Details of the Israeli Strike on Iran
ARK News.. In the early hours of Friday, June 13, 2025, Israel launched a wide-scale assault targeting key nuclear and military sites across Iran, including the Natanz facility near Tehran. The strikes resulted in the deaths of several top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that Israel would face a “bitter and painful fate.”
Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC Commander Hussein Salami, and senior IRGC official Ghulam Ali Rashid. Additionally, two nuclear scientists were reported killed, and at least 50 others—among them women and children—were injured.
The Iranian state broadcaster reported multiple Israeli airstrikes on the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, Iran’s central site for nuclear development. Broadcast footage showed heavy smoke rising from the site, with repeated mentions that Natanz had been hit several times.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Natanz had been targeted and said it was closely monitoring the situation.
Iranian media also reported that Israeli strikes hit three military installations in East Azerbaijan province, in northwestern Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the initial strikes “highly successful.” In a televised statement, he said the Friday morning operation struck “the heart” of Iran’s nuclear program and would continue “for as many days as needed.”
“We struck the core of Iran’s uranium enrichment program. We struck the core of Iran’s military nuclear project. We targeted key ballistic missile infrastructure and scientists involved in Iran’s bomb-making efforts,” Netanyahu stated.
Iran has declared that it reserves the right to retaliate, placing full blame on the United States for the consequences of what it called “an act of war.” The Iranian Foreign Ministry accused Washington of complicity, saying such an attack could not have happened without U.S. coordination or approval.
Ayatollah Khamenei issued a strong statement to the Iranian people, condemning Israel’s “bloody aggression,” which he said targeted residential areas and exposed the regime’s “malicious nature more clearly than ever.”
“A number of our commanders and scientists have been martyred, but their successors will continue their mission immediately, God willing,” Khamenei said. “With this crime, the Zionist regime has sealed its fate with bitterness and pain, and it will inevitably pay the price.”
The attack comes amid faltering U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, which began in mid-April but have since stalled due to disagreements over uranium enrichment.
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to convene a National Security Council meeting in response to the developments. Washington has denied any involvement in the Israeli strikes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Israel informed the U.S. in advance, justifying the operation as an act of self-defense. “Our priority remains the protection of American forces in the region,” Rubio said, warning Iran against targeting U.S. interests.
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