The Israeli Assault Against Iran… Playing With Fire

The Israeli assault launched against Iran shortly before dawn on Friday, 13/6/2025, targeted three levels:

First: The military command-and-control system, including senior army and Revolutionary Guard leadership;

Second: The core infrastructure of Iran’s nuclear program—particularly nuclear stations and reactors, as well as missile and drone launch bases;

Third: The qualitative level, represented by senior nuclear scientists involved in Iran’s nuclear project. This multi-phase assault—carried out in five waves at the time of writing—sought to deliver a severe preemptive strike against the nuclear program, disrupt command and control systems, and disable key elements of Iran’s deterrent capability. With the confirmed assassination of Iran’s Chief of Staff, the head of the Revolutionary Guard, several top-tier military and Guard commanders, along with a number of nuclear scientists, and with direct damage inflicted on the targeted nuclear reactors, Israel began celebrating its achievement, even as anticipation mounted over Iran’s potential response. This article, written just hours after the attack, offers only a preliminary reading of the assault.

Netanyahu, who named this assault Operation Rising Lion, described it as a pivotal moment in Israel’s conflict history and a necessary measure to confront the “existential” threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program and to secure Israel’s safety. He obtained unanimous approval from the security cabinet for the attack. Israeli sources justified the offensive by stating that intelligence had recently detected an acceleration in Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities, claiming Iran was nearing the “point of no return.” Reports by international inspectors also indicated that Iran possesses enough material to produce 9 nuclear bombs, an assertion Netanyahu emphasized in his speech.

The Israeli aggression aligns with Netanyahu’s long-term security vision, which extends beyond merely restoring Israel’s deterrence image lost on 7/10/2023. It aims to expand Israel’s security dominance across the surrounding strategic environment in a blatant, violent and unapologetic manner. Netanyahu outlined this vision publicly on the first anniversary of Operation al-Aqsa Flood (7/10/2024), under the pretext of safeguarding Israel’s security and the future of Israeli generations. This same policy is now being pursued in Lebanon and Syria.

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