United Arab Emirates — DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Israeli strikes destroyed the above-ground section of Iran’s main nuclear facility at Natanz. He said all the electrical infrastructure and emergency power generators were destroyed as well as a section of the facility where uranium was enriched up to 60 per cent.

The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to have been hit, but the loss of power could have damaged the infrastructure there, he said.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. The following is AP’s previous story.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel launched blistering attacks on the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military structure Friday, deploying warplanes and drones previously smuggled into the country to attack key facilities and kill top generals and scientists -- a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.

Iran retaliated late Friday by unleashing scores of ballistic missiles on Israel, where explosions flared in the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook the buildings below.

“We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a recorded message in which he vowed revenge.

An Associated Press reporter saw smoke rising in Tel Aviv after an apparent missile strike. A Tel Aviv area hospital said it was treating 15 injured civilians. U.S. ground-based air defence systems in the region are helping to shoot down Iranian missiles, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the measures.

Israel’s ongoing airstrikes and intelligence operation and Iran’s retaliation raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.

Israel had long threatened such a strike, and successive American administrations had sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran’s dispersed and hardened nuclear program.

But a confluence of developments triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack — plus the reelection of U.S. President Donald Trump — created the conditions that allowed Israel to finally follow through on its threats. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the U.S. was informed in advance of the attack.

On Thursday, Iran had been censured by the U.N.’s atomic watchdog for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

Countries in the region condemned Israel’s attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate de-escalation from both sides.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday afternoon at Iran’s request. In a letter to the council, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the killing of its officials and scientists “state terrorism” and affirmed his country’s right to self-defence.

Israel’s military said about 200 aircraft were involved in the initial attack on about 100 targets. Its Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran ahead of time, and used them to target Iranian air defences and missile launchers near Tehran, according to two security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

It was not possible to independently confirm the officials’ claims.

Among the key sites Israel attacked was Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. It also appeared to strike a second, smaller nuclear enrichment facility in Fordo, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) southest of Tehran, according to an Iranian news outlet close to the government that reported hearing explosions nearby.

Israel said it struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan, too, and said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Iran confirmed the strike at Isfahan.

Israel military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the Natanz facility was “significantly damaged” and that the operation was “still in the beginning.”

The first wave of strikes had given Israel “significant freedom of movement” in Iran’s skies, clearing the way for further attacks, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the attack with the media.

The official said Israel is prepared for an operation that could last up to two weeks, but that there was no firm timeline.

Among those killed were three of Iran’s top military leaders: one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri; one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami; and the head of the Guard’s ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Iran confirmed all three deaths, significant blows its governing theocracy that will complicate efforts to retaliate. Khamenei said other top military officials and scientists were also killed.

Netanyahu said the attack had been months in the making. In a video statement sent to journalists Friday, he said he ordered plans for the attack last November, soon after the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, one of Iran’s strongest proxies. Netanyahu said the attack was planned for April but was postponed.

In its first response Friday, Iran fired more than 100 drones at Israel. Israel said the drones were being intercepted outside its airspace, and it was not immediately clear whether any got through.

Israel’s military said it called up reservists and began stationing troops throughout the country as it braced for further retaliation from Iran or Iranian proxy groups.

Trump urged Iran on Friday to reach a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program, warning on his Truth Social platform that Israel’s attacks “will only get worse.”

“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,” he wrote.

On Wednesday, the U.S. pulled some American diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offered voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East. On Friday, the U.S. began shifting military resources in the region, including ships, as Israel prepared for more retaliation, two U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Officials in Washington had cautioned Israel against an attack earlier in the week, so as not to disrupt U.S. negotiations with Iran over its nuclear enrichment program. They stressed Friday that the U.S. had not been involved in the attack, and warned against any retaliation targeting U.S. interests or personnel.
Israel calls attacks preemptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear program

Israeli leaders cast the attack as necessary to head off an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs, though it remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that or whether Iran had actually been planning a strike. Iran maintains its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.

“This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival,” Netanyahu claimed as he vowed to pursue the attack for as long as necessary to “remove this threat.”

Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East but has never acknowledged having such weapons.

Over the past year, Israel has been targeting Iran’s air defenses, hitting a radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery in April 2024 and surface-to-air missile sites and missile manufacturing facilities in October.

On Friday, Israelis rushed to supermarkets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere to buy bottled water and other supplies. But, otherwise, streets and parks were mostly deserted.
Iran says Israel targeted residential areas

For Netanyahu, the operation distracts attention from Israel’s ongoing and increasingly devastating war in Gaza, which is now over 20 months old.

There is a broad consensus in the Israeli public that Iran is a major threat, and Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, a staunch critic of Netanyahu, offered his “full support” for the mission against Iran. But if Iranian reprisals cause heavy Israeli casualties or major disruptions to daily life, public opinion could shift quickly.

The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah issued a statement that offered condolences and condemned the attack, but did not threaten to join Iran in its retaliation. Hezbollah’s latest war with Israel — which killed much of the group’s senior leadership — ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November.

Khamenei, the Iranian Supreme Leader, said in a statement that Israel “opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to a crime in our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers.”

Netanyahu expressed hope the attacks would trigger the downfall of Iran’s theocracy, saying his message to the Iranian people was that the fight was not with them, but with the “brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years.”
Tension had been growing for weeks ahead of attacks

Israel has long been determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a concern laid bare on Thursday when the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years censured Iran over its refusal to work with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site and install more advanced centrifuges.

Even so, there are multiple assessments on how many nuclear weapons Iran could conceivably build, should it choose to do so. Iran would need months to assemble, test and field any weapon, which it so far has said it has no desire to do. U.S. intelligence agencies also assess Iran does not have a weapons program at this time.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took “unilateral action against Iran” and that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defence.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was closely monitoring radiation levels.

Federman and Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi, Amir Vahdat and Mehdi Fattahi in Tehran, Iran; Melanie Lidman and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel; Lolita C. Baldor, Tara Copp, Matthew Lee and Eric Tucker in Washington; Bassem Mroue and Abby Sewell in Beirut; Edith Lederer at the United Nations and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Sana'a raises pictures of the martyred leaders

TEL AVIV, June 13. Iran fired fewer than 100 rockets toward Israel, most of which were shot down or missed their targets, but there were also a few hits, Israeli Army spokesman Efi Defrin said.

"In the last hour, Iran launched two waves of surface-to-surface missiles toward the State of Israel. In both waves, fewer than 100 rockets were fired. Most of them were intercepted or missed their targets. There were a few hits on buildings, some of which were from falling debris [of rockets] after the interceptions," he said.

Israel will get an "appropriate response" for its strikes against the Iranian territory, President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian said in his telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The appropriate response will definitely follow the aggression of the Zionist regime [Israel is meant - TASS]," Pezeshkian said on his Telegram channel.

In its turn, the Kremlin’s press service informed that the Russian leader expressed his condolences to the authorities and citizens of Iran over the heavy death toll resulting from Israeli strikes.

Russian air defense forces shot down a Neptune missile, 18 JDAM bombs, nine HIMARS rockets and 1,582 Ukrainian UAVs over the week, the Defense Ministry said.

"In the past week, air defense forces shot down a Neptune long-range guided missile, 18 JDAM guided aerial bombs and nine US-made HIMARS rockets, as well as 1,582 fixed-wing drones," the ministry said.

Russian troops also liberated five settlements in the Donetsk People's Republic and one in the Sumy Region over the past seven days, the Defense Ministry added.

Here are the details of the combat actions that happened over the week, according to the bulletin.
Liberating settlements

"Over the past week, units of the Battlegroup North liberated the settlement of Yablonovka in the Sumy Region. <...> Units of the Battlegroup South continued to advance deeper into enemy defenses and liberated the settlement of Zarya in the Donetsk People's Republic. <...> Units of the Battlegroup Center reached the western border of the Donetsk People's Republic and continue their offensive into the Dnepropetrovsk Region. As a result of decisive actions, the settlements of Petrovskoye, Alekseyevka, and Koptevo in the Donetsk People's Republic were liberated. Units of the Battlegroup East also liberated the settlement of Komar in the Donetsk People's Republic," the statement said.
Battlegroup North

Ukraine lost over 1,135 troops and 10 ammunition depots in the Battlegroup North's responsibility zone.

"The enemy's losses amounted to over 1,135 servicemen, two tanks, 14 armored combat vehicles, 29 automobiles and 39 field artillery guns. Five electronic warfare stations and 10 ammunition depots were also destroyed," the ministry said.

It reported that during the week the group's units liberated the village of Yablonovka in the Sumy Region. Air strikes, unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery fire hit manpower and equipment of four mechanized, jaeger, two airborne assault brigades, two assault regiments and four territorial defense brigades.
Battlegroup West

Kiev lost more than 1,555 troops in the battlegroup's responsibility zone.

"The units of the Battleroup West took more favorable lines. They defeated the formations of three mechanized, one motorized infantry and one aeromobile brigades, as well as two territorial defense brigades and a National Guard brigade. The enemy lost over 1,555 soldiers, three tanks, 13 armored combat vehicles, including two US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, and 87 automobiles," the report said.

It added that the group's forces also destroyed 19 field artillery guns, including five of NATO manufacture, 17 electronic warfare stations and 30 ammunition depots.
Battlegroup South

Ukraine lost more than 1,175 servicemen in the responsibility zone of the Battlegroup South.

"The group defeated manpower and equipment of four mechanized, one motorized infantry, two assault, an aeromobile, and a territorial defense brigade. Ukraine's weekly losses in this direction amounted to more than 1,175 servicemen, a tank, three armored combat vehicles, 21 automobiles and 15 field artillery guns. Six radio-electronic warfare stations, 11 ammunition and materiel depots were destroyed," the ministry said.
Battlegroup Center

Ukraine lost over 3,660 military personnel in the responsibility zone of the Battlegroup Center over the week.

"The battegroup defeated the formations of five mechanized, two airborne assault, one assault, one marine infantry, and two territorial defense brigades, as well as the Azov special forces brigade (recognized as terrorist, banned in Russia - TASS)." The enemy lost over 3,660 servicemen, 38 armored combat vehicles, 41 automobiles and 40 field artillery guns," the ministry said.
Battlegroup East

Ukrainian units lost more than 1,435 servicemen in the Battlegroup East's responsibility zone.

"The group defeated manpower and equipment of three mechanized, one airborne assault, one aeromobile, one marine and two territorial defense brigades. The enemy losst more than 1,435 servicemen, two tanks, 17 armored combat vehicles, 39 vehicles, 28 field artillery guns and five radio-electronic warfare stations," it said.
Battlegroup Dnepr

Ukraine lost over 610 military personnel and nine ammunition depots in the area of the group's operation.

"The units of the group defeated the formations of two mechanized, one mountain assault , two coastal defense, and two territorial defense brigades. Ukraine lost over 610 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, 47 automobiles and 15 field artillery pieces. The group destroyed 26 radio-electronic and counter-battery warfare stations, as well as nine ammunition depots," the ministry said.
Tally of destroyed equipment

According to the report, a total of 663 jets, 283 helicopters, 63,395 unmanned aerial vehicles, 611 anti-aircraft missile systems, 23,884 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,572 multiple rocket launchers, 26,142 field artillery and mortar guns, and 36,804 special military vehicles have been destroyed since the start of the special military operation.

Iran’s Permanent Mission to the UN has requested an emergency Security Council meeting in response to Israel’s overnight attack, according to a letter sent by Iran’s permanent representative, Amir-Saeid Iravan, to the Council’s chair.

"Committing a reckless, illegal and deliberate act of aggression, the Zionist regime has carried out a series of coordinated military attacks on the nuclear facilities and civilian infrastructure of Iran," the document, quoted by Tasnim, states.

"These actions constitute a clear violation of the UN Charter and fundamental principles of international law. Their dangerous consequences greatly threaten regional and international peace and security," the letter notes.

On Friday night, Israel launched strikes on Iran’s critical nuclear sites. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the operation will continue.

TEL AVIV, June 13. Iran has launched more than 100 drones towards Israel in recent hours, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Effie Defrin said at a briefing.

"In recent hours, Iran has launched more than 100 drones toward Israel," he stated.

"All systems are engaged to thwart the threats," Defrin added.

The army spokesman urged Israelis to "exercise resilience and patience" as "hard times lie ahead.".

Iranian authorities have informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the Bushehr nuclear power plant has not been attacked and no increase in radiation has been observed at the Natanz site, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated.

"Iranian authorities have informed the IAEA that the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has not been targeted and that no increase in radiation levels has been observed at the Natanz site," the IAEA quoted him as saying on X.

United Arab Emirates — Israel attacked multiple Iranian nuclear and military sites on Friday as tensions reached new heights over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Israeli leaders said the attack was necessary to head off what they claimed was an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs. Iran long has insisted its program is peaceful and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran was not actively pursuing the bomb.

The attack came one day after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors censured Iran for the first time in 20 years for not working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more-advanced ones.

The U.S. and Iran had been in talks that could have resulted in the U.S. lifting some of its crushing economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran drastically limiting or ending its enrichment of uranium.

Here’s a look at some major Iranian sites and their importance in Tehran’s program.
Natanz enrichment facility

Iran’s nuclear facility at Natanz, located some 220 kilometres (135 miles) southeast of Tehran, is the country’s main enrichment site.

Part of the facility on Iran’s Central Plateau is underground to defend against potential airstrikes. It operates multiple cascades, or groups of centrifuges working together to more quickly enrich uranium.

Iran also is burrowing into the Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, or Pickax Mountain, which is just beyond Natanz’s southern fencing. Natanz has been targeted by the Stuxnet virus, believed to be an Israeli and American creation, which destroyed Iranian centrifuges. Two separate sabotage attacks, attributed to Israel, also have struck the facility.
Fordo enrichment facility

Iran’s nuclear facility at Fordo is located some 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of Tehran. It also hosts centrifuge cascades, but isn’t as big a facility as Natanz.

Buried under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries, Fordo appears designed to withstand airstrikes.

Its construction began at least in 2007, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, although Iran only informed the UN nuclear watchdog about the facility in 2009 after the U.S. and allied Western intelligence agencies became aware of its existence.
Bushehr nuclear power plant

Iran’s only commercial nuclear power plant is in Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, some 750 kilometres (465 miles) south of Tehran. Construction on the plant began under Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the mid-1970s. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the plant was repeatedly targeted in the Iran-Iraq war. Russia later completed construction of the facility.

Iran is building two other reactors like it at the site. Bushehr is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran, and is monitored by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency.
Arak heavy water reactor

The Arak heavy water reactor is 250 kilometres (155 miles) southwest of Tehran. Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. That would provide Iran another path to the bomb beyond enriched uranium, should it choose to pursue the weapon. Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns.
Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center

The facility in Isfahan, some 350 kilometres (215 miles) southeast of Tehran, employs thousands of nuclear scientists. It also is home to three Chinese research reactors and laboratories associated with the country’s atomic program.
Tehran Research Reactor

The Tehran Research Reactor is at the headquarters of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the civilian body overseeing the country’s atomic program. The U.S. actually provided Iran the reactor in 1967 as part of America’s “Atoms for Peace” program during the Cold War. It initially required highly enriched uranium but was later retrofitted to use low-enriched uranium over proliferation concerns.

#Israel delivers strike on at least six military bases near Tehran — NYT
According to the report, the strikes also targeted buildings in two heavily guarded residential neighborhoods for the Islamic Republic’s top brass.

The Israeli air force attacked at least six military bases on the outskirts of Tehran, including the military complex in Parchin, The New York Times wrote citing Iranian officials.

According to the report, the strikes also targeted buildings in two heavily guarded residential neighborhoods for the Islamic Republic’s top brass.