Israel-Iran Conflict: Escalation in June 2025
The Israel-Iran conflict intensified on June 13, 2025, with Israel launching Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iran's nuclear and military sites, including the Natanz facility. The strikes killed key figures like Gen. Hossein Salami, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Ali Shamkhani, and six nuclear scientists, alongside destroying radars and missile launchers. No elevated radiation was reported, but explosions near targets heightened fears. Iran retaliated with over 100 drones, intercepted outside Israel’s borders, echoing earlier drone attacks noted in X posts from April 2024.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed “severe punishment,” and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called it a “declaration of war.”Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the strikes as necessary to counter the “Iranian threat.” The US, with 40,000 troops in the region, stayed uninvolved, though President Trump praised the attack and urged Iran toward a nuclear deal to avoid “massive conflict.” Saudi Arabia condemned the strikes, China called the situation “complex,” and Russia labeled it a “dramatic escalation.” The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks in Oman faces uncertainty.