Operation Rising Lion: Israel targets Iranian Nuclear capabilities as Regional Conflict reaches new heights

Israel’s Operation Rising Lion: Aims and Strikes

Israel’s offensive, according to the IDF, was a preemptive move to dismantle Iran’s nuclear threat, which officials say has now been “neutralized.” Over 200 precision airstrikes hit more than 150 targets across Iran, including:

Key Nuclear Facilities Destroyed:

• Natanz Enrichment Complex (over 1,700 centrifuges eliminated)

• Fordow, Khondab, and Khorramabad facilities

• Uranium metallic production center in Isfahan

Military and Strategic Targets:

• Missile stockpiles and air defenses in Kermanshah, Hamadan, and Tabriz

• Airports in Tehran, Hamedan, and Tabriz disrupted

• Iranian military and IRGC bases across Qom, Markazi, and Tehran provinces

Confirmed Eliminations:

• IRGC Commander Hossein Salami

• Armed Forces Chief Mohammad Bagheri

• Nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi

• Ali Shamkhani, top adviser to the Supreme Leader, critically wounded

Iran’s Retaliation: Operation True Promise 3

In response, Iran launched Operation True Promise 3, firing approximately 200 ballistic missiles in coordinated waves aimed at Israeli military and civilian areas. The IDF reports a 90% interception rate through its Iron Dome and Arrow systems.

Despite this, casualties and damage were unavoidable.

Confirmed Casualties & Damage

In Israel:

• 3 civilians killed, including Etti Cohen Engel in Ramat Gan

• 174 injured (2 critical, 7 moderate)

• Three foreign diplomats wounded in Tel Aviv

• Five injuries in Judea and Samaria

In Iran:

• 78 confirmed dead, including 60 civilians and 29 children

• Over 320 injured in widespread Israeli air raids

Civilian and Regional Impact

The scale of destruction spans across multiple regions:

• Tel Aviv: Structural damage to buildings

• Ramat Gan: Nine buildings damaged

• Rishon LeZion: Event hall destroyed; infant rescued from rubble

• Kiryat Shmona: Wildfires and property damage

• Southern Israel: Alerts near Ben-Gurion Airport

• Near Jerusalem: Iranian missile leveled a Palestinian home

Emergency Measures and Alerts

Israel’s Home Front Command has enacted strict national safety protocols:

• Schools remain closed

• Public gatherings banned

• Only essential workplaces operating

A new multi-tiered alert system offers pre-strike app alerts (15 and 10 minutes before launches) followed by final sirens 90 seconds before impact.

International Reactions

• United States supported Israeli missile defense but did not participate in offensive airstrikes

• Former President Trump urged renewed diplomatic negotiations

• Nuclear talks canceled across Vienna

• Airspace closed over Israel, Iran, Jordan, and Iraq

• Jordan reported debris injuries from Israeli and Iranian exchanges

Political Fallout and Warnings

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the strikes as necessary to stop Iran from reaching the nuclear weapons threshold, while Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned that “Tehran will burn” if aggression continues.

Iran’s Supreme Leader responded with a vow of “crushing retaliation.” Military analysts warn of a possible multi-front escalation as Houthis, Hezbollah, and Iranian proxies threaten wider conflict.