Israel has launched what it described as “preemptive, precise, combined offensive” strikes against Iran, targeting key elements of the country’s nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities, according to a senior Israeli military official, as reported by international media.
Iran’s government has not yet commented on the strikes.
IRGC Chief General Hossein Salami Killed in Israeli Strikes: Iranian State Media
General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to multiple Iranian state media outlets.
The reports emerged hours after Israel launched a series of overnight preemptive strikes targeting what it said were Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities. Explosions were reported in several parts of Tehran, with state media confirming extensive damage.
General Salami, who led the IRGC since 2019 and was one of the country’s most powerful military figures, is believed to have been inside one of the key military installations struck by Israeli forces.
The Israeli government has not officially confirmed Salami’s death. However, if verified, it would mark one of the most significant casualties in the ongoing escalation between Israel and Iran and could dramatically alter the course of regional tensions.
Iran has not yet issued an official response, but analysts expect a strong retaliatory move in the coming hours.
The strikes, carried out early Friday, hit “dozens of targets” across various locations in Iran. Iranian state media outlet IRNA confirmed repeated explosions were heard in the capital, Tehran, although the full extent of the damage remains unclear.
In response to the offensive, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a state of emergency in the country. “Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz said in a statement.
The situation marks a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two regional powers, raising fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East.
Tehran Airport shut down
All flights at Imam Khomeini Airport have been canceled, according to Tehran Times.
Israel has banned schools, social gatherings and non-essential work as it braces for retaliation, following its strikes on Iran.
Siren sounded across Jerusalem as a state of emergency was declared in the country, CNN’s Jerusalem Bureau Chief Oren Liebermann told Anderson Cooper.
Residents received alerts on their cell phones saying the Home Front Command is putting the country on alert, Liebermann said.
The Israel Defense Forces announced changes to the country’s Home Front Command Defensive Guidelines, shifting all areas of the country from “full activity” to “essential activity” at 03:00 a.m. local time.
The guidelines prohibit educational activities, gatherings and workplaces, except for essential sectors, Liebermann said.
US Reaction
A US official tells CNN that there was no US involvement or US assistance in the strikes carried out by Israel in Iran.
President Donald Trump and senior White House officials were expecting the Israeli strikes on Iran Thursday night, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Earlier today, Trump was asked what the Israelis told him to prompt the departure of US personnel from the region. Trump replied: “They didn’t tell me anything, but I said look, there’s a chance of massive conflict.”
Behind the scenes, the sources said, his closest advisers were preparing for the strikes.
Netanyahu says operation against Iran will continue for “many days”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed Israel’s strikes struck nuclear targets in Iran and said the operation will continue for many days.
“Moments ago, Israel launched operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” Netanyahu said in a televised address.
“This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat. For decade the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly, openly, called for Israel’s destruction.”
He said Iran had a program to develop nuclear weapons and claimed it “could produce a nuclear weapon” if not stopped.
“This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival,” Netanyahu said.
“We struck at the head of Iran’s nuclear weaponization program,” he added. “We targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz. We targeted Iran’s nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran’s ballistic missiles program”
Netanyahu added: “In defending ourselves, we also defend others. We defend our Arab neighbors. They, too, have suffered from Iran’s campaign of chaos and carnage.”
This is a developing story. More updates to follow.
