Israel launched air strikes inside Iran late Thursday in its latest effort to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program – an operation military leaders said they had “no choice” but to carry out.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Operation “Rising Lion” targeted several sites across the Iranian capital to dismantle the country’s nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile factories and military – in a mission to “roll back” Iran’s threat to Israel’s “very survival.”
Though the extent of damage remains unclear, the attack reportedly killed a high-ranking general and nuclear scientists as explosions boomed across Tehran.
“Because if we don’t act now, there will not be another generation. If we don’t act now, we simply won’t be here. We have internalized the lessons of history. When an enemy says he intends to destroy you — believe him,” Netanyahu continued.
“When the enemy develops the capabilities to destroy you — stop him.”
A recent report that Iran had enriched enough uranium to build nuclear bombs within days was confirmed, a source told The Post Thursday night, adding that is why the strike occurred.
Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of the country’s military, are believed to have been killed in the barrage, as were two nuclear scientists, Iran’s state media said, according to the Times of Israel.
The Revolutionary Guard oversees Iran’s ballistic missiles, which it has used twice to strike Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Jewish state also targeted Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz — where black smoke was seen billowing from the building, Iranian state media showed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the US was “not involved” in the strike.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” he said.
“Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”
However, the US may be forced to act to protect Israel — and prevent the Jewish state from using its nuclear weapons, a source said.
The US Embassy in Israel has since directed all US government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the Jewish state had reached a “point of no return.”
“We cannot wait for another time to act, we have no choice,” he said in remarks published by the IDF.
“History, both distant and recent, has taught us that in the face of ambitions to destroy us, we must not bow our heads, and so we fight to preserve our existence. Freedom is granted to those who are willing to fight for it.”
Iran threatened to retaliate — with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowing that Israel will face “severe punishment” after the strikes, he said in a statement shared by the state-run INRA news agency.
At the White House earlier Thursday, President Trump said an Israeli airstrike “looks like it’s something that could very well happen” — but stopped short of saying an operation was “imminent.”
