SRINAGAR: Israel launched a major strike on Iran’s capital early Friday, triggering explosions across Tehran as multiple sites, including nuclear and military facilities, were targeted. The attack, which comes amid escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, reportedly left the head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, feared dead, according to Iranian state television.
As per a report in The Associated Press, another senior Guard official and two nuclear scientists are also believed to have been killed in the attack. It further claimed that the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guard had been set ablaze.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation targeted key nuclear and military assets, along with personnel involved in advancing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile capabilities.
According to AP, the strikes follow the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) decision on Thursday to censure Iran, the first such move in two decades, over its lack of cooperation with inspectors. In response, Iran announced plans to establish a third nuclear enrichment site and to replace existing centrifuges with more advanced models.
In an address on YouTube, Netanyahu stated that the attacks would continue “for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Israel had taken “unilateral action against Iran” and had informed Washington that the strikes were believed to be necessary for Israel’s self-defence.
Tensions between Iran and Israel have been steadily mounting. Israel has long maintained it will not permit Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, a claim Tehran denies despite its officials hinting at the country’s capacity to develop one. The United States, anticipating possible escalation, has withdrawn some diplomatic staff from Iraq and advised voluntary evacuation for families of troops stationed in the region.
The full extent of casualties and damage remains unclear as Iranian authorities have yet to issue a comprehensive statement.
