*Khamenei Reiterates Warnings
*Yemen Fires Rockets Toward Israel
ISRAEL’S military said it “continues to strike” Iranian military targets, including the nuclear sites of Isfahan and Natanz, after it carried out waves of strikes on Iran overnight Friday, June 13.
According to the BBC, shortly before Israel said it had carried out strikes on the Isfahan nuclear site, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, warned that Iranian forces will “act with strength” against Israel.
Writing on X, he warns they “will not escape unscathed from this crime. The Iranian nation can be assured that there will be no shortcomings in this regard.”
Iranian air defences have been activated in parts of Tehran, Iranian media is reported. Video footage shared by Iranian outlets showedd bright flashes in the sky, reportedly in the capital.
As the massive size and scope of Israel’s overnight attacks on Iran came into view on Friday, United States President, Donald Trump, was presented with a major new foreign policy crisis, as well as a diplomatic dilemma: How does the American President who promised to be a peacemaker handle a dramatic military escalation in the Middle East?
In the hours after the strike, Trump appeared to be struggling to find a consistent message in the face of a grave blow to his diplomatic efforts.
Last night, US diplomats reacted coolly to the first reports of the Israeli strikes. While it was clear that American forces had advance notice of what was coming, a statement from Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, emphasised the US was not involved in the logistics or planning of the attack.
By Friday morning, the President himself was commenting on his Truth Social account, with a sombre message directed at the Iranian leadership, more “I told you so” than a clear plan to stop the warfare.
In comments to American media outlets, though, Trump’s message was more muddled. “I think it’s been excellent,” he said of Israel’s strikes in an ABC interview, adding that the US gave Iran a chance, but they didn’t take it.
Trump’s strategy, at the moment, appeared to be hoping that the military action jolts Iran into making new concessions, a delicate dance of distancing the US from Israel’s actions, while still trying to use them to gain advantage at the negotiating table.
Following reports of explosions in Iran, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said they hade carried out strikes against Iran’s nuclear plant in Isfahan. This is in addition to operations in Natanz, the statement adds.
Trump seems to believe that due to brute force Iran will now come to the negotiation table. As far as he is concerned, talks will still go ahead on Sunday, June 15, as planned, headed by his Middle East envoy.
But it’s all a huge gamble, given Iran could now use this attack as reason to have nuclear weapons for self defence.
Israeli has told its citizens to minimise movement and avoid gatherings. Sirens were heard in Jerusalem as the Israeli military said a rocket had been launched at the country from Yemen.
In a new update, the IDF urged residents across the country to stay close to protected spaces and minimise movement in open areas and avoid gatherings, and if an alert is issued, people were directed to a protected space until an official update is provided.
IDF says missile launched at Israel from Yemen
Jerusalem’s air raid alert system was triggered, but it was soon turned off, according to the country’s official red alert system.
The Israeli military reported that they had identified the launch of a rocket from Yemen towards Israel and they were “operating to intercept the threat,” a statement from the IDF added.
In a post on Telegram, Israeli Police said: “Jerusalem District Police are prepared to conduct scans to locate areas where weapons have fallen.”
Iranian media says nuclear site south of Tehran targeted
The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that two explosions have been heard near the Fordow nuclear site, located south of Tehran and about 20 miles (32km) northeast of the central city of Qom. It lies about a 100m underground. There were some earlier reports of people hearing explosions near the site.
The US and top European powers had previously expressed alarm over the discovery of uranium particles enriched to 83.7 per cent purity at this specific site.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said levels of radiation outside that facility had remained unchanged, but the radioactive contamination inside could be managed with “appropriate protective measures.”
Videos circulated online and on some Iranian media outlets showing Tehran being targeted for the second time today. There have also been citizens saying they heard explosions in western Tehran, as well as other parts of the city.
Meanwhile, state TV had not been reported on the new videos that had been circulating that showed the alleged strikes. Instead, outlets had invited one Iranian official after another, each of them vowing revenge on Israel.
The Israeli Air Force said in a post on X that it was continuing “to attack missile launchers and infrastructure” in Iran.
New satellite images show damage to Natanz nuclear site in Iran. Natanz is important because it’s the principal site for large-scale uranium enrichment.
The new head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Pakpour, released a statement, after his predecessor was killed in the Israeli strikes overnight. Pakpour vowed Israel will “suffer a bitter and painful fate with huge and destructive consequences.”
The statement added that Iran will “avenge” those killed in the attack and goes on to say that Israel was “violating the national security and territorial integrity” of the country.
Israael’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, who’s continuing to give an update on last night’s strikes on Iran, told reporters that in “recent months, the Iranian threat took a dramatic turn,” claiming the country “advanced significantly” in its nuclear capabilities.
Iran has enough material for “multiple nuclear weapons,” Danon claimed, adding that his country also found evidence that Iran had planned a surprise attack and to “invade.”
Israel “acted to protect our citizens,” he stated, adding: “We won’t sit quietly while our people are targeted, not again, not ever. Empty words will not stop Iran. Israel will.”
Trump told US media outlets Friday morning that the attack was successful. He confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that he was informed about Israel’s plans ahead of time.
When asked about the extent of this, Trump said: “It wasn’t a heads up. It was, we know what’s going on.” He called the operation “a very successful attack, to put it mildly.”
Trump was scheduled to met his National Security Council behind closed doors in the West Wing.
Iran was reeling from Israel’s unprecedented first attack. In the darkest hours before dawn the Israeli Air Force targeted not just sites linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, but also the country’s air defences and ballistic missile bases, thereby reducing Iran’s ability to retaliate.
On the ground and in the shadows, the network of operatives working for Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence agency, reportedly helped to pinpoint the exact location of key figures in both the military command and nuclear scientists.
Once again, Israel’s spy agency is shown to have successfully penetrated the very heart of Iran’s security establishment, proving that no one there is safe.
Iran’s state television reported that 78 people were killed and said that civilians, including children, were among the dead, an unofficial figure that had not been independently verified.
Mossad was reportedly able to launch drones from inside Iran as part of this attack. The primary targets of this whole operation have been the nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz and bases belonging to the IRGC.
For Israeli military planners, this has been a long time coming.
Iran is reeling and this may be only the first wave. There will be many more potential targets on Israel’s hitlist, although some may be beyond its reach, buried deep underground in reinforced bases beneath solid rock.
Israel, and several Western countries, suspect that Iran has been secretly working towards what is called “breakout capability,” meaning the point of no return in developing a viable nuclear weapon.
Iran denies this and has always insisted that its civil nuclear programme, which has received help from Russia, is for entirely peaceful purposes.
For over a decade, Israel has been trying, with varying degrees of success, to slow down and set back Iran’s nuclear progress. Iranian scientists have been mysteriously assassinated by unknown assailants, the military head of the nuclear programme, Brig-Gen Fakhrizadeh was killed by a remote-controlled machine-gun on a lonely road near Tehran in 2020.
Before that, US and Israeli cyber sleuths were able to insert a devastating computer virus, codenamed Stuxnet, into Iran’s centrifuges, which caused them to spin out of control.
