thefridaynews 
Israel launched widescale strikes against Iran on Friday, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders and that this was start of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.
Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the country’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while Israel declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory missile and drone strikes.
Key developments so far:
- Iran says top commander, Hossein Salami killed
- Israel’s military says Iran launched about 100 drones toward Israel
- US says it has no part in the operation
- Civilians, six nuclear scientists among killed, says Iran
- Attack comes ahead of US and Iranian officials’ talks on Sunday
- Israeli military says tens of thousands of soldiers “prepared across all borders”
Israel’s military said Iran launched about 100 drones toward Israel on Friday and that it was making an effort to shoot them down.
“Iran launched approximately 100 UAVs towards Israeli territory, which we are working to intercept,” military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told journalists. He added that Israel’s strikes on Iran involved 200 fighter jets striking about 100 targets across Iran.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards corps said its top commander, Hossein Salami, was killed and state media reported the unit’s headquarters in Tehran had been hit.
Several children had been killed in a strike on a residential area in the capital, it said.
“We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded video message.
“Moments ago Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.
About The Author
