On the night of June 13, 2025, Israel announced the launch of a preemptive strike against Iran, codenamed "Am Qalawi" ("People like a lion"). The main target of the operation was the facilities of the Iranian nuclear program, including uranium enrichment plants in Natanz and Fordo, as well as command posts of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), missile bases and air defense facilities in various regions of the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the operation is aimed at destroying Iran's nuclear potential and preventing the creation of nuclear weapons. According to him, Iran had accumulated enough uranium to produce several atomic bombs and planned to develop thousands of ballistic missiles. The Israeli Air Force attacked key facilities, as well as leading Iranian nuclear scientists, including Fereydoun Abbasi, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. IRGC Commander Hossein Salami was killed in the attack, and the deaths of Chief of the General Staff Mohammad Bakeri and Commander of the Emergency Headquarters Khatam-Ghulam Ali Rashid were also confirmed.
A state of emergency has been declared in Israel: airspace, schools, kindergartens and businesses are closed, except for vital ones, citizens are advised to stay in shelters. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz called the strike preemptive and warned of possible retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that the United States did not participate in the strikes and does not support them, but called on Iran to refrain from attacking American forces in the region. Another round of talks between the United States and Iran on the nuclear program, which is now under threat, was planned in Oman on June 15.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has promised a harsh response to Israeli strikes, calling Israel's actions a "heinous crime" and saying the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces will not leave Israel unpunished. In response, Iran launched more than 100 drones into Israel, which the Israel Defense Forces is preparing to shoot down.
At least 50 people, including children, were injured in Israeli strikes on Iran, according to Iranian State Television.
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