Just a few minutes after midnight, on Friday, June 13, Tehran's residents were awakened by powerful explosions. After years of threatening the Iranian regime with an attack on its nuclear program, which he has described as an "existential threat" to Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put his words into action that night. In a swift and massive strike, 200 fighter jets targeted the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States seems to have stayed clear of the operation, which it described as "unilateral," in a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The explosions were particularly violent in certain eastern districts of Tehran, which are home to high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – the ideological army of the Iranian regime – as well as many air bases, barracks, and weapons depots. The blasts then spread throughout the capital and struck other Iranian cities, including Tabriz (northwest), Qom, Natanz, Arak (center), and Ilam (southwest).

Unprecedented in its scale and the diversity of its targets, the Israeli attack struck not only Iran's nuclear facilities but also its military chain of command, missile bases and scientists involved in its nuclear program. Four hours after the offensive began, Netanyahu praised what he described as a success achieved by the Israeli air force: "We have just carried out a very successful opening attack. With God's help, we will achieve many more victories."

'Decisive moment'

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