Israel and Iran’s long-simmering tensions erupted into missile attacks on Friday, when Israel struck military and nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran retaliated with waves of ballistic missiles.
At least 20 Iranian military commanders were killed, regional sources told Reuters, a stunning decapitation reminiscent of Israeli attacks that swiftly wiped out the leadership of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia last year.
Iran also said six of its top nuclear scientists had been killed, some of nearly 80 deaths. More than 320 were injured, mostly civilians, Iran officials said.
Among the generals killed on Friday were the armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, and the Revolutionary Guards chief, Hossein Salami.
Many global leaders warned the attacks would escalate tensions in the region.
Iran launched retaliatory airstrikes at Israel on Friday night, with explosions heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the country’s two biggest cities.
Israel’s military said Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles and most were intercepted or fell short. The U.S. military helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed for Israel, two U.S. officials said.
Several buildings were struck in the attack including an apartment block in a residential neighbourhood in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv. Another building in central Tel Aviv was also struck, causing significant damage to multiple floors.
Israel’s Channel 12 said two people were critically injured, eight moderately and 34 slightly from shrapnel.
Damage to Iran’s nuclear sites, one of Israel’s main targets, appears limited, experts said.
Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only, however U.N. nuclear watchdog concluded this week that it was in violation of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty.
Trump said the U.S. “knew everything” about the attack and that American equipment was used.
Meanwhile, the Iranian military on its X handle has been running a commentary about the war, obviously meant to pep its citizenry against the gravity of Israeli attacks.
One such post read:
“Unlike Zionist terrorists hiding in shelters, Iranians—confident in God’s will and their country’s air defense capabilities—were calmly brewing fresh wood-fire tea under direct anti-air fire, preparing for Eid al-Ghadir celebrations in Imam Khomeini Square in Tehran.”
It was also necessary to publicly produce the Iranian supreme leader on Friday amidst fears that he had been killed in the precision Israeli attacks.
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