The simultaneous Israeli attack on Iran’s military and nuclear facilities, which left Tehran stunned, has been named Operation Rising Lion. Within a matter of hours, Israel is believed to have launched a massive offensive against Iran. This came shortly after Ukraine shocked the world with a large-scale drone strike on Russia. Defense analysts suggest that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad may have adopted tactics similar to those used by Ukraine, smuggling drones and other aerial weapons into Iran before executing the assault.
Israel had been preparing for this operation for years. According to reports, the country had even established a secret drone base near Tehran, Iran’s administrative heart. Large quantities of precision-guided weapons and drones were reportedly smuggled into Iran in advance. Rumours circulating in the media also suggest that Israeli commandos entered Iran in disguise. The mission, jointly carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Mossad, was executed with extreme secrecy to avoid detection by Iranian intelligence services. It is further reported that Mossad was directly behind the creation of the covert drone base. Weapon-laden vehicles also made their way into Iranian territory as part of the operation.
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.
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Statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: pic.twitter.com/XgUTy90g1S
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 13, 2025
The drones were activated at night, targeting and destroying Iran’s air defence missile systems. This reportedly disrupted Iranian defences, paving the way for Israeli fighter jets to conduct airstrikes. Of greatest concern to Iran is the reported strike on the Natanz nuclear facility, a site central to Iran’s uranium enrichment efforts and widely believed to be key to its ambitions for nuclear weapons development. Israeli sources claim this facility was severely damaged in the attack.
The Natanz site is the cornerstone of Iran’s nuclear programme. While full details of the assault are yet to be disclosed, reports suggest that 13 strategic locations across Iran were destroyed using a combination of missiles, drones, and bombs. The primary target was indeed the Natanz Uranium Enrichment Centre, located in Isfahan Province, approximately 225 kilometres south of Tehran.
This facility is home to thousands of centrifuges and spans a vast 100,000 square metre area, with three underground floors built deep into the desert terrain. Both the United States and Israel are known to have conducted secret surveillance missions over the site for years. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also confirmed that Natanz came under attack, though it remains unclear whether any nuclear radiation was released as a result.
BREAKING:
Israel unleashes Operation Rising Lion — targeting Iran’s nuclear core and military infrastructure.
Netanyahu warns: “We won’t stop until the threat is neutralized. The tyrants of Tehran must be stopped before it’s too late.” pic.twitter.com/J4swEIsm9t
— Mahua Moitra Fans (@MahuaMoitraFans) June 13, 2025
Israel has justified the attack as a necessary step to halt Iran’s nuclear programme. The Israeli government has long accused Iran of nearing the capability to develop nuclear weapons. Reports emerging from the region claim that several high-ranking Iranian officials were killed in the strike, including Major General Hossein Salami, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri.
The operation is said to have begun at 3 a.m., lasting for several hours. Israeli warplanes were reportedly stationed over Iraqi airspace shortly before the attack commenced. Around the same time, Israeli media reported air raid sirens sounding throughout Israel.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Operation Rising Lion was the culmination of decades of warnings about the dangers posed by Iran’s nuclear programme. The Israel Defense Forces assert that Iran currently possesses enough enriched uranium to produce 15 nuclear bombs. Netanyahu stated that the operation also targeted Iran’s ballistic missile sites, adding that the mission could extend over several days.
