Dozens of Israeli Air Force jets bombed several “military targets” in Iran in the early hours of Friday in the first phase of a “preemptive attack” ordered by the Israeli government against Iran’s nuclear program, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reported.
According to several US media outlets, such as The New York Times, several bomb noises were heard in Tehran, the Iranian capital. A high-ranking Iranian official, quoted anonymously by the same outlet, stated that Iranian fighter jets had taken off from their bases to intercept Israeli warplanes.
Israeli attacks would have targeted residential areas and activated the Iranian air defense system after penetrating the capital’s airspace, according to the Iranian news agency Mehr.
“This is not a one-day attack,” a senior Iranian official told CNN.
The Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, declared a special state of emergency throughout Israel, stating that a counterattack is expected in the short term. Sirens were reported in Jerusalem and other cities.
Why did Israel attack Iran?
“I’m not saying it’s imminent, but it could happen,” Donald Trump said this morning about a possible Israeli attack on Iran.
At the same time, the United States Embassy in Israel had issued an alert requesting its employees to avoid traveling from major cities, such as Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or Beersheba.
According to the initial reports, Israel attacked at least six military bases around Tehran, as well as high-security residences for military commanders.
According to The New York Times and Iranian state television, in the attacks General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, was killed. Also killed were the deputy commander of the Iranian armed forces, General Gholamali Rashid, and nuclear scientist Fereydoun Abbasi.
The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video that “Israel has launched Operation Rising Lion, a military operation aimed at countering the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as necessary to eliminate this threat.”
Netanyahu added that Israel had attacked the main “nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, Iran”, south of the capital, as well as “the main Iranian nuclear scientists”.
What position will the Trump administration take?
The United States had planned to continue the round of negotiations with Iran this Sunday, in Oman, with the goal of limiting Iran’s nuclear program.
The decision to negotiate with Iran had created a rift between Trump and Netanyahu, and on a couple of occasions, the President of the United States had tried to dissuade the Prime Minister of Israel from attacking Iran.
After the bombings in Israel were known, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, issued a statement in which he said that “Israel took unilateral actions against Iran. We do not participate in attacks against Iran and our main priority is to protect American forces in the region. Israel has informed us that it believes this action is necessary for its own defense. President Trump and his administration have taken all necessary measures to protect our forces and maintain close contact with our regional partners. Let’s be clear: Iran should not attack the interests or personnel of the United States.”
Trump scheduled a meeting of the National Security Council for tomorrow at 11 am.