Israel Launches Multiple Strikes on Iran Nuclear, Military Sites

Israel launched a major series of airstrikes on Iran's nuclear and military facilities, including the Natanz uranium enrichment site, in an operation dubbed "Operation Rising Lion." The attacks mark the most significant Israeli assault on Iran since the 1980s and resulted in the deaths of senior figures such as Major General Hossein Salami, chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as other high-ranking commanders and nuclear scientists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the strikes aim to neutralize what Israel views as an imminent threat from Iran's advancing nuclear program, which Tehran insists remains peaceful. The Natanz facility, central to Iran's uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel production, has been the target of previous covert operations, including the Stuxnet cyberattack, yet these earlier efforts only delayed Iran's program temporarily. The escalation follows the International Atomic Energy Agency's recent censure of Iran for its lack of cooperation with inspectors and stalled US-Iran negotiations on nuclear restrictions. This intensification raises concerns about a broader regional conflict, with global leaders, including the US President, engaging in urgent diplomatic efforts to manage the fallout.