On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a large-scale, unprecedented air assault deep inside Iran, dramatically undermining Tehran’s sense of security and dismantling its carefully cultivated image of strength. The operation, code-named “Rising Lion,” involved more than 200 Israeli warplanes striking around 100 targets, including key nuclear facilities, military bases, and residences of senior Iranian military and nuclear figures.
The early morning strikes targeted Iran’s main nuclear enrichment site at Natanz, underground centrifuge compounds, and multiple military installations around Tehran and other cities such as Tabriz and Kermanshah. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) also carried out covert operations to disable Iranian air defenses, enabling air superiority for the strike force. The attacks killed several top Iranian military leaders, including Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces. Prominent nuclear scientists were also assassinated, including Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Tehranchi.
This surprise offensive abruptly ended ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States over Iran’s nuclear program and the easing of sanctions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the operation as a preemptive strike necessary to neutralize an “imminent existential threat” posed by Iran’s advancing nuclear and missile capabilities. He vowed the campaign would continue “for as many days as it takes” to remove the danger to Israel’s survival.
Iran responded swiftly with missile and drone attacks against Israeli cities and military sites, escalating fears of a broader regional conflict. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei condemned the strikes, warning Israel would face a “bitter and painful” fate and promising severe retaliation. The attacks deeply shook Iran’s leadership and public, exposing vulnerabilities in its defenses and shattering the image of invincibility Tehran had long projected.
International reactions were mixed, with some Middle Eastern countries condemning Israel’s actions as violations of international law, while Western nations expressed cautious support for Israel’s right to self-defense. The conflict raised urgent concerns about stability in the Middle East, as the risk of a wider war involving multiple actors loomed large.
In just hours, Israel’s bold offensive dismantled Iran’s carefully maintained aura of strength, marking a dramatic escalation in the decades-long rivalry between the two nations and reshaping the geopolitical landscape of the region.
