JERUSALEM: Israel attacked Iran’s capital early Friday in strikes that targeted the country’s nuclear program and raised the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.
Multiple sites around the country were hit, and black smoke was seen rising from the nation’s main nuclear enrichment facility.
The leader of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was confirmed dead, Iranian state television reported, a development that would be a body blow to Tehran’s governing theocracy and an immediate escalation of the nations’ long-simmering conflict. The report offered few details about what happened to Gen. Hossein Salami but said that another top Guard official, as well as two nuclear scientists, were also feared dead.
The strikes, which came amid simmering tensions over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, appeared certain to lead to a reprisal that Israel warned could target its own civilian population. In Washington, the Trump administration, which had cautioned Israel against an attack during continued negotiations over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, said that it had not been involved and warned against any retaliation targeting US interests or personnel.
