic and putting Israeli cities on emergency footing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a recorded address, called the offensive “Rising Lion” and said it was targeting Iranian scientists, ballistic-missile plants and the underground Natanz uranium-enrichment complex. “We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” he said, adding the operation would continue for days.
Witnesses in Natanz reported multiple explosions, while Iranian state television said blasts were heard in Tehran and other cities as air defences opened fire. A senior Iranian official told Reuters the Supreme National Security Council convened an emergency meeting but gave no casualty figures.
Israel declared a nationwide state of emergency, closing schools and opening bomb shelters as it warned of imminent missile and drone retaliation. Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran possessed enough enriched uranium “to build 15 bombs within days,” calling the strikes pre-emptive.
An Israeli military source said “dozens” of nuclear and military targets were hit, but gave no details of damage or Iranian casualties. There was no immediate comment from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who oversee the country’s missile arsenal.
U.S. distances itself
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had no role in the operation. “Israel acted unilaterally,” he said, warning Tehran not to attack American forces. The Pentagon said it was “planning for the full range of contingencies,” including a potential evacuation of U.S. civilians.
President Donald Trump convened an emergency cabinet meeting, according to U.S. media, after intelligence assessments had for days pointed to an impending Israeli strike. Talks scheduled for Sunday in Oman on Iran’s accelerating enrichment programme now appear in doubt.
Markets on edge
Brent crude jumped more than $3 a barrel, spot gold hit a record high above $3,400 an ounce and S&P 500 futures fell around 1.5 percent as investors scrambled for safety. Airspace notices restricting flights were issued by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, aviation tracking sites showed.
Long-simmering showdown
Israel, which neither confirms nor denies possessing nuclear weapons, has vowed for two decades to prevent Iran from building an atomic bomb. Tehran says its nuclear work is purely civilian.
Tensions spiked after the U.N. nuclear watchdog censured Iran this month for failing to explain uranium traces at undeclared sites. Israel says Iran’s stockpile, now enriched to 60 percent purity, is perilously close to weapons-grade
Iran has not yet announced its response, but hard-line lawmakers have repeatedly threatened to strike Israeli strategic assets and U.S. bases in the Gulf.
What’s next
Military analysts said Iran’s options range from missile salvos by its Revolutionary Guards to attacks by allied groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah or Yemen’s Houthis, raising the risk of a regional spiral.
For now, residents from Tel Aviv to Tehran spent a tense night under sirens and rumour. “This is only the beginning,” an Israeli security official told Reuters. “Whether it escalates further depends on how Iran decides to answer.”
