Iran and Israel | Declaration of war against an entire region

In several waves of attacks, the Israeli Air Force and the Mossad foreign intelligence service targeted the Iranian nuclear program , the army leadership, and nuclear physicists overnight into Friday. After more than 200 fighter jets took off from Israel to Iran, 1,000 kilometers away, Mossad secret commandos apparently infiltrated the country and launched several truck-mounted drones. They struck programmed targets in Tehran and deep in the country. Eyewitnesses reported destroyed apartments in central Tehran and impacts on the grounds of the Natanz nuclear facility and on three military bases in the northwest of the country.

"This is a crystal-clear declaration of war ," said Ali Akbar Dareini, a political scientist at the Tehran Center for Strategic Studies. "Israeli actions will have unforeseeable consequences. The withdrawal of American diplomats from Iraq and other countries in the region shows that Washington was aware of the plans," and even coordinated them, he continued.

While the Iranian leadership had to expect another attack at least since the last Israeli airstrikes in October 2024, it was apparently unprepared for the drone attack launched within the country itself. Iranian media confirmed the deaths of Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and Hossein Salami, the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on Friday morning. He had turned the parallel army into an economic empire. A few days before his death, Salami warned that his estimated 190,000 soldiers were "ready for any scenario."

Nuclear scientist killed in his sleep

After years of being threatened by Israeli commando operations, six nuclear scientists were fatally struck by rockets or drones while they slept. State television showed nighttime video footage of firefighting efforts in burning apartment blocks in Tehran, with gaping impact holes and missing exterior walls. Among the victims, according to state television, was Fereidun Abbassi, the former head of Iran's nuclear program. Along with Mohammad Mehdi, he was considered one of the masterminds of Iran's uranium reprocessing program.

The residence of the head of the current nuclear talks with the US , Ali Shamkhani, was also hit overnight by a US-made Hellfire missile. Shamkhani was seriously injured, journalists in Tehran report. According to the Ministry of Health in Tehran, 70 civilians are said to have fallen victim to the attacks, and 320 injured people are in hospitals.

Even though calm returned after a few hours, the surprise attack is likely just the beginning of a series of attacks by both sides. Benjamin Netanyahu, now ruling from a bunker beneath Jerusalem, called on citizens to persevere. "For decades, the tyrants of Tehran have openly called for the destruction of Israel and have underpinned their will to destroy it with the nuclear program," Netanyahu said Friday morning. "This operation will last as many days as necessary to eliminate this threat."

Iran's retaliatory drone attack

As an initial response, Iran says it has sent 200 drones toward Israel. The slow-flying aircraft were an easy target for Israel's Iron Dome air defense network. However, the long-range missiles demonstrated in recent days during military exercises are likely to be a greater concern for the Israeli military. If these are used in larger numbers than last year against Tel Aviv or the Nevatim military base in the Negev Desert, the damage could be considerable.

"It is the next war with which Netanyahu's government wants to distract from its real plan: the creation of a Greater Israel and small Palestinian enclaves."

Ali Hamdi Student from Ramallah

In addition, Iran could block the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off 20 percent of the global oil supply; all it would take is small inflatable boat units from the Revolutionary Guard. The potential escalation in the world's most important shipping route for the oil industry caused the price of Brent crude to rise by more than six percent on Friday.

Many people in the region reacted to the war between Israel and Iran with anger and powerlessness. "Even though Israel calls this a military operation," student Ali Hamdi from Ramallah told the "nd" newspaper over the phone. "It's the next war with which Netanyahu's government wants to distract from its real plan: the creation of a Greater Israel and small Palestinian enclaves."

Impact on the occupied Palestinian territories

Many Palestinians in the occupied West Bank fear that their situation will worsen further with the escalation of the Iranian-Israeli conflict. On Friday morning, Israeli army convoys entered all major cities, such as Nablus and Ramallah. The freedom of movement between the two towns, which had been restricted since October 7, 2023, has now been almost completely lifted with the imposition of a de facto blockade. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wants to annex large parts of the territory, which under international law does not belong to Israel.

Two weeks ago, Minister for Strategic Projects Ron Dermer warned France and Great Britain against recognizing a Palestinian state. He said they would then annex the Israeli-administered Area C and legalize all Jewish settlements. Israeli and Palestinian activists from "Breaking the Silence" have long warned against the "last great war" theory circulating among Netanyahu's radical coalition partners. Smotrich and others have repeatedly urged coalition circles for a military strike against Iran and the continuation of the war in Gaza to nip in the bud any diplomatic initiatives toward a two-state solution.

By Friday afternoon, a second wave of Israeli attacks had already rolled over Iran. Vast clouds of smoke rose above the Hamedan military airport. The Israeli army later announced the destruction of large parts of the nuclear research site in Natanz. The head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, Shlomi Binder, left no doubt that the attacks would intensify in the coming days. "It's about nothing less than our very existence."

Iranian President speaks of Israel's "foolish" actions

According to experts, Iran has worked for years to protect its nuclear facilities against the threat of military attacks , making complete destruction difficult. "The type of concrete (the Iranians) use is actually a very special, hardened concrete," military analyst Cedric Leighton told CNN. It is unclear whether Israeli bombs could penetrate this type of concrete. "The Israelis would have to launch one wave of attacks after another," he explained.

According to experts, some nuclear facilities are also located deep underground. The Israeli Air Force does not have B-2 and B-52 bombers capable of transporting the US ally's so-called bunker-buster bombs, the US news site Axios reported. Such heavy bombs would likely be needed to hit the underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility in Iran, it said.

Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian called Israel's actions "foolish," and said those responsible "will be held accountable." Tehran's rulers will likely take their time with a major military response, partly because they are inferior in direct confrontation. But unlike small Israel, they have enormous potential to mobilize human resources. A red flag was quietly raised in front of the Jamkaran Mosque in the city of Qom on Friday. It is considered a traditional Shiite symbol of revenge.