Air raid sirens sounded across Israel as Iranian missiles rained down. Iranian officials said the attacks were in retaliation for deadly Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities and Tehran’s military commanders.
What we know
Explosions rocked Jerusalem on Friday, June 13, and witnesses in Tel Aviv reported seeing smoke after a suspected missile strike. The spokesperson for the Israeli emergency services told ABC News the strikes injured at least 34 people, and at least one person was seriously injured. Israeli officials said that people can leave their shelters but should stay near them as a precaution.
U.S. officials confirmed to the AP that the U.S. provided assistance to Israel during the attack. They did not say how they provided assistance. In the past, U.S. fighter jets and destroyer-based missile defenses have intercepted missiles in previous attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces said that Iran fired fewer than 100 rockets during the attack. Israel’s Iron Dome shot down most of them, but some did strike their target.
“Most of these rockets were intercepted or fell short. A limited number of buildings were damaged, some as a result of shrapnel from the interceptions,” IDF spokesman Avichay Adaree wrote in a post on X.
Retaliation
Tehran’s retaliatory strike comes after Israel launched a series of strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military sites. The AP reported Israel’s attack on Iran was the most significant Tehran has seen since its war against Iraq in the 1980s.
Iran’s supreme leader vowed revenge
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised revenge following Israel’s attacks. He said Israel would not “escape safely from this great crime they committed.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government had planned the strikes for months and described them as an effort “to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s survival.”
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s United Nations ambassador, said Israel’s strikes killed at least 78 people, while injuring more than 320. He announced the new death toll during an emergency meeting of the U.N. on Friday. He said that the attacks targeted senior military officials and nuclear scientists. However, the “overwhelming majority” of victims were civilians, including women and children.
Iran’s nuclear program
The exchange of military strikes comes at a time of rising tensions over Iran’s advancing nuclear program, as talks between Washington and Tehran have stalled. President Donald Trump has previously threatened force against Iran, while Tehran has warned it will retaliate against any U.S. military action. Trump warned Iran to come to terms with a deal to limit its nuclear program “before it is too late.”
The escalating military conflict follows Iran’s announcement that it would begin operations at a third nuclear enrichment site after a U.N. watchdog censured Tehran for failure to abide by nonproliferation rules.
