On Friday morning, Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, which it insisted were necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The airstrikes were coordinated with targeted assassinations of senior Iranian military officials.
Iran confirmed that the attacks killed Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, along with several nuclear scientists.
Iran’s envoy to the UN, Amir-Saeid Iravani, stated that 78 people were killed and 320 others injured.
Tehran retaliated with dozens of ballistic missiles fired into Israel, at least some of which penetrated air defenses, according to videos circulating online.
US President Donald Trump said he had prior knowledge of the Israeli operation and called on Iran to conclude a new nuclear deal. Tehran, however, said Israel’s actions had closed the path to diplomacy and announced the suspension of nuclear talks with the US.
West Jerusalem declared that Tehran’s retaliation “crossed all red lines,” while subsequent reports from Iran suggested a new round of Israeli military action.
13 June 2025
21:34 GMTDanny Danon, Israel’s representative at the UN, described his country as a “democracy under siege” that acted “to prevent its destruction” at the hands of Iran.
Speaking at the same Security Council session, he accused Iran of targeting “population centers” rather than military sites during its retaliatory attack, saying dozens were injured in the strikes.
”Now take a moment and imagine if today that radical regime had nuclear warheads for those missiles,” he said, reiterating West Jerusalem’s claim that its “preventive” operation was justified.
Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s envoy to the UN, said Israeli attacks on Iran have killed 78 people, including senior military officers. Around 320 others were injured in the strikes, he added, noting that most of the victims were civilians.
Speaking at an emergency session of the UN Security Council, Iravani insisted that the Iranian nuclear facilities targeted by Israel were “peaceful.” He described Israel’s actions as a “chilling display of calculated aggression.”
Videos circulating online appear to show air defenses in Tehran engaging incoming targets following Iran’s retaliatory missile strike.
Iranian defenses brought down two Israeli F-35s, as well as a “large number of their micro air vehicles” earlier on Friday, local media have claimed, citing the Iranian Army’s public relations office.
Earlier reports claimed that one of the pilots, said to be a woman, had been captured. In a post on X, the IDF spokesperson for Arab media dismissed the claim as “fake” and “completely baseless.”
An IDF spokesperson has reported that Iran launched two barrages of surface-to-surface missiles toward Israeli territory during its retaliatory attack against Israel.
“Fewer than 100 missiles were fired. Most were intercepted by air defense systems or failed to reach their targets,” Brigadier General Effie Defrin said, as cited by the IDF press service. “There are a few impacts on buildings, some caused by interception debris.”
In a post on its X account, the IDF has claimed that its airstrikes destroyed multiple Iranian Air Force military bases and “dozens of targets belonging to the Iranian regime’s air defense system,” as well as “unmanned aerial vehicles, and surface-to-surface missile launchers.”
“The IDF is prepared to continue to act as necessary,” the statement concludes.
Israel’s national emergency service, the Magen David Adom, has updated the injury tally, saying that a total of 35 people have sustained injuries, with one individual in critical condition, as a result of the Iranian retaliatory missile strikes, as reported by the Israeli media.
“The victims were taken to Beilinson, Sourasky, and Sheba hospitals in central Israel,” the Magen David Adom added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the Iranian people to subvert their government. In a video statement delivered in English, he insisted that the “nation of Iran and the nation of Israel have been true friends” since time immemorial.
“The time has come for you… [to stand up] for your freedom from an evil and oppressive regime,” Netanyahu declared, claiming that the Iranian authorities have “never been weaker” than now.
He described the Israeli attack on Iran as an “opportunity” for the Iranian people to overthrow their government. The prime minister went on to claim that the Israeli strikes were not aimed at the Iranian people, “whom we respect and admire.” He said that the Iranian government is the “common enemy” of Israel and ordinary Iranians.
“I’m with you, the people of Israel are with you,” Netanyahu concluded.
Iranian officials have reported multiple casualties among civilians in the wake of the Israeli airstrikes on numerous localities across the country.
Russia’s permanent representative at the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has warned that Israel’s attack on Iran is pushing the “region to the edge of a big war.” Speaking at an emergency UN Security Council meeting requested by Iran, the Russian diplomat emphasized that Moscow strongly condemns Israeli actions.
“This unprovoked attack, despite Israel's claims to the contrary, is a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law,” Nebenzia said.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that Iran has “crossed red lines after it dared to fire missiles at civilian population concentrations in Israel,” as quoted by the local media.
“We will continue to defend the citizens of Israel and ensure that the Ayatollah regime pays a very heavy price for its heinous actions,” the official is reported as saying.
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By Independent News Roundup