The action came as Israel and Iran have been
engaged in more than a week of aerial combat that has resulted in deaths and
injuries in both countries.
Israel launched the attacks on Iran saying that it wanted to
remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons.
Diplomatic efforts by Western nations to stop the
hostilities had so far been unsuccessful.
According to Saudi Gazette, Israel struck a nuclear research
facility in Iran early Saturday and killed multiple senior Iranian commanders,
as its military warned of a potentially protracted war aimed at dismantling
Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.
The Israeli military said the overnight strike targeted two
centrifuge production sites near a mountain in Isfahan in a two-phase
operation. It was the second attack on the city since the war began on June 13.
Akbar Salehi, deputy governor for security affairs in
Isfahan province, confirmed the attack caused damage but reported no human
casualties.
An Israeli military official said recent operations had
disabled over half of Iran’s missile and drone launchers. He described Iran’s
retaliatory drone and missile barrage overnight as a “small-scale” attack that
was mostly intercepted. “We’ve created a bottleneck,” the official said. “But
Iran clearly retains capabilities.”
Meanwhile, Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency
service, reported that a drone hit a residential building in northern Israel,
though no injuries were reported.
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, Israel’s chief military
spokesperson, said the army has been instructed to prepare for a “prolonged
campaign” focused on eliminating nuclear enrichment facilities and missile
infrastructure. “We are deepening our strikes night after night,” he said.
“We will continue until the threat is removed.”
Diplomatic talks in Geneva on Friday failed to yield a
breakthrough.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remained
open to diplomacy but would not engage with the US while Israeli attacks
continued. “Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once aggression is stopped,”
Araghchi said, warning that any US military involvement
would be “very dangerous for everyone.”
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering US
intervention but has delayed a decision for up to two weeks.
Analysts note that only American “bunker-buster” bombs could
reach Iran’s underground Fordo enrichment facility.
Since June 13, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 722
people in Iran, including 285 civilians, according to an Iranian human rights
group based in Washington. Over 2,500 people have been wounded.
Iran has launched more than 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at
Israel, killing 24 and injuring hundreds.
Among the most high-profile killings, Israel confirmed the
deaths of Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Gen. Hossein Salami, and Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh
in its opening strikes.
On Saturday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the
killing of Saeed Izadi, a senior Quds Force commander tied to Hamas, in an
airstrike in Qom.
Another top Quds Force figure, Behnam Shahriyari, allegedly
responsible for weapons transfers to Hezbollah and Hamas, was also killed in
western Iran.
Israel further claimed it had eliminated a senior Iranian
drone commander overnight.
On Friday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief
Rafael Grossi warned the UN Security Council of the catastrophic risk of
targeting Iran’s only commercial nuclear reactor in Bushehr.
“A direct hit would result in a very high release of
radioactivity,” Grossi said. So far, Israel has avoided striking the Bushehr
plant, instead focusing on facilities at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near
Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan, and the Arak heavy water reactor.
Iran, which once accepted international oversight under the
2015 nuclear deal, began ramping up enrichment and curbing inspections after
Trump withdrew the US from the agreement.
On Saturday, senior adviser Ali Larijani threatened Grossi
in a social media post, blaming his remarks for prompting Israeli aggression.
“Grossi will pay after the war,” Larijani wrote, without elaboration.
While Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, it
remains the only non-nuclear-weapons state enriching uranium to 60%.
Israel, which has never confirmed possessing nuclear
weapons, is widely believed to be the Middle East’s sole nuclear power
US Senator Bernie Sanders has slammed US President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran as “grossly unconstitutional”, Al Jazeera reports.
ReplyDeleteAn adviser for the leftist senator has shared footage of him informing a crowd at an event in the city of Tulsa of the US attacks on Iran.
The crowd yells in anger and chants, “No more war”.
“I agree. And I want to tell you something: not only is this news that I’ve just heard alarming, that all of you have just heard, but it is so grossly unconstitutional,” Sanders says.
“All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the US Congress. The president does not have the right.”
Trump, tells Reuters after he announced the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran: “This was an amazing success tonight.”
ReplyDelete“Just a great success. These incredible pilots and geniuses who did this are amazing and as you know all three places are totally destroyed. We went in and finished up the other two. Fordow is gone and the other two are gone now,” said Trump.
“They should make peace immediately. They should stop immediately. Otherwise they’ll get hit again. They should make peace immediately or they’ll get hit again.”