LIVE FEED from Al Jazeera:
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Update2330ET: It appears there were at least two waves of Israeli attacks, with smoke still seen over Iranian military sites and areas of Tehran in the daylight morning hours.
- ISRAEL PREPARING FOR IRANIAN RESPONSE IN COMING HOURS: KAN NEWS
- IRAN STATE MEDIA: MULTIPLE MILITARY SITES IN TEHRAN TARGETED
- IRAN NATANZ NUCLEAR SITE TARGETED: STATE MEDIA
- IRAN ARAK HEAVY WATER REACTOR FACILITY TARGETED: STATE MEDIA
- ISRAEL LAUNCHED ANOTHER WAVE OF ATTACKS IN IRAN: ARMY RADIO
Natanz after new explosions:
IRGC sites attacked:
Smoke rising above the IRGC Headquarters in Tehran pic.twitter.com/6zdUeEigbI
— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) June 13, 2025
Destruction in Tehran:
⚡️Tehran destruction pic.twitter.com/VDi6BS17TB
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) June 13, 2025
⚡️ Reports also of attacks in western Iran pic.twitter.com/tbAhX3SfV1
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) June 13, 2025
A breaking note via UBS:
White House envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly warned top Senate Republicans last week that Iran could launch a large-scale missile and drone retaliation if Israel attacked its nuclear sites, saying that this could overwhelm Israeli defenses and cause heavy damage, according to various media (here and here). Israel has since attacked a key nuclear site in Natanz and Iran has vowed to respond with force. Both Brent and WTI crude prices are up more than 12%.
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Update2215ET: In a massive development via Iranian state sources, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major Gen. Hossein Salami has been killed in Israel’s major Israeli attack on Tehran and other locations in Iran. Al Jazeera: “Iran’s Tasnim news agency and Tehran Times newspaper say Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been killed in an Israeli strike.”
- IRAN’S IRGC CHIEF SALAMI KILLED IN ISRAELI ATTACKS: TASNIM
- IRAN PLANNING ‘DECISIVE RESPONSE’ TO ISRAELI ATTACK: IRNA
- Key uranium enrichment facility in central Iran ‘hit several times’: state TV
Just yesterday…
Meanwhile, some US Congressional members are not in the mood for another major war:
Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticizes the Israeli attacks on Iran and calls on Trump to push for de-escalation.
“Israel’s alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence,” Reed in a statement.
“I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control.”
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Update (2115ET): Al Jazeera and regional media have reported at least six large explosions were observed in the Iranian capital of Tehran, as Israel confirms it has launched ‘Operation Rising Lion’ – which importantly Netanyahu in a televised address said “will continue for as many days” until the Iranian ‘nuclear threat’ is removed, and “as long as necessary”.
There are unconfirmed reports that Iranian jets have been scrambled and that the Islamic Republic’s inevitable retaliation has begun. Iran possesses an immense ballistic missile arsenal, many which can be launched from underground silos and deep below ground ‘missile cities’. Developing:
- ISRAEL BELIEVES IT KILLED SOME IRAN GENERALS, ATOMIC SCIENTISTS
- ISRAEL MILITARY OFFICIAL COMMENTS ON KILLINGS OF IRAN OFFICIALS
Prime Minister Netanyahu:
“Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.” pic.twitter.com/3c8oF1GCYa
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 13, 2025
There are also reports of large blasts heard in Natanz city, home to a key nuclear site, according to Iranian state TV. Hawkish Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has issued a short tweet saying “Game on”.
Unconfirmed but likely…
#BREAKING Iranian missiles are heading for Israel pic.twitter.com/2bCmMiqzEw
— War Intel (@warintel4u) June 13, 2025
Reports of Iranian air force jets taking off…
🇮🇷 Iranian jets taking off. Iranian ballistic missile launches also reported. pic.twitter.com/61H8Pde4Jm
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) June 13, 2025
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Update 8:35pm: AP cites an Israeli official who says that the targets are Iran Nuclear and Military sites; Meanwhile Iran has suspended all flights into its international airport, while Israel has closed all airspace.
- Netanyahu: ‘Operation Rising Lion’ Launched
- Ongoing rockets/missiles near or on Baghdad International Airport , sources in the airport confirmed to me hearing ongoing explosions
- NYT quoting an Iranian official: Three residential buildings demolished in the Shahrak Shahid Mahallati neighborhood in Tehran, where senior military leaders reside
- ISRAEL OFFICIAL CONFIRMS ATTACK TARGETED IRAN NUCLEAR SITES: AP
- IRAN SUSPENDS FLIGHTS AT TEHRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: TASNIM
The Israeli defense forces add that dozens of IAF jets complete the first stage of Iran strikes.
Looks like targeted assassinations are underway in Iran pic.twitter.com/QGhJ8tuj1B
— Aleph א (@no_itsmyturn) June 13, 2025
Israeli PM Netanyahu says comments that Israel is attacking Iran’s nuclear program, is seeking to remove the ballistic missile threat and that strikes will last until last threat is removed.
- NETANYAHU: WE ARE AT A DECISIVE MOMENT IN ISRAEL’S HISTORY
- NETANYAHU: ATTACKING IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, BALLISTIC MISSILES
- NETANYAHU: STRIKES WILL LAST UNTIL THREAT REMOVED
- NETANYAHU: WE TARGETED IRAN’S MAIN ENRICHMENT FACILITY IN NATANZ
- NETANYAHU: SEEKING TO REMOVE BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT
It also appears that the reason Israel targeted specifics residential buildings is because as we expected, it was conducting targeted assassinations:
- NETANYAHU: WE TARGETED IRAN’S LEADING NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS WORKING ON THE IRANIAN BOMB, WE ALSO STRUCK THE HEART OF IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILE PROGRAMME
Meanwhile, the US State Department is pretending like it had zero involvement in this latest neocon-inspired debacle.
- *RUBIO SAYS US IS NOT INVOLVED IN ISRAEL STRIKES AGAINST IRAN
- *RUBIO: IRAN SHOULD NOT TARGET U.S. INTERESTS OR PERSONNEL
- *RUBIO: ISRAEL TOOK UNILATERAL ACTION VS IRAN
Good luck with Iran buying that.
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Futures and yields are tumbling, and gold and oil are surging following reports of successive explosions in Iran as a result of what Al Arabiya reports are Israeli airstrikes; Axios has confirmed that the Israeli Air Force conducted a strike in Iran, “attacking its biggest and best-armed adversary, without clear backing from the U.S.” It was not immediately clear who Israel is targeting.
Strikes on Tehran reportedly targeted air-defenses and other military sites throughout the city. pic.twitter.com/T3WX4Re1Gq
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 13, 2025
As Axios adds, sirens are sounding across Israel on Thursday night. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a special state of emergency across the entire country, and said he expects retaliation after the preemptive Iran strike.
Smoke seen rising from several sites across the Iranian capital of Tehran, following strikes by the Israeli Air Force. pic.twitter.com/9DkweHmHIJ
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 13, 2025
“Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the state of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz said.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said only “necessary” activities should take place in Israel starting Friday morning local time. That includes a ban on “educational activities, gatherings and workplaces, with the exception of essential businesses.”
Ahead of the Israeli strikes, the US notified several allies in private on Thursday that Israeli strikes were imminent and made clear it was not involved, one of the Axios sources said.
Sure enough, moments after the airstrikes, CNN reported that Trump is convening a cabinet level meeting.
Meanwhile, as Trump said earlier today, his administration already told Israel it would not participate in any strikes on the nuclear program, however, the U.S. has previously helped defend Israel from Iranian attacks and would likely do so again if this strike kicks off a retaliatory cycle according to Axios.
In doing so, the US president will likely lose substantial backing from those who do not want to be associated with neocons. But at least Lindsay Graham will have wonderful things to say about Trump.
While it is unclear what the targets of Iran’s airstrikes are, some have speculated that since the targets are residential buildings that these are targeted assassinations.
Looks like targeted assassinations are underway in Iran pic.twitter.com/QGhJ8tuj1B
— Aleph א (@no_itsmyturn) June 13, 2025
🇮🇷 Visuals of some of the aftermath in Tehran tonight following Israel’s Operation “Strength of a Lion.” pic.twitter.com/PZJOzslt6x
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) June 13, 2025
#BREAKING: Initial reports of an Israeli targeted assassination attempt in Tehran pic.twitter.com/9SZaI7BNIj
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) June 13, 2025
⚡️Civilian apartment building collapsed in Tehran following Israeli strike pic.twitter.com/IxpolQnyit
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) June 13, 2025
In kneejerk response, stock futures are tumbling…
… as are bond yields…
… while Oil (where we recently warned that the record shorts will be badly burned)…
… and gold are soaring.
The question now is whether this is all performative theater, like the two cases of “non-war” a year ago when the two sides exchanges violently dramatic if completely ineffective strikes against each other, or if this is the real thing and shortly Iran’s nuclear facilities will be a pile of rubble.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 06/12/2025 – 23:30
