Israel attacked Iran early Friday morning, targeting the capital Tehran and other parts of the country with multiple airstrikes in a dramatic escalation of the regional war. Explosions were reported in cities that host key facilities linked to Iran\u2019s nuclear program. Initial reports indicate that Israel has targeted the homes of Iranian political and military officials, as well as scientists related to its nuclear program. Iranian state television reported that several senior officials were killed, including the head of Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, and the head of the Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu described the attack, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, as a \u201cpreemptive strike,\u201d before declaring a state of general emergency within Israel in anticipation of possible Iranian retaliation. In a speech on Thursday night, Netanyahu detailed a full-scale military operation targeting Iran\u2019s nuclear and missile infrastructure, arguing that it was necessary to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons and vowing that the attacks would continue \u201cfor as many days as necessary.\u201d Netanyahu claimed that the attacks succeeded in hitting Iran\u2019s main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz and Iranian nuclear scientists involved in weapons development and Iran\u2019s ballistic missile program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n