Explosions in Tehran as Israel launches strike

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital of Tehran on Thursday night shortly before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced multiple Israeli military attacks against the country. Netanyahu characterized Operation Rising Lion as a targeted military operation to roll back Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which he said threatened Israel’s survival. The military operation would continue for “as many days as it takes” to remove the threat, Netanyahu pledged.

Why is Israel launching the attack now? For years, Iranian leaders have been spouting genocidal rhetoric against Israel, as well as backing it up with efforts to develop nuclear weapons, Netanyahu said. But recently, Iran has taken unprecedented steps to enrich uranium and could develop nuclear weapons in as soon as a few months, the prime minister said.

What targets were hit? The Israeli military struck targets associated with Iran’s nuclear enrichment program and its nuclear weaponization program, Netanyahu said. Specifically, Netanyahu said Israel attacked Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz. Individual nuclear scientists who were working on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs were also targeted, Netanyahu said.

The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, was killed in the attacks, according to a report by Iran’s state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency.

How has the United States responded? The United States was not involved, according to a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Israel informed the United States that the military action was necessary for Israel’s own self-defense, Rubio said. He added that the Trump administration was taking steps to protect U.S. interests and warned Iran not to target American forces.

Has President Donald Trump issued a statement? When asked about the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran earlier in the day, Trump was hesitant to describe such action as imminent, but admitted that it could very well happen. Trump went on to say he wanted to avoid conflict with Iran, but Iran would have to make certain concessions in its nuclear negotiations with the United States. Trump added that the United States was close to a nuclear agreement with Iran and that he feared Israeli military action would jeopardize those negotiations. The president reiterated, however, that Iran must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

In his address, Netanyahu dismissed the idea that Iran was serious about the negotiations, accusing the Islamic republic of using the talks as a means of stalling for time. He reiterated that Israel’s fight was with Iran’s extremist leaders—not with the Iranian people themselves. The day of their liberation is near, he added.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Thursday night said he was monitoring the situation and would remain in the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem all night. He called on the world to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report on claims by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran broke nuclear agreements.