MOSCOW, June 13. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the beginning of Operation Rising Lion, aimed against the Iranian nuclear program.
The Jewish state’s Defense Minister Israel Katz described it as a "preemptive strike" and warned his compatriots about Iran’s looming retaliatory attack.
Iranian media reported that explosions were heard in several Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran. Reuters reported that possible victims of the attack include Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri and the commander of Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Lt. Gen. Hossein Salami.
TASS gathered key information about the strike.
- "Just now, Israel has begun operation Rising Lion, a precise military operation aimed at eliminating the threat that Iran poses to the very survival of Israel. This operation will continue for as many days as necessary," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, adding that the main objective was to stop Iran’s nuclear program
