After massive Israeli strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, Tehran shouts at the declaration of war. The response is immediate and military climbing threatens to ignite the whole region.
Tensions in the Middle East crossed a new critical threshold this Friday, June 13. After a series of Israeli strikes unprecedented against Iranian military and nuclear installations, Tehran reacted with unprecedented virulence, qualifying the attack on “declaration of war”.
According to Iranian authorities, the Israeli operation – called Rising Lion – has targeted a hundred strategic sites, including Natanz and Ispahan’s nuclear complexes. Massive air strikes also targeted command centers, the basics of the revolution guards and high -ranking scientists. Several leading military officials, including generals Hossein Salami and Mohammad Bagheri, were reportedly killed in the offensive.
“What happened is a clear declaration of war against Iranian sovereignty. The United Nations Security Council must act immediately, “said Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs, in a message to the UN. The supreme guide, Ali Khamenei, promised a “painful and limitless” response, saying that “the Zionist regime will have to pay the high price”.
In response, Iran has launched more than a hundred drones towards Israel, according to the official Iranian media. The Israeli army (IDF) claims to have intercepted the majority of these devices thanks to its anti-missile shield, but the alert was triggered in several regions, Tel Aviv in the south of the country.
Donald Trump urged Iran to conclude a nuclear agreement “before nothing left”, while denouncing the human and material losses caused by the conflict. “There is still time to stop this massacre,” he said, without condemning the Israeli strikes.
According to diplomatic sources relayed by Reuters, the United States would not have participated directly in the strikes but provided logistical and intelligence support to their Israeli ally. However, the American administration was careful not to comment on the situation publicly, calling “for the restraint” of all parties.