Operation Rising Lion- Israel Attacks Iran, Kills IRGC Chief & Nuclear Scientists

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed on Friday that several senior military figures and scientists were killed in Israeli airstrikes during operation Rising Lion on Tehran, vowing that Israel would face consequences for the attacks. State-run television reported that Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was among the dead, along with another high-ranking IRGC official and two nuclear scientists.

A news anchor read a statement confirming the assassination and “martyrdom” of Gen. Salami, though no further details were provided. The broadcaster also announced the death of Major General Gholam Ali Rashid. The IRGC, a powerful faction in Iran’s political system with vast economic interests and command over the country’s ballistic missile program, has long been accused of supporting proxy militias across the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Al-Hashd al-Shaabi in Iraq.

Nournews, an Iranian outlet close to the government, reported that Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Khamenei and former security chief, was critically wounded. Reports also confirmed the deaths of two key nuclear scientists, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi. In addition, local media said several children were killed in a strike on a residential neighborhood in Tehran.

Explosions were also reported at Iran’s primary uranium enrichment site in Natanz. In response, Israel declared a state of emergency, anticipating possible retaliatory missile and drone attacks. In a recorded message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the strikes, saying they targeted Iranian scientists involved in developing nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and the Natanz facility itself. He emphasized that the operation would persist “for as many days as it takes” to eliminate the threat to Israel.

“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,”

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister, Israel

An Israeli military spokesperson stated that the Operation Rising Lion struck “dozens” of nuclear and military sites, including Natanz, and claimed Iran had amassed sufficient material to build 15 nuclear bombs within days. Alongside the air raids, Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency reportedly conducted sabotage missions within Iran, aiming to cripple strategic missile infrastructure and air defense systems.

In light of the escalating tensions, Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was shut down, and Israeli air defenses were placed on high alert. Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning: “Following Israel’s pre-emptive strike on Iran, a missile and drone attack on our civilian population is expected imminently.”