A new war front has opened in the Middle East . This evening, Tehran launched a heavy counterattack against Israel following the raids against the Islamic State ordered by Benjamin Netanyahu .

"The entire country is under attack," the IDF announced, warning the population to take refuge in bunkers. Around 150 missiles were launched from Tehran in several waves, some of which managed to bypass Iron Dome and hit the ground . In Tel Aviv, loud bangs were heard and a gigantic column of smoke rose, clearly visible. Jerusalem was also under attack. Fires, explosions and around twenty injuries were reported in both cities, especially in Tel Aviv . Two of the injuries are said to be very serious. Iran also announced that it had shot down two Israeli military planes and captured the female pilot of one of the jets.

" Iran has crossed the line by daring to launch missiles at civilian population centers in Israel . We will continue to protect Israeli citizens and ensure that the ayatollahs' regime pays a very high price for its criminal actions," says Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz .

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out again in the evening, calling on Iranians to unite against what he called an “evil and oppressive regime,” saying Israel was engaged in “one of the largest military operations in history.” “The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around their flag and their historical legacy, fighting for their freedom from the evil and oppressive regime,” he said in a video. He said Israel would continue its campaign: “In the last 24 hours, we have eliminated high-ranking military commanders, top nuclear scientists, the Islamic regime’s most important enrichment facility and a large part of its ballistic missile arsenal. More attacks are coming. The regime does not know what hit it, nor what will hit it. It has never been weaker .”

But it all started several hours earlier. On the night between Thursday and Friday, when Israel, defying Trump who had advised against attacking and also sabotaging his attempt to reach a nuclear deal with Tehran, began launching a series of unprecedented attacks against Iran , targeting nuclear and military facilities, ballistic missile factories and senior officials.

The smoking gun, a condemnation from the IAEA: " Iran does not respect its obligations and we are unable to guarantee that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful ," a resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency ruled on Thursday.

The IDF launched a series of attacks that left at least 78 civilians dead and hundreds injured . Iranian state television reported that Hossein Salami, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed, as was the army's chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri .

“We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” Netanyahu said in a recorded video message this morning. “Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a military operation aimed at countering the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat ,” he added, suggesting the offensive could continue.

The attacks, carried out during the night by 200 aircraft against about 100 targets, hit in particular the capital and the uranium enrichment plant of Natanz, in the center of the country. Targeted raids also aimed at beheading the army and the Pasdaran : military commanders, the political advisor to the supreme leader Khamenei and some scientists involved in the development of nuclear power were hit in their homes. Israel also declared that it had killed most of the leaders of the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic.

Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, as has Iraqi airspace. Israel has declared a state of emergency across its territory and closed its airspace and embassies around the world. And in the evening came a heavy counterattack from Tehran, with a dozen missiles that managed to “pierce” the Israeli defense system, hitting Tel Aviv in particular and also Jerusalem , the Holy City not accustomed to suffering attacks of this magnitude.

“Iran’s armed forces will devastate the evil Zionist regime,” Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei promised in a message to the nation. “The Iranian nation can rest assured that there will be no negligence in our response,” Khamenei continued, adding that Israel “will not emerge unscathed from this crime.”

US President Donald Trump has admitted that he was warned of Israeli attacks, but the US was not involved, he said. The US is now helping Israel repel counterattacks .

"This is only going to get worse," Donald Trump said. "There has already been great death and destruction," the American president continued, "but there is still time to put an end to this slaughter, with the next attacks already planned that will be even more brutal. Iran must reach an agreement, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire ." Trump then called the Israeli attack "excellent." "We gave them a chance and they didn't take it. They were hit hard, very hard," he added, stressing that there will be "more" attacks, "many more."

Iran, backed by Russia and China, has secured the convening of an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Vladimir Putin has condemned the Israeli attack and offered to mediate in talks with his Iranian counterpart, Massoud Pezeshkian, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani that Iran expected “the European Union in particular to condemn this criminal attack.” But French President Emmanuel Macron asserted “Israel’s right to protect itself and ensure its security,” while calling for restraint.

In Italy, Tajani hopes that nuclear talks between Iran and the US will restart. Diplomacy, led by Palazzo Chigi, is working to promote a de-escalation . Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a conversation with the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu . During the conversation, according to sources at Palazzo Chigi, Meloni shared the need to ensure that Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons under any circumstances , while also hoping that the efforts led by the United States to reach an agreement can still be successful. Finally, Meloni once again reiterated the urgency of ensuring access for humanitarian assistance to the civilian population of Gaza.

(Unioneonline/L)

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