Israel's military announced it had launched dozens of preemptive airstrikes early Friday morning, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and research personnel, and warned that further strikes are planned in the days ahead.
In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the strikes — dubbed "Operation Rising Lion" — as "a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival."
Iranian state television reported that Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in the airstrikes.
Netanyahu said the strikes "will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat."
Iranian officials signaled intentions to retaliate against Israel, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning that Israel 'should await a harsh response' according to reports from state media.
U.S. not involved in Israel's strikes, Rubio says
The United States had no role in the operation and did not participate in any intelligence sharing, according to multiple U.S. officials who spoke with CBS News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later confirmed this in an official statement.
"Israel took unilateral action against Iran," he said. "We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense."
Rubio added, "Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel."
President Trump is scheduled to hold a National Security Council meeting in the White House Situation Room on Friday, according to an official statement.
Amid the looming threat of retaliation from Iran, the U.S. Embassy in Israel advised government staff and their families to 'shelter in place until further notice.'
IDF says it hit "dozens" of targets in "first stage"
Iranian state media reported loud explosions and casualties in the capital, Tehran. Later, state television confirmed additional strikes in Natanz, a city south of Tehran that houses one of the nation’s uranium enrichment facilities.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said the military "launched a preemptive, precise, combined offensive based on high-quality intelligence to strike Iran's nuclear program, and in response to the Iranian regime's ongoing aggression against Israel."
The spokesperson said "dozens" of Israeli air force jets struck "dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran." The statement referred to it as "the first stage."
Strikes come amid U.S.-Iran nuclear talks
The strikes occurred amid the Trump administration’s efforts to negotiate a deal with Iran aimed at curbing its nuclear program. While President Trump has insisted that Iran must halt uranium enrichment, the Iranian government has refused to agree to these conditions.
Steve Witkoff, the president’s envoy to the Middle East, had planned a sixth round of talks in Oman over the weekend; however, it remains uncertain whether the meetings will proceed as scheduled.
Israel has historically been wary of reaching a deal with Iran, its primary adversary, and has openly acknowledged conducting numerous covert and overt operations over the years to hinder Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran’s nuclear program has been active for decades, though the country denies any intention of developing nuclear weapons. However, international watchdogs report that Iran has expanded its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium in recent years, following President Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal, which he deemed inadequate.
In a statement announcing the strikes, the IDF said Iran "is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon" and "has proclaimed that its objective is to destroy the State of Israel." Israel also cited Iran's support for militant groups in the region, including the terrorist group Hamas, and Iran's ballistic missile attacks on Israel last year.
On Wednesday, CBS News reported that Israel was prepared to launch an operation against Iran. Anticipating Iranian retaliation targeting American sites in Iraq, the Trump administration advised non-essential U.S. government personnel and military families to evacuate the entire region.
When asked about those precautionary measures for U.S. nationals in the Mideast, President Trump said only that the region "could be a dangerous place, and we'll see what happens."
If the U.S. remains uninvolved in the strikes, it suggests that Israel’s operation will exclude the use of B-2 bombers—aircraft capable of delivering heavy bombs designed to penetrate Iran’s deeply fortified underground uranium enrichment sites. Consequently, the absence of U.S. support could restrict Israel’s capacity to completely dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
