Breaking News: Israel Strikes Iran

Farrukh Abadi

The Israeli Air Force carried out dozens of strikes against Iran on Friday morning local time. Israeli officials report a wide range of infrastructure and personnel being targeted including nuclear sites, military commanders, Iranian officials, and nuclear scientists. Iranian media has confirmed many of the attacks, with videos from the ground showing one of its nuclear facilities on fire, as well as civilian neighborhoods and residential buildings destroyed. The death toll is currently unknown.

According to Iranian media, among those targeted in the attacks includes Lawmaker Fereydoun Abbasi; Azad University Chief Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi; General Gholamali Rashid, Commander of Khatam Al-Anbiya HQ of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); and the IRGC Chief Major General Hossein Salami, who was killed in the attack.

The Israeli Defense Force states that the operation is expected to take several days in order to destroy Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they would continue the attacks “as long as it takes” to achieve their objectives. Israel has justified starting the war by claiming Iran was close to creating a nuclear weapon and that they were “close to a point of no return”.

The attack comes shortly after the US government pulled some diplomats and military families from the Middle East on Wednesday, with Trump stating the region “could be a dangerous place” after escalated threats from both the US and Israel. US monopoly media and an Iranian official have both separately stated Israel’s intention to potentially launch military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The US has attempted to distance itself from the attack, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio writing, “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.” However, the US supplies a significant portion of Israel’s weapons and also supports it with intelligence and defense, having shot down many of the missiles Iran previously launched at Israel in its Operation True Promise II last October.

What’s Behind These Latest Attacks?

The US and Iran were set to have their sixth nuclear talk this Sunday. From the beginning of the latest round of nuclear talks, the US has used Israel as an attack dog to threaten Iran in the hopes of forcing them into an unfavorable deal, with US monopoly media reporting on several occasions over the last year potentially imminent Israeli attacks on Iran. Trump stated as far back as February, “If we made the deal, Israel wouldn’t bomb them.” With the attacks taking place despite the talks being scheduled, yet another one of Trump’s promises has fallen through.

The US imperialists and Israel want to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons but also nuclear energy to keep the country in a weaker military and economic position. For years, Iran has faced devastating sanctions, US-Zionist assassinations, and other attacks targeting its nuclear program without distinction between civilian and military use.

Despite having held five rounds of talks between the two countries since mid-April of this year, the US has still not clarified what exactly it will give Iran in return for its demands of completely ending all nuclear enrichment, making it appear that the US has been using the talks to give diplomatic cover to justify military intervention. When asked what he would give Iran in exchange for the dismantlement of their nuclear enrichment program, Trump stated, “I won’t bomb them.”

Iran’s Next Move

Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh responded to the US-Israel threats on Wednesday, stating, “Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us… all U.S. bases [in the Middle East] are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries.” Another senior official added on Thursday, “Iran is currently at its highest level of military readiness, and if the United States or the Zionist regime attempts any act of aggression, they will be caught by surprise.”

Iran has promised to carry out tit for tat attacks against Israel if its nuclear sites are targeted. Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib reported to Iranian media on Sunday that they have obtained vast amounts of “strategic, operational, and scientific information” from Israel through a prolonged intelligence operation. “The documents we obtained from the Zionist regime relate to information about their nuclear facilities,” in addition to “other documents about the relationship with the US, Europe, and other countries, as well as intelligence documents that would boost Iran’s offense power.”

It remains to be seen what Iran will do. In Israel, sirens blared across the country following its attack on Iran, with the Israeli Defense Force warning that a ban was in place on “educational activities, gatherings and workplaces, with the exception of essential businesses” beginning Friday morning local time.

Photo: Aftermath of a building in Tehran following Israel’s attack. Retrieved from Press TV.

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