Israel launched airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear programme and key military installations early Friday.
Hours after the attack, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, said that the Israeli regime has sealed a “bitter and painful” destiny for itself, according to the country’s official news agency IRNA.
“The Zionist regime carried out with its evil and bloody hand a crime in our dear country and revealed its wicked nature further by hitting residential areas…The regime should await a harsh response,” Khamenei said.
“Israel will pay a heavy price,” Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces, told state media, adding that the military strikes were carried out with US support.
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The attack killed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Commander Hossein Salami.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared an emergency in anticipation of retaliation from Tehran.
Although US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was a ‘unilateral attack’ from Israel with no US involvement, Israeli PM explicitly thanked US President Donald Trump in a video released on social media platforms after the attack.
“I wanted to thank President Trump for his leadership in confronting Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. He has made it clear time and again that Iran cannot have a nuclear enrichment programme,” Netanyahu said.
First Published: Jun 13, 2025 11:45 AM IS
