Israel launches strikes on Iran: Live updates
The attack comes days before the sixth round of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington A view of a damaged building in the Iranian capital, Tehran, following an Israeli attack, on June 13, 2025. © Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images Israel conducted a series of strikes on Iran on Friday, and declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliation. The IDF said it targeted both military and nuclear sites. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that a nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz was among the targets. Iran has confirmed that the attacks killed Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. Media reports also claimed that the attacks targeted and killed several other senior Iranian military commanders six nuclear and scientists. US President Donald Trump said he had prior knowledge of the strikes and expressed hope that Tehran will return to the negotiating table where the US hopes to strike a deal on nuclear enrichment. Iran has vowed to retaliate, suggesting that the attack “cannot have been carried out without the coordination and authorization of the United States.” The Israeli strikes come after five rounds of US-Iranian talks on Iran’s nuclear program failed to produce a breakthrough. The sixth round of negotiations is scheduled for Sunday in Oman. 13 June 2025 13:02 GMT Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to speak with US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the coming hours to discuss the situation following Israeli strikes on Iran, his adviser Dmitry Gendelman has said. Netanyahu has already spoken with the leaders of Germany, India, and France. Israel is seeking to convince the US to join it in attacking Iranian military targets, the Jerusalem Post has reported, citing sources. Israel has “struck at the very center of Iran’s uranium enrichment program” and “the core of the nuclear weapons program,” targeting the main enrichment site in Natanz and killing a top nuclear scientist, the Israeli Embassy in Moscow said on Friday. The overnight offensive, dubbed Operation Am KeLawi (Rising Lion), involved more than 200 fighter jets hitting over 100 locations across Iran, including key infrastructure tied to the country’s ballistic missile program, the embassy said in a statement. Israel managed to trick Iran’s top air force commanders into convening at a meeting in one place only to be taken out by a single strike, an unnamed official told Fox News, adding that the overall campaign went more successfully than anticipated. “We carried out specific activities to help us learn more about them, and then used that information to influence their behavior,” the official said. “We knew this would lead them to meet – but more importantly, we knew how to keep them there.” The German Foreign Ministry has “strongly condemned” what it called “an indiscriminate” Iranian retaliatory drone strike on Israel. Previous media reports indicated that Tehran launched a raid involving 100 drones, which were mostly intercepted by Israeli jets on approach to the country’s borders. “Israel has the right to defend its existence and the security of its citizens. At the same time, we call on all sides to avoid further escalation,” the ministry said. As many as 78 people died in Israel’s attack on Iran, with another 329 wounded, Fars News agency has reported, citing preliminary data. French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned Iran’s nuclear program and reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defense following recent Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities. France has repeatedly condemned Iran’s ongoing nuclear program and has taken all appropriate diplomatic measures in response.In this context, France reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself and ensure its security. To avoid jeopardizing the stability of the entire region,… — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 13, 2025 Israel’s attacks on Iran are “nowhere near over,” a senior Israeli official has told the Wall Street Journal, adding that West Jerusalem has planned for the operation to span 14 days. The Israeli military’s threats against Iran could prompt Tehran to exit the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), potentially destabilizing global nuclear norms, independent US journalist Sam Husseini told RT. “If they were to be attacked, they would at least seriously consider withdrawing,” Husseini told reporters. He criticized Israel’s strategy as counterproductive, noting it could provoke the opposite of its intended outcome. Husseini also pointed to a double standard, citing Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal, which neither Tel Aviv nor Washington officially acknowledges. US President Donald Trump has suggested that Iran could still agree to a nuclear deal following Israel’s strikes. “I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to ‘make a deal’. They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!” he wrote on Truth Social. More
