Israel Launches Strikes on Iran, Targeting Nuclear and Missile Facilities

Why it matters: The Israeli Air Force launched dozens of airstrikes across Iran on Thursday, hitting nuclear and missile facilities. This marks a direct attack on Israel’s most formidable adversary — carried out without U.S. backing. The Biden administration quickly distanced itself from the operation.

President Trump publicly opposed an Israeli strike earlier that day, expressing continued belief in the possibility of a nuclear agreement with Iran. Just hours later, Israeli forces targeted nuclear sites, military command centers, senior Iranian officials, and nuclear scientists, according to Israeli authorities.

What they’re saying: “Tonight, Israel acted unilaterally against Iran. The United States is not involved in these strikes, and our top priority remains the protection of American forces in the region,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

“Israel has informed us that they view this action as essential for their national defense,” he added.
“President Trump and the administration are taking every necessary measure to protect American personnel and remain in close coordination with regional allies. Let me be clear: Iran must not target U.S. forces or interests.”

Driving the news: Air raid sirens blared across Israel Thursday night as Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a nationwide state of emergency.

“Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike, we expect an imminent missile and drone retaliation targeting Israeli civilians,” Katz said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) urged the public to limit activities starting Friday morning. Educational institutions, public gatherings, and non-essential workplaces are to remain closed.
Israel also shut down its airspace, while Iran suspended flights out of Tehran’s main airport.

The broader picture: The strikes mark the beginning of a new military confrontation, threatening severe consequences for both nations.

An IDF official said the mission aims to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and could last several days. Israel anticipates a significant Iranian response involving missiles and drones. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the operation would continue “as long as necessary.”

The official claimed that Israeli intelligence indicated Iran was accelerating its push toward developing a nuclear weapon. “We are at a critical juncture. Waiting any longer would have meant losing visibility into their progress. This was a window of strategic opportunity,” the official said.

Iran maintains it is not pursuing nuclear weapons, and the U.S. and its allies have not publicly confirmed any such immediate threat.

Behind the scenes: According to sources familiar with the matter, the U.S. privately informed allies that it had prior knowledge of the impending Israeli strikes but emphasized it would not take part. Axios reported that the Trump administration had clearly communicated to Israel that it would not join any military action against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Still, the U.S. has previously supported Israel during Iranian attacks and may do so again if the conflict escalates.
Before the airstrikes were made public, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tweeted from Jerusalem that he would remain at the embassy overnight, urging people to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”

State of play: Israel’s campaign is extensive, targeting a wide range of nuclear and missile facilities as well as high-ranking Iranian personnel.

Netanyahu stated that the plan had been in development for months and aimed to dismantle both Iran’s nuclear advancements and its growing missile stockpile. Although Israel had coordinated and trained for this operation, it had reportedly held off to see whether Trump’s diplomatic efforts might succeed.
While Netanyahu thanked Trump for his past support, the current operation appears to have been carried out without White House approval.

A sixth round of nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran was scheduled for Sunday. That now seems unlikely to proceed.

Looking ahead: Iran has warned it will target U.S. assets across the region if its nuclear facilities come under attack.

In response, the U.S. is withdrawing diplomats and military families from Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait and has enhanced air defenses at key bases throughout the Gulf.