IN A major escalation in the Middle East, Israel has launched strikes on Iran targeting nuclear and military sites, killing senior commanders and scientists, as both sides warn of imminent retaliation.
Iran called Israel’s wave of strikes on Friday a declaration of war, while US President Donald Trump warned Tehran of “even more brutal” attacks if it does not make a deal on its nuclear programme.
Israel said its air strikes had killed most of the senior leadership of the Revolutionary Guards’ air force, while hitting about 100 targets including nuclear facilities.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a “bitter and painful” fate over the attacks, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as a “declaration of war”. The Israeli military said Iran launched around 100 drones, with air defences intercepting them outside Israeli territory, while neighbouring Jordan said it intercepted drones and missiles that violated its airspace.
Trump urged Iran on Friday to “make a deal”, warning that there will be more “death and destruction” after Israel launched deadly strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck at the “heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme”, taking aim at nuclear scientists and the main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.
The strikes killed Iran’s highest-ranking military officer, armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, Iranian media reported.
Iran confirmed the Guards aerospace commander had been killed, along with “a group of brave and dedicated fighters”.
AFP
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