Israel launched military strikes on Iran early Friday morning local time, with multiple explosions reportedly heard across Tehran. According to Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin, Israel conducted “preemptive and precise strikes targeting the Iranian nuclear programme in order to prevent the Iranian regime’s ability to build a nuclear bomb in the immediate time frame.” Israeli state-run television networks reported that some of the attacks also targeted Iranian officials, including the head of the military and officials involved in the nuclear programme.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were part of an effort to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival” and that the operation “will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
The attack comes after a frenzy of speculation this week that Israel was planning to carry out strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Amid such speculation, the United States withdrew its diplomats and other nonmilitary personnel from the US Embassy in Iraq on Wednesday and has since authorised the voluntary departure of military families across the Middle East.
On Thursday, the US Embassy in Israel ordered government employees to remain in the Tel Aviv area for their security. Senior Israeli officials have since been transferred to a secure location within the country.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned in recent weeks that Israel or the United States could take military action against Iran if negotiations to reach a deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme fail. However, those negotiations were still ongoing as of Thursday afternoon before the Israeli strikes took place, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff expected to meet with his Iranian counterparts in Oman on Sunday for another round of talks. It’s not clear if that meeting is still on now.
In May, Trump warned Netanyahu not to strike Iran while negotiations were underway. Trump told reporters on Thursday that an Israeli strike “could very well happen,” though he declined to say whether it was imminent. He also reiterated that he would prefer a nuclear deal to military action and said that he thinks such a deal is close. “As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want (the Israelis) going in because I think that would blow it,” he said.
Why Israel chose to take action anyway is unclear, but the United States was quick to emphasise that it played no role in the strikes.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement posted on X. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that it believes this action was necessary for its self-defence. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”
“It’s almost unimaginable that they did this without the Americans, and amid all the diplomacy,” said Brett McGurk, a former top national security and foreign-policy official in the last four US administrations, speaking on CNN in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. “This is on the higher end of the escalatory ladder that I predicted. I am surprised the Israelis chose to do this now without a coordinated plan with the Americans.”
