JERUSALEM (CHATNEWSTV) — Israel launched the first wave of a sweeping military air campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and top leadership early Thursday, in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as an effort “to remove the Iranian threat, no matter how long it takes.”
The strikes, confirmed by Israeli authorities and Iranian media, targeted multiple nuclear enrichment and missile-related sites across Iran, including the Natanz facility in Esfahan Province and key areas within Tehran. Several high-ranking Iranian military and scientific leaders were killed in the attacks, among them Major General Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, and nuclear scientist Fereydoon Abbasi.
“The campaign began with precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear enrichment and weaponization facilities, as well as its ballistic missile stockpiles,” Netanyahu said in a televised address. “We are targeting those who build, fund, and plan Iran’s nuclear capabilities.”
Despite threats issued just a day earlier, Iran has not retaliated. On June 11, Tehran claimed it had finalized plans for an “immediate counterstrike,” but there has been no confirmed military response as of Thursday. Analysts suggest Iran may be exercising “strategic patience,” similar to its delayed retaliation after the U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Unverified reports of explosions were heard across Qom, Markazi, Kermanshah, and Hamadan provinces, though it remains unclear whether those locations were also targeted.
According to Israeli Army Radio, the strikes included targeted assassinations in Tehran, where buildings on Patrice Lumumba Street, Lavizan district, and the Amir Abad neighborhood were reportedly hit. Among the dead is Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a prominent physicist and university president. Iranian sources say senior official Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was critically wounded.
“We hit nuclear, we hit missile, and we hit command. This is only the beginning,” an Israeli defense official told Army Radio on condition of anonymity.
Israel’s precise aim may have also disrupted Iran’s immediate response capability. Though Netanyahu claimed missile stockpiles were hit, independent analysts, including the Critical Threats Project and Institute for the Study of War (CTP-ISW), have not confirmed the extent of such damage.
Iran’s potential delay may also be strategic. In past incidents, the Islamic Republic has waited days or even weeks before retaliating to high-level attacks.
CTP-ISW noted that it will now shift its coverage away from the Gaza conflict to focus on Iran’s nuclear posture and broader strategic realignments, including Tehran’s efforts to rebuild networks in Syria and support to Hezbollah and Hamas.
The full implications of Israel’s new offensive remain uncertain, but observers say the risk of regional escalation has sharply increased.
Editor: Gabriel Ani
