Israel Launches Devastating Strikes on Iran, Killing Top Commanders and Scientists as Trump Declares “Ultimatum Expired”

June 12 2025

In a sudden and sweeping aerial campaign, Israel launched a series of highly coordinated strikes across Iran early Friday morning, targeting over 100 sites including nuclear facilities, missile fuel depots, and homes of senior military leaders. The attacks, described by Israeli officials as preemptive and “surgical,” marked a dramatic escalation in the shadow conflict between the two regional powers — and could reshape the balance of power in the Middle East for years to come.

Among those killed were three of Iran’s most senior military leaders: Revolutionary Guard commander-in-chief Hossein Salami, armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, and Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani. Six of Iran’s top nuclear scientists were also reported dead. Iranian state media confirmed widespread civilian casualties in Tehran, Tabriz, and Isfahan, as bombed residential buildings collapsed into rubble.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the campaign targeted “the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military apparatus,” including the Natanz uranium enrichment facility and other strategic assets across the country. A decade in planning, the operation reportedly involved more than 200 fighter jets, multiple drone incursions, and clandestine operations deep inside Iranian territory. Israeli intelligence agencies are said to have established drone bases and smuggled precision-guided munitions into Iran in the lead-up to the strikes.

By midday, Iranian retaliation came in the form of over 100 drones launched at Israeli territory. Most were intercepted — some by neighboring Jordan — but at least one missile reportedly struck Tel Aviv, causing minor injuries. Air raid sirens sounded throughout Israeli cities. Flights were grounded. Bomb shelters were activated. Markets emptied as panic spread.

Iranian leaders vowed revenge. “This crime will not go unanswered,” a government spokesperson declared. “Our response will make the enemy regret its actions.”

But the response was not only military. In Tehran, protests were quickly organized by the government — yet many Iranians on the ground voiced support for the strikes, citing deep frustrations with the regime. “Even my religious friends wearing hijab were relieved,” one Tehran resident told foreign media. “This regime plays with us. Maybe this time, it will end.”

Israel claimed it had uncovered evidence that Iran was preparing a multi-pronged surprise attack using proxies from Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria. According to Israeli intelligence briefings, Iran’s plan was to launch thousands of rockets and deploy militants across Israel’s borders. “This is not just retaliation,” said one senior Israeli official. “It is a necessary interruption of an imminent threat.”

In Washington, President Donald J. Trump confirmed that Israel had used American weapons in the strikes and expressed full support, despite having urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just one day prior to delay military action. “Iran was given a 60-day ultimatum,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Today is day 61. I told them what to do. They failed. There is nothing left to wait for.”

He added: “Iran must make a deal before there’s nothing left. No more death. No more destruction.”

The White House initially distanced itself from the strikes, issuing a statement late Thursday that the U.S. had “not participated in operational planning.” However, Trump’s shift in tone the following day suggested a strategic pivot. His special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had been scheduled to hold nuclear negotiations with Iranian officials in Oman on Sunday. That summit has now been canceled, with Tehran citing Washington’s “complicity” in the attacks.

European capitals scrambled to respond. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with both Netanyahu and Trump, expressing “grave concern” about Iran’s nuclear program but urging “maximum restraint” and calling for a diplomatic solution to avoid full-scale war. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had also spoken with his Iranian counterpart to urge calm, while declining to say whether Britain would again provide military support to intercept Iranian drones, as it did last year.

Inside Iran, voices of resistance to the regime appeared to grow louder, even amid national mourning. Satellite images showed widespread destruction in multiple cities, while unverified reports claimed that Israeli agents had penetrated deep into Iran’s security apparatus, aiding the success of the mission.

Asked whether Israel had the capabilities to destroy Iran’s deeply buried Fordow nuclear site, former Israeli Ambassador Jeremy Issacharoff said: “It would require U.S.-supplied bunker-busting munitions. Israel alone may not have the tools for that — yet.”

In Tehran, Professor Mohammad Marandi, a former advisor to Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, accused Israel of genocide and called Trump “dishonest” and “unreliable.” “The era of negotiations is over,” he said. “They have murdered our civilians. They have destroyed our homes. Now the entire Persian Gulf will become a war zone.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that while the Natanz facility had been partially damaged, there was no radiation leak. The Fordow site, buried deep beneath a mountain, remained untouched.

Whether this conflict will spiral into a broader regional war remains unclear. But one thing is certain: the long-simmering nuclear standoff between Israel and Iran has exploded into open war — and the world is now bracing for what comes next.