Iran launches drones in Israel while Israel attacks Iranian nuclear sites and high commanders, says IDF

Tehran launched more than 100 drones in Israel on Friday morning, said Israel’s army, not long after Israel announced that a Important operation against Iranwith a wave of air attacks aimed at Iranian nuclear facilities, scientists and superior military commanders.

The spokesman for the Israel Defense Force (IDF), Brigade General, Effie Defrin, said in televised comments that Iran had launched the drones, and that Israel’s aerial defenses were already “working to intercept threats.” Later on Friday, an Israeli military official told journalists that although the threat was not over, Israel had managed to intercept many of the UAV of Iran.

The United States was not involved in Israel’s strikes, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adding a warning that “Iran should not aim at the interests or personnel of the United States.”

Israel has intercepted practically all Iranian weapons launched in previous large -scale attacks of the Islamic Republic. Iran’s retaliation action was anticipated and well planned, said Defrin.

Israel says he destroyed Iran’s aerial defenses, killed the main commanders

On Friday, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that the IDF had begun “Operation Rising Lion”, with a massive wave of air attacks against dozens of Iranian nuclear sites, military commanders and research scientists, saying that the goal was to “remove the Iranian threat towards the survival of Israel de Israel.”

Like Netanyahu, IDF spokesman, Brigade General Effie Defrin, in a video statement delivered on Friday, called Attack against Iran Preventive, saying that Israeli intelligence had discovered an “Iranian plan to destroy Israel that has taken shape in recent years.” He said that the plan involved Iran “running towards a nuclear bomb”, working to double or triple their storage of ballistic missiles, and continue “financing, assemble and operate its representatives throughout the Middle East against the state of Israel.”

“I can confirm that the superior security leadership of the Iranian regime has been eliminated in the strike: the Iranian Cabinet Chief ,, [Mohammad] Bagheri; the commander of the revolutionary guards, [Hossein] Salami; and the head of the emergency command, [Gholamali] Rashid, “said Defrin, added that other commanders had been killed and that the Israeli would provide more updates. He said that Israel had” attacked and beaten the air defense sets of the Iranian regime. “

The IDF said that their operation would continue for days, but that the first wave consisted of 200 Israeli combat aircraft that dropped “more than 330 different ammunition”, to achieve more than 100 goals in Iran.

The NATO chief urges decallation, says that the nuclear shock “is not close”

Iranian state media said Israeli attacks had reached several cities, even in the capital of Tehran and the city of Natanz, a key center for the Uranium enrichment program of Iran.

The United Nations Nuclear Surveillance Agency, the OIEA, said in a series of publications in social networks that its general director Rafael Grossi had been in contact with the Iranian authorities on Friday that he told him the highly sensitive and highly safe Forddo nuclear site “has not been affected” by Israeli attacks.

The OIEA also said that the “Iran Bushehr Nuclear Plant has not been attacked and that an increase in radiation levels at the Natanz site has not been observed”, although the reports of the Israeli media suggested that it had been seriously damaged.

On Friday, during a visit to Sweden, NATO general secretary Mark Rutte told reporters that “this was a unilateral action of Israel. So I think it is crucial for many allies, including the United States, work while we talk to decrease.”

Despite the ongoing attacks, Routte said he believed that the region “was not close” of a possible nuclear conflict.

Although there have been no statements that Iran has built a nuclear weapon, it is believed that Israel has multiple eyelets, although it has never formally confirmed or denied its status as a nation with nuclear weapons.

Iranian officials quickly threatened with reprisals to the attack, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying that Israel “should expect a tough answer.”

The IDF said in a statement before the reprisals of Iran who had prepared for “a campaign in the front line and in the front of the house.”

Netanyahu said that Israel’s attacks against Iran, “will continue for as many days as necessary to eliminate this threat.”

Shortly after Israel’s attacks, the United States embassy in Israel ordered US personnel to take refuge in their place. A day before, the Trump administration tidy The United States staff is not an emergency to leave Iraq and allowed members of the US military family to leave the Middle East voluntarily.

On Friday and round Friday it could be intensified to be among the most severe clash between Israel and Iran, who have been adversaries for decades. Trump warned at the beginning of the week that it could be snowy in a “massive” conflict.

Israel has carried out strikes against Iranian representatives in recent years, while Iran has backed the enemies of Israel, including the militant group Hamas. In April of last year, Iran Missiles thrown and drones In Israel after a strike at the Iran Consulate In Damascus It was widely attributed to Israel, but the Israeli army intercepted the vast majority of weapons.

Six months later, Iran launched more Missiles in Israel, which represents with strikes in Iranian sites.

The Israeli attack throws doubts about the nuclear conversations of the US fate.

Israeli attacks and the Iranian counterattack occurred in the midst of President Trump’s efforts to reach a new agreement with Iran to limit the country’s nuclear ambitions, an idea of ​​which Israel has been doubtful.

The United States and Iran were ready to hold conversations on Sunday, several US officials said to News themezone. There were no immediate comments from any high -ranking Iranian official that these plans would change after Israel’s attack, but some reports in the Iranian media indicated that Iran would probably no longer participate in the negotiations.

“With the actions of Israel, the sixth round of negotiations with the United States will probably not be held,” said Iranian legislator Aladdin Boroujerdi, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Parliament, according to the Iranian media.

Michal Ben-Gal, Seyed Bathaei, Jennifer Jacobs and Olivia Gazis contributed to this report.

Seyed Rahim Bathaei contributed to this report.

• Tehran
• War
• Iran
• Israel
• Nuclear weapons
• Middle East
• Benjamin Neta Nyahu