Top Iranian missile commander killed in Israeli strike
Smoke rises from a location allegedly targeted in Israel's wave of strikes on Tehran, Iran, on the early morning of June 13, 2025. (Photo by SAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Israel launched strikes against Iran on Friday, killing two top military officers in an attack targeting its nuclear program and military sites.
The strikes set off explosions in the capital of Tehran, raising the possibility of a war between Israel and Iran.
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Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israel in retaliation, but Israel’s military told the Associated Press that they shot down most of the drones. The military closed Israeli airspace and told the AP it was calling up soldiers to protect the country’s borders.
Iran Revolutionary Guard chief killed
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Iranian state TV reported that the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and one of Iran’s most important commanders, Gen. Hossein Salami and Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guard missile program, was killed. The Associated Press reported that Israel said it killed two other senior officials as they huddled in an underground bunker.
Why did Israel attack Iran?
Big picture view:
Israel's attack comes as tensions have grown over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, which Israel considers a threat to its existence, the Associated Press reported.
Israeli leaders told the AP that the attack was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb as the country enriches uranium, a short step away from weapons-grade levels. Iran has said its program is peaceful and U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that Iran was not actively building a weapon.
In a video announcing the military operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes hit Iran's main enrichment site, the Natanz atomic facility, and targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists. Netanyahu said that Israel had also targeted Iran's ballistic missile arsenal.
According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration renewed their efforts to negotiate limits on Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. But the indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian diplomats hit an impasse.
President Donald Trump encouraged Iran to reach a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program, warning that Israel’s attacks "will only get worse." Trump previously said that the U.S. had not been involved in the attack.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, which received comments from Israeli military officials and cites Iranian media about the attacks. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.