Wednesday, June 18, 2025

06/18 Links Pt1: This Is Israel’s ‘Finest Hour’ — And Iran’s Turning Point; Israel Hits Iranian Weapons Depots, Internal Security HQ As Trump Weighs US Involvement

From Ian:

Roz Rothstein: Iran’s Nuclear Escalation Is Not Just Israel’s Problem — It’s the World’s
Many talking heads who disagree with Israel’s preemptive attack on Iran are asking, “What is Israel’s endgame?” The answer should be obvious. Israel’s end goal is to prevent an existential threat from, and denuclearize, a theocratic government that has openly called for the destruction of not just one nation, but an entire people. Iran left Israel no choice. The alternative would have been to wait for a nuclear-armed dictatorship to make good on its promises of annihilation.

It is important to remember that this is not Israel’s first confrontation with existential threats. From its founding, Israel has been forced to defend itself against those who sought its destruction. But what we are seeing now is different. This is not another border conflict or skirmish with a non-state terrorist actor funded by Iran. This is a direct confrontation with Iran, a regime that has both the ideology and, increasingly, the capacity to inflict catastrophic damage, not only on Israel but on the broader international community.

What would the world expect Israel to do in this moment? Sit silently while its enemies prepare weapons of mass murder? Wait until the regime that funds more terror proxies than any other country in the world gains the ability to launch nuclear warheads? Every sovereign nation has the right — and the duty — to defend its people. When that nation is the first target of a radical regime’s nuclear ambitions, that duty becomes urgent and non-negotiable.

Now is the time for moral clarity and international resolve. A maniacal regime with nuclear ambitions that openly threatens to destroy Israel, the U.S., and the West, cannot be appeased or ignored. This is not just an Israeli problem. It is a test of the world’s ability to recognize evil, call it by its name, and confront it before it is too late.

Israel is on the front lines, but the danger reaches far beyond its borders. What Iran is attempting is not just a regional conflict — it is a challenge to the global order. If the world fails to stop Iran now, the consequences will be felt from Jerusalem to London to New York and beyond. The safety of our shared future depends on our ability to see the threat that is staring us in the face, and to act — not with delay, not with equivocation, but with unity, courage and resolve.
By defanging Iran, Trump would also bloody China and Russia
Clearly, it is in America’s best interest to give Israel what it needs to succeed, and to pursue a strategy that exploits Iran’s multiple internal and external pressure points to further weaken the regime’s hand.

This is important not just for containing Iran, but because of the message it will send Iran’s autocratic allies, Russia and China, about America’s commitment to restoring deterrence.

Make no mistake: Russia and China are also — at least metaphorically — being bloodied by Israel’s success.

The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria last year already dealt a blow to this alliance’s strategic depth in the region; the prospect of a weakened or collapsed Iran puts put an even larger dent in the armor of this dangerous partnership.

More importantly, by demonstrating American resolve on the issue of nuclear proliferation, dictators like Xi Jinping will have to think twice before making any aggressive or destabilizing moves — for example, in the South China Sea, or toward Taiwan.

To critics who argue that America is on the verge of being dragged into yet another Middle Eastern entanglement, it’s worth remembering that wars generally start when bad actors perceive weakness — not the other way around.
Brendan O'Neill: Israel’s clash with Iran is nothing like the Iraq War
For the Iraq comparison to carry moral weight, Saddam would have had to have attacked the US and the UK – and savagely. In Britain, which has a population of 70million to Israel’s nearly 10million, he would have had to have funded a terror army that slaughtered 8,400 of our people. And sponsored fanatical militants who fired 35,000 rockets at our cities, causing nearly half a million Brits to be displaced. And fired 2,500 of his own missiles directly at our cities. I was implacably opposed to the Iraq War, but if Saddam had visited such horrors on my countrymen I would have supported action against him. I’m an anti-imperialist, not a hippy.

Regionally, too, the Iraq comparison speaks to the ahistoricism of Israel’s critics. The worst thing about the Iraq War is that it was a violent pummelling of a destitute nation. War with Iran, war with Kuwait, war with its own freedom-yearning Kurdish population, war with America, the UN-enforced partition of its lands, the UN’s sanctions that caused chronic hunger and disease – Iraq was a feeble, pathetic half-nation in 2003. ‘Our’ war against it was pure moral pantomime, with well-known deadly consequences.

Iran, by contrast, is an energetic actor in the Middle East. It does pose a strategic threat. It deploys its proxies to the imperial end of extending its theocratic writ across the region. It has fought brutal proxy wars with Saudi Arabia, most notably in Yemen. And it unquestionably menaces Israel. Its missiles and its proxies’ pogroms are testament to that. Iran’s dream – openly – is to eradicate the Jewish State. Which other nation on Earth would be told to chill out in the face of such an extremist neighbour which in both word and deed had made plain its annihilationist aspirations?

The ‘invoking of the spectre of Iraq’ deserves ridicule. If people want to campaign against US or UK assistance for Israel’s war with Iran, that’s their business. I don’t want to see Western boots on the ground in Iran – let the IDF and the mullahs fight this war that Iran started. But the frothing anger with Israel for waging a supposed ‘forever war’, the feverish depiction of Israel’s leaders as modern-day Bushes or Blairs promising the world nothing but catastrophe, smacks of political infantilism. An addiction to the easy anti-war positions of the 2000s has blinded people to the moral and even civilisational questions raised by the multi-pronged Islamist effort to destroy the Jewish State.

Israel’s critics see themselves as being on the side of peace. Really? In railing against Israel for striking back against the regime that has visited extreme violence on its people, they are essentially instructing the Jewish State to live meekly alongside an existential hazard. They want to maintain a status quo ante in which the permanent threat of annihilation hangs over Israel. They see the existential endangerment of the Jews of Israel as a small price to pay for their own peace of mind. That isn’t ‘peace’ – it’s the displacement of war on to the Jews in order to save non-Jews’ arses.

It’s understandable that Iraq gave rise to a new isolationism. But it’s clear now that concern about that war has curdled into a deep and fretful cynicism where military action of any kind is viewed suspiciously. The role of the ‘Iraq spectre’ in public life is less to promote a principled opposition to Western interference in the affairs of other states than to institutionalise a politics of precaution in which every nation is encouraged to batten down the hatches lest ‘another Iraq’ occur. Between this nervous isolationism and the imperial hubris of those who smashed Iraq, there’s something else: internationalism, a support for democratic liberation everywhere. Israel has a right to defend itself against anti-Semitic tyrants, and Iranians have the right to choose who rules them – those are my uneasy positions.
John Spencer: What Is the Bomb Israel Needs from the U.S. to Quickly Destroy Fordow?
Why Fordow Is the Ultimate MOP Target
The Fordow facility is not just underground. It is inside a mountain, roughly 260 to 295 feet below the surface. Iran’s engineers designed it to survive even advanced airstrikes. The facility is thought to be constructed beneath at least 80 meters of rock, potentially reinforced by concrete and blast-resistant barriers. It is one of the most protected uranium enrichment plants on Earth.

Fordow’s depth and fortification render it immune to standard air-to-ground munitions. Even advanced Israeli bunker busters like the GBU-28 would likely fail to reach the centrifuge halls.

Some analysts believe that two MOPs may be required to guarantee mission success at Fordow. The first would weaken or breach the protective layers, and the second, following in short succession, could then reach and detonate inside the heart of the facility. This tandem-strike approach would maximize the likelihood of collapsing the internal chambers or destroying centrifuges beyond repair.

Could Fordow Be Attacked Another Way?
While the GBU-57 is the most capable conventional weapon for destroying the Fordow facility, it is not the only potential option. Israel has demonstrated alternative approaches, most notably in Operation Many Ways in 2024, where Israel conducted a complex, multi-domain campaign deep inside Syrian territory. That operation involved deception, intelligence penetration, cyber disruption, precision strikes, and a special forces raid on the ground to eliminate the high-value missile construction facility by placing explosive inside it and then extracting the Israeli soldiers. A similarly bold campaign could theoretically be designed to target Fordow, possibly involving cyber attacks to disable critical systems, electronic warfare, or even special operations forces inserted to destroy key components from within. However, such an approach would carry significantly higher risks, including mission failure, and loss of personnel. Compared to these contingencies, the GBU-57 remains the most direct, reliable, and strategically low-risk option to ensure the physical destruction of Fordow’s deeply buried enrichment infrastructure.

A Strategic Choice for the United States
As Israel weighs its military options against Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, the question is not whether it has the will to strike Fordow. It is whether it has the means. The United States is the only country in the world with the capability to field the GBU-57. Granting Israel access to the weapon would involve not only transferring the munition but also addressing the delivery platform, a logistical and geopolitical decision of the highest order.

There is no substitute for the GBU-57 in this mission set. It is not just the bomb Israel needs. It is the only bomb that can do the job.


This Is Israel’s ‘Finest Hour’ — And Iran’s Turning Point
Today, it is Israel standing alone against the Islamic Republic, one that chants “death to America” and has occupied and destroyed more than just Iran. As Israel strikes Iran’s terror and nuclear infrastructure, Israel faces threats not only from Tehran but from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in the north, Houthi missiles from the south, and Iranian-backed militias across the Middle East. The so-called “international community” mumbles in conference rooms. European leaders shift in their chairs. The United Nations can’t even muster a moral sentence. Britain in 1940; Israel in 2025. Just as Churchill stood in Parliament speaking for a free Britain, Israel today stands fighting to free the world — whether the world yet admits it or not.

And just like that day in 1940, today another voice has spoken from exile, a voice speaking to a conquered nation by an evil regime. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, has called on the Iranian people to rise. He does not speak for foreign powers. He speaks as an Iranian, for Iran’s freedom. Just like de Gaulle refused to recognize Vichy France as the true France, Pahlavi refuses to recognize the Islamic Republic as the true Iran.

The Islamic Republic has come to its end and is collapsing. What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright, and together we will turn the page of history. Now is the time to stand up; the time to reclaim Iran. May I be with you soon.

It was ordinary French citizens who formed the resistance networks, risking torture and execution to smuggle intelligence, blow up trains, sabotage factories, and ultimately pave the way for liberation. It will be ordinary Iranians who must take that same risk today — for their children, for their freedom, for Iran’s future.

This is Israel’s finest hour — standing alone to confront a threat the world is too afraid to face, just as Britain once stood alone against Nazi tyranny. The conflict between Iran and Israel: This has happened - FUF.se

It took endurance for Britain to stand for the free world.

It took courage for the French to rise with de Gaulle.

Now, it will take that same courage for Iranians to rise.

The road to freedom always begins alone — but it never ends that way. Just as Britain and the french resistance stood alone against tyranny until the United States and other allies joined to deliver the final blow to Nazi Germany, this time, too, Israel and the Iranian people may not stand alone forever. The hope remains that the free world will rally behind Israel to end the threat once and for all.


Gerald Steinberg: No Nukes: From the Begin Doctrine to the war with Iran
ANOTHER COMPARISON is in the responses. In 1981, international officials condemned what they called “Israel’s reckless attack” on Iraq’s reactor. Led by the Arab and European states, and even with the support of US president Ronald Reagan, the UN Security Council condemned Israel for violating the UN Charter and international law, and repeated Iraq’s right to develop “peaceful nuclear technology.” Washington also suspended arms deliveries to Israel for a few months.

However, after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1991 and the US-led coalition forced him to withdraw, the Americans publicly acknowledged Israel’s vital contribution to their security, and the fact that a nuclear-armed Iraq would have prevented a counterattack.

This time, there are fewer condemnations of the Israeli action against Iran, although, except for Trump, the responses mainly consist of banal virtue signaling and calls for restraint on all sides.

Finally, in 1981, many pundits declared that Israel’s action would not stop Iraq from becoming an atomic power, and might accelerate the process. They were wrong, and 44 years later, Saddam is long gone and Iraq has no nuclear facilities.

When the successors to those pundits claim that Iran will quickly rebuild its facilities, they cannot know. The regime might fall due to massive incompetence and repression, and be replaced by leaders not obsessed with the Jewish state.

Whether or not this happens, Israel has again shown that it will not allow any enemy to “obtain weapons of mass destruction.”
JPost Editorial: Trump must help Israel finish the job to dismantle Khamenei’s regime
Trump needs to take decisive action against Iran
Mr. US President Donald Trump: It’s time to match words with decisive action.
1. Embrace regime change as a policy. Iran’s leadership has shown time and again that its ideology is impervious to deterrence; military strikes only feed its propaganda. You should publicly declare that the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khamenei is an outlaw regime and that its removal is a US strategic objective.

2. Sharpen economic warfare to knife-edge precision. Existing sanctions must be intensified to target every revenue stream sustaining the regime. Freeze all assets tied to the IRGC and its Quds Force, sanction the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and levy secondary sanctions on foreign banks and firms transacting with Tehran.

3. Ramp up covert operations inside Iran. If Tehran welcomes violence, let it find the fight at home. Expand cyber offensives to disable IRGC command-and-control networks, disrupt missile guidance systems, and interfere with nuclear control software.

4. Designate the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization and pursue its global networks relentlessly. Force banks worldwide to choose between processing dollar transactions and facilitating money laundering by the IRGC.

5. Project overwhelming military readiness. Surge US carrier strike groups into the Persian Gulf, pre-position Aegis destroyers in the Arabian Sea, and deploy long-range bombers to deter any Iranian reprisal.

6. Forge a Middle East coalition for Iran’s partition. Encourage long-term plans for a federalized or partitioned Iran, recognizing that Khamenei’s theocratic regime cannot be reformed. Offer security guarantees to Sunni, Kurdish, and Balochi minority regions willing to break away.

Khamenei’s genocidal rhetoric demands a radical response. A half-measure of sanctions and occasional airstrikes will only embolden Tehran’s hard-liners and lengthen the regime’s lifespan.

Mr. President, this extreme theocracy needs to fall. Make its destruction as explicit a policy as the defeat of Nazi Germany or Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

Harness every tool of American power, be it diplomatic, economic, covert, or militarized, to dismantle Ayatollah Khamenei’s regime before it can realize its vow to erase Israel and America from the map. Only then can the region breathe free of tyranny and terror, and the cancer of radical theocracy be excised once and for all.
US President Trump told senior aides that he approved of plans to attack Iran
US President Donald Trump told senior aides that he approved of plans to attack Iran, but he is waiting to see if Iran will abandon its nuclear program before giving the final order, three sources familiar with the discussions said to the Wall Street Journal.

As previously reported by The Jerusalem Post, Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Michael Kurilla met with US President Donald Trump and presented him with military options regarding Iran.

The WSJ reported that when Trump was asked earlier if he had decided whether to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities, the president said, “I may do it, I may not do it.”

He also repeated his insistence on Iran’s unconditional surrender: “The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week.”

On Wednesday, Trump reportedly arranged for a meeting with Iranian Foreign Ministry officials.

Talks on a ceasefire, Iran nuclear program
A senior Iranian official from the Foreign Ministry, who asked that his name not be used because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said that Iran would accept President Trump’s offer to meet soon, the NYT reported.

While the president said that the talks were to focus on Iran's nuclear program, foreign ministry officials said that Iran was ready to discuss a ceasefire with Israel.

Officials had previously told the Post that the Islamic Republic was willing to negotiate a ceasefire, but it wanted Israel to “calm things down."

On Wednesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Trump's demand for unconditional surrender, as Iranians jammed the highways out of Tehran, fleeing from intensified Israeli airstrikes.


Israel Hits Iranian Weapons Depots, Internal Security HQ As Trump Weighs US Involvement
Israel scored direct hits on Iran’s uranium enrichment sites, internal security headquarters, and more than 40 missile depots on Wednesday as intensive war operations entered their sixth day. Iran’s supreme leader, in a defiant video address, promised to inflict "irreparable damage" on American forces in the region if President Donald Trump decides to join the fight.

"The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told his nation as more than two dozen Israeli fighter jets razed sites across Tehran and the surrounding areas. A defiant Khamenei rejected Trump’s demand for an "unconditional surrender," threatening instead to attack more than 40,000 active service members stationed across the Middle East.

"Intelligent people who know Iran, the nation, and the history of Iran will never speak to this nation in the language of threats, because the Iranian nation cannot be surrendered," Khamenei said.

Trump—who signaled Tuesday afternoon that America could join with Israel to strike Tehran’s most significant nuclear sites, such as the mountain facility in Fordow—said U.S. participation is still on the table.

"I may do it," he said. "I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do."

The president’s public indecision had little impact on Israel’s war plan, as the Jewish state launched some of its most devastating attacks to date from Tuesday evening into Wednesday afternoon. IDF spokesman Effie Defrin confirmed midday Wednesday that operations will not slow down, saying there remain "additional targets and we are determined to achieve them."

The most significant strike came very early Wednesday, when more than 50 Israeli fighter jets struck a "centrifuge production site and multiple weapons manufacturing facilities in Tehran," the IDF said. Centrifuges are used to enrich uranium quickly, bringing it to levels needed for a nuclear weapon. Israel telegraphed the operation late Tuesday with a warning for residents in the area to evacuate.

"As part of the broad effort to operate against Iran’s nuclear weapons development project, the [Israeli Air Force] struck a facility used to manufacture centrifuges in Tehran that was designed to enable the Iranian regime to expand the scale and speed of its uranium enrichment to develop nuclear weapons," the IDF said after the raid. "The Iranian regime is enriching uranium for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons. Nuclear power for civilian use does not require enrichment at these levels."

The IDF also targeted "several weapons manufacturing sites," including a facility that produced the "raw material and components" for Iran’s surface-to-surface missiles. The Islamic Republic has launched hundreds of those missiles toward Israel in recent days.


Sa’ar explains need for ‘Operation Rising Lion’ to UN Security Council
The Israeli military’s operations against the Iranian regime are a “measure of last resort” that aim “to neutralize the existential and imminent threat from Iran’s nuclear weapon and ballistic missile program,” Gideon Sa’ar, Israeli foreign minister, told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.

Sa’ar cited “reliable intelligence,” which he said confirms that Tehran “significantly accelerated its clandestine efforts to develop nuclear weapons” in recent months. He also noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency found Iran’s expanding uranium enrichment activity to be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.

Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” began on Thursday night. The Jewish state has pounded parts of the country, including Tehran, and says it has killed many Iranian military leaders and scientists who were part of the nuclear program.

Sa’ar told the global body that the regime’s ballistic missiles, which have hammered Israeli cities and killed 24 since the start of the conflict, are an “intolerable threat.”

Iran reportedly increased its production of ballistic missiles recently, aiming to produce 10,000 over the next three years.

Iran’s terror proxy network throughout the region, which its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leads, planned to “encircle Israel with a ‘ring of fire’ in pursuit of Israel’s annihilation,” Sa’ar told the council.

The Israeli diplomat also wrote that the Iranian regime’s avowed goal is to “annihilate the State of Israel” and that it has attacked Israeli and Jewish sites globally, including “the massive terror attacks that were perpetrated against the Israeli embassy and the Jewish community center in Argentina.”

Sa’ar wrote that “Operation Rising Lion’s” launch was “the last window of opportunity to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and takes place after diplomacy proved ineffective.”


The View from Inside Iran
How are Iranians responding to the current military campaign? Is there really a possibility that they will rise up and overthrow the regime? Aidin Panahi writes:

Iran’s fate ultimately rests with a silent majority, what Iranians call the “gray zone” population. These are ordinary citizens: teachers, shopkeepers, bureaucrats, mid-level civil servants, and even some within the security apparatus who neither publicly oppose nor enthusiastically support the regime. Their silence reflects self-preservation, not loyalty. Every modern revolution has hinged upon similar groups. When these individuals sense regime collapse is imminent, their withdrawal of passive support becomes decisive.

Inside Iran, reactions to Israel’s military actions are complex but revealing. While state media decry Israeli aggression, privately many Iranians express relief or even cautious approval. Social-media commentary from within the country shows that ordinary Iranians see Israel’s actions not as attacks against the nation but against the oppressive structures of the regime. These nuanced views, carefully voiced in encrypted chats and indirect online comments, indicate a growing gap between regime narratives and public sentiment.


Khamenei: US joining war against Iran would have ‘serious’ consequences
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that any U.S. involvement in the Israel-led offensive against the Islamic Republic would bring “serious irreparable consequences,” according to a report by Reuters.

Khamenei’s warning followed a call by U.S. President Donald Trump the previous day for the Iranian regime’s “unconditional surrender.”

On Tuesday, Trump convened his national security cabinet in the White House Situation Room. He later posted a military intelligence update on his Truth Social platform, declaring: “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”

Trump further asserted that the U.S. knows “exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader‘ is hiding,” though he added that the Iranian leader remains safe—for now.

In a televised address on Wednesday, Khamenei warned that U.S. involvement in the war would be “100% to its own detriment,” emphasizing that “the damage it will suffer will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter.”

“The harm the U.S. will suffer will definitely be irreparable if they enter this conflict militarily,” the supreme leader added, and responded to Trump’s call for Iranian surrender by stating, “it isn’t wise to tell the Iranian nation to surrender.”


Nearly 5,000 Israelis evacuated due to Iranian missile damage, Bibas says
Nearly 5,000 Israelis have evacuated their residences due to damage from Iranian missiles since Friday and require housing solutions, Haim Bibas, Modi’in mayor and Federation of Local Authorities in Israel head, said on Wednesday.

The comments came during an emergency Knesset Internal Affairs Committee meeting convened by its chair, MK Yakov Asher (United Torah Judaism), to examine the local authorities’ and government responses to the numerous needs of people whose homes were destroyed or damaged.

Interior Minister Director-General Ronen Peretz said the ministry’s initial response, in coordination with the Finance Ministry, was to issue NIS 500 to every citizen whose home was damaged and NIS 1,500 to that citizen’s local authority.

The decision was an “initial response” intended to assist residents until the Israel Tax Authority became involved according to existing “compensation tiers.”

“The framework isn’t perfect but allows for proper management of the event. All further accounting with the local authority will be done later,” Peretz said, adding that “local authorities have the full backing of the Interior Ministry.”

A missile that hit Bat Yam late Saturday night caused widespread damage. Zvika Brot, mayor of Bat Yam, attended the Knesset discussion and addressed the rehabilitation of damaged homes.

“In areas of widespread destruction, there is no chance we’ll be able to advance a zoning plan in less than five years. We have 120 dunams (12 hectares) that were damaged, involving 75 buildings, about 20 of which are slated for immediate demolition,” he said.
One of the victims in Bat Yam strike: A Ukrainian girl who came to Israel for cancer care
A 7-year-old Ukrainian girl who came to Israel to receive life-saving treatment for leukemia and three of her family members were named Wednesday as among those killed in an early-morning Iranian missile strike on a Bat Yam apartment building this week.

Nastia Borik came to Israel in 2022 along with her mother, Maria Peshkurova, 30; her grandmother, Lena Peshkurova, 60; and her two cousins, Konstantin Totvich, 9, and Ilya Peshkurov, 13. The mother remains missing following the missile strike. The three others are confirmed to have been killed.

According to the Ynet news site, the girl’s father, Artem, is in Ukraine fighting in the war against Russia, and could not accompany his daughter due to a government order barring men under the age of 60 from leaving the country amid the conflict.

While the treatment received by Nastia initially worked, she later relapsed, and a bone marrow transplant had not successfully stopped the disease, the report said.

The Haaretz daily reported that due to the disease and the treatment she received, she found it difficult to walk and had to move around in a stroller.

On Sunday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it was in close communication with the Israel Police and other agencies to complete the identification process and arrange the repatriation of the bodies.

The Iranian ballistic missile that hit the high-rise apartment building is confirmed to have killed nine people early Sunday.


‘Operation Rising Lion’: Over 1,100 targets hit in Iran
Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin revealed on Wednesday that the Israeli Air Force had struck over 1,100 targets across Iran since launching “Operation Rising Lion” on June 13.

The IAF is “systematically working to neutralize the nuclear threat in all its components,” the spokesperson said in his press briefing. “So far, we have attacked more than 1,100 different components throughout Iran.”

Overnight Tuesday, the air force launched an “extensive attack” on a centrifuge production site in Tehran used by the Islamic regime to expand and accelerate its uranium enrichment, Defrin stated.

The assault “involved more than fifty fighter jets, lasted over three hours, and included three waves of attacks,” according to the IDF spokesman.

“We have clear goals and objectives: eliminating the existential threat to the State of Israel, damaging the nuclear program in all its components, as well as significantly damaging the missile array,” Defrin continued.

Israel will continue to attack “with force” until the goals are met, he said.

Asked by reporters whether Jerusalem had plans for a ground offensive against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites if the United States decides to sit out the war, the spokesman did not provide an answer.

“I’ll start by saying that Israel cannot live with an Iranian nuclear threat hanging over its head. We are taking action—the objectives are clear,” Defrin stated, adding: “We will strike the nuclear program and act to eliminate this threat. They will not have a nuclear bomb.”

In his briefing on Tuesday night, Defrin had declared that “there are no more cities of refuge in the Middle East,” noting that dozens of fighter jets were “continuously” striking ballistic missile launchers in Iran.
Over 50 Israeli warplanes strike in Tehran area overnight
Israel struck a centrifuge production site in Tehran early Wednesday, after successfully intercepting more than two dozen missiles launched by Iran toward Israel in the preceding hours.

Over 50 Israeli Air Force jets flew to Iran, where they struck a facility in which centrifuges were manufactured to expand and accelerate uranium enrichment for Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office said.

”The Iranian regime is enriching uranium for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons. Nuclear power for civilian use does not require enrichment at these levels,” the IDF said.

The IDF also said it struck several weapons manufacturing facilities, including one used “to produce raw materials and components for the assembly of surface-to-surface missiles, which the Iranian regime has fired and continues to fire toward the State of Israel.” Another facility that the IDF struck manufactured components for anti-aircraft missiles.

IDF Spokesperson Effie Defrin said on Wednesday that the IDF “attacked five Iranian combat helicopters that tried to harm our aircraft.”

“There is Iranian resistance, but we control the air [over Iran] and will continue to control it. We are deepening our damage to surface missiles and acting in every place from which the Iranians shoot missiles at Israel,” Defrin added.

Defrin said on Tuesday evening that, as a result of Israel’s air superiority in western Iran and the Tehran area, the Islamic Republic’s military efforts “have been pushed back into central Iran. They are now focusing their efforts on conducting missile fire from the area of Isfahan.”


IDF eases some restrictions on civilian activities amid war
The Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command on Wednesday announced a partial easing of civilian movement restrictions, less than a week after Jerusalem launched its military campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Following a situational assessment, limited economic activity and small public gatherings will be permitted across the country beginning on June 18 at 6 p.m., the IDF announced.

According to the Home Front Command, gatherings of up to 30 people will be permitted, provided attendees can quickly access a bomb shelter. Workplaces located near shelters are also authorized to reopen.

Schools will remain closed, with all educational activities still suspended. Beaches will also stay off-limits to the public for the time being.

Additional guidelines remain in effect for communities located along the “confrontation line” with Lebanon, as well as in the northern and southern Golan Heights, the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea region, areas near the Gaza border, the Arava Desert, Eilat, and much of the Beit She’an Valley, the Israeli military announced.

In those areas, indoor gatherings of up to 100 people are permitted, while outdoor events may host up to 50 attendees on the condition that a bomb shelter is accessible within a safe timeframe.

The current civil defense guidelines will remain in place through Friday night, after which the Home Front Command is set to conduct a new situational assessment.


Day 621 - How warfare is being rewritten over the skies of Tehran
Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The Israel-Iran war continues with fewer missile barrages from Iran even as Israel continues to use innovative ways of using its technology to destroy nuclear and military infrastructure in Iran. We begin the episode by speaking about how Israel has tweaked its aerial missile capabilities, specifically its standoff munitions, to turn them into far-flying, guided ballistic missiles.

Rettig Gur speaks about the many, deep reasons why Russia did not want this Israel-Iran war to take place, including the notion that Israel has shown the lack of capabilities of Russian anti-aircraft tech as the IAF sails through Tehran airspace. We hear what else had Russian President Vladimir Putin concerned.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed words of support yesterday for Israel’s war against Iran, saying, “This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us. We are also victims of this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world. As Merz appers to be urging the United States to enter the fray, we also hear about France's support for Israel's military operations in Iran.
Hillel Neuer on Fox Business: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to defeat Iran”
Hillel Neuer appeared on Fox Business with Maria Bartiromo to discuss Israel's recent military successes against Iran, the urgent threat posed by Iran’s nuclear facilities, and the importance of targeting the regime’s finances to prevent further regional and global destabilization.


Call Me Back: Destroy, Delay, Dismantle? - with Nadav Eyal & Karim Sadjapour
Will the U.S. play a direct military role in the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program? Over the past few days, President Trump has been reinforcing his support for the Israeli offensive and his position that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Most assessments suggest that the IAF does not have the capability to completely destroy Iran’s nuclear program. If that’s the case, what’s the end-game? Should Iran’s nuclear program be destroyed by the US, delayed by Israel, or disassembled by Iran through a deal?

On today’s episode, we dive into these critical questions with senior analyst at Yedioth Achronot and Call me Back regular, Nadav Eyal, and Iran foreign policy expert and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Karim Sadjapour.

Karim is a first-time guest. In addition to working at Carnegie, he is a contributing writer to the Atlantic. He was previously an analyst with the International Crisis Group, based in Tehran and Washington. He has lived in Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East (including both Iran and the Arab world) and speaks Persian. Karim is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, teaching a class on U.S. foreign policy and the Middle East.

Nadav and Karim discuss what the mood is inside Iran, what military options are on the table, and possible outcomes of the war.

00:00 Introduction
03:41 Israel's progress in Iran
09:30 The view from inside Iran
17:04 Wins and losses thus far
29:25 Unity of Israeli society
35:47 Potential outcome scenarios
52:40 Where is this conflict headed?


Ep. 61 - Colonel Richard Kemp on the Israel-Iran Conflict
In this special edition of the podcast, we sit down with Colonel Richard Kemp, discussing Israel's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and leadership, the ensuing conflict, and the the impact beyond the Middle East.

Richard Kemp spent close to 3 decades in the British military, which included serving as commander of British Armed Forces in Afghanistan. Richard is a best selling author, and regularly appears in British media discussing military affairs and national security.


Commentary PodCast: Does Israel Go It Alone or Should We Join
The war on Iran seems to be reaching a climactic moment, and the question is what is best for America and for Israel in finishing the task. Also, why are Democrats so hungry to get arrested and to side with people who are openly flouting the law?


Ben Shapiro: Trump to Iran: SURRENDER Or Face The Consequences!
The Israelis continue to unleash their arsenal of tools on the Iranian regime; President Trump tells the mullahs it’s time to surrender; and the Tucker Carlson horseshoe isolationists come together to resist Trump.




Israel ‘not done’ attacking Iranian nuclear sites
Retired IDF Colonel Miri Eisin discusses Israel’s conflict with Iran and the future for the region.

Ms Eisin told Sky News host Andrew Bolt that Israel is “not done” in its attacks against Iranian nuclear sites.

“The Mossad itself did something very exceptional and showed there are forces on the ground.”


Israel-Iran Conflict: “The World Owes A HUGE Thank You To Israel” Says Ambassador To UK
Julia Hartley-Brewer interviews the Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. The ambassador explains that Israel is targeting Iran's nuclear, ballistic missile, and invasion programs, emphasising the existential threat Iran poses to Israel and the West.


Sharri Markson on Trump’s ‘divided’ administration amid calls to join Israel
Sky News host Sharri Markson says Donald Trump is poised to send American buster bombers to eliminate Iran's top-secret nuclear facility Fordow – some 90 metres deep underground.

Israel and Iran are launching tit-for-tat missile strikes at one another's cities on Wednesday morning, as Donald Trump considers whether the US should intervene in the conflict, which is entering its sixth day.

“The president is making a final call on whether to take this action – he’s getting advice and pressure from those around him,” Ms Markson said.

“His administration is divided, which is in my view, a reflection on some poor appointments, including Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence.”


Israel will not rule out assassinating Iran’s Supreme leader
Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel says she cannot guarantee what will happen after being asked whether Israel is considering the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“This is not right now one of our aims,” Ms Haskel told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

“If they push it, I cannot guarantee what will happen afterwards.”


‘They strike, we dance’ — Iranians damn the regime amid Israeli barrage
Cries of “Death to Khamenei” filled the night air in Tehran on June 15, rising above the thunder of Israeli airstrikes.

The same defiant chorus had echoed through the city the night before, as if the people were rehearsing for the fall of the very system they were raised to fear.

After five inconclusive rounds of talks between Iran and the United States, Israel launched its military campaign against the Islamic Republic’s leadership last week — and ordinary Iranians are not rallying around the regime.

Instead, many are now mocking Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s fundamental miscalculation when he declared during President Trump’s first term, “There will be no war, nor will we negotiate!”

Neither prediction held true.

A review of Persian-language outlets based outside Iran, which have broadcast a stream of comments and video updates from Iran residents in recent days, indicates that the conflict is widely seen as a war between Khamenei’s regime and Israel, not as an attack on the populace.

Many of the callers are blaming Khamenei for “dragging the people into a pointless war.”

“Ordinary Iranians are falling victim to the decision of one person: Ali Khamenei,” railed Farshid, who phoned in from Tehran.

“We are not compatriots with those who execute our kids,” exclaimed Artemis, who called Iran International — a London-based satellite channel popular among the Iranian diaspora — to voice her frustration with the regime’s attempts to exploit Iranians’ deeply held sense of patriotism and use it against Israel.
Iran blames Israel for hacking state TV broadcast with calls for uprising
Iranian media said Wednesday that Israel briefly hacked the state television broadcast, airing footage of women’s protests and urging people to take to the streets.

On its Telegram channel, the Hamshahri daily newspaper shared a video of the brief disruption with a text saying “hackers infiltrated state television and broadcast a call asking people to take to the streets.”

Iran’s state television later warned viewers that this was “due to cyberattacks carried out by the Zionist enemy that is disrupting the satellite transmission.”

Israel’s United Nations spokesperson Jonathan Harounoff also shared a clip of the television disruption.

The clip apparently contained footage from 2022 during mass protests against the government over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman held by the country’s morality police.

It came as Iran limited internet service, claiming Israel was using the medium for military purposes.


Sa’ar hits back at Turkey’s Erdoğan over ‘Hitler’ comment
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar shot back at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a social-media post on Wednesday for comments the latter made comparing Israel’s premier to Hitler and describing the campaign against Iran as “state terrorism.”

“The sultan, in his own eyes, in yet another inflammatory speech, continues to incite against Israel and against the Israeli prime minister,” Sa’ar said. “Erdoğan, who has set a record in suppressing the freedoms and rights of his citizens, as well as his country’s opposition, dares to preach to others.”

Sa’ar said it was “particularly ironic” that the Turkish president should speak of morality and international law, given his own “imperialist ambitions,” including his illegal occupation of northern Cyprus. (Turkey seized control of the area in 1974.)

“A little self-awareness could be helpful,” Sa’ar said.

According to Reuters, Erdoğan, referring to Israel’s campaign in Gaza, told members of his ruling AK Party in parliament on Wednesday that “Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has long left Hitler behind in terms of genocide.”

The Turkish leader also said Israel’s campaign against Iran was illegal and “crazed.”

“It is a very natural, legitimate and legal right for Iran to defend itself against Israel’s thuggery and state terrorism,” Erdoğan added. “We are closely monitoring Israel’s terrorist attacks on Iran.”




Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



AddToAny

Printfriendly

EoZTV Podcast

Podcast URL

Subscribe in podnovaSubscribe with FeedlyAdd to netvibes
addtomyyahoo4Subscribe with SubToMe

search eoz

comments

Speaking

Speaking

translate

E-Book

For $18 donation








Sample Text

EoZ's Most Popular Posts in recent years

Search2

Hasbys!

Hasbys!

2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee

Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

Donate!

Donate to fight for Israel!

Monthly subscription:
Payment options


One time donation:

Follow EoZ on Twitter!

Interesting Blogs

Show All

Blog Archive

Copyright © Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News | Powered by Blogger
Blogger Templates