By Associated Press (this article will be automatically updated as needed)
Israel launched a wave of strikes across Iran on Friday that targeted its nuclear program and military sites, killing at least three top military officers and raising the prospect of an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.
The strikes came amid simmering tensions over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
What to know:
- Israel is targeting Iran’s nuclear sites: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes hit Iran’s main enrichment site, the Natanz atomic facility, killed Iran’s leading nuclear scientists and targeted Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal. Netanyahu said the strikes would continue for as long as it would take “to remove this threat.”
- Attack comes after weeks of escalating tensions: U.S. President Donald Trump had previously warned that Israel or America could launch airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiators failed to reach a deal on Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. Iran said on Thursday it would activate a third nuclear enrichment facility, shortly after a U.N. watchdog censured Iran for failing to comply with nonproliferation obligations.
- Top military leaders have been killed: Among those killed were three of Iran’s top military leaders, one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, and another who ran the Guard’s ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
- The region awaits a large-scale response from Iran: Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israel, but Israel’s military said its air defenses had shot down most of the them. But the military said the threat was not yet over. It closed Israeli airspace and said it was calling up tens of thousands of soldiers to protect the country’s borders.
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