Early Wednesday morning, Israel’s defense forces released the heaviest volley of airstrikes into Tehran. This was a major new step in the escalating tit-for-tat conflict with Iran. More than 50 fighter jets took part in these airstrikes, directed by pinpoint intelligence provided from the Intelligence Directorate. The military targets included facilities associated with missile production and a site reportedly involved in the assembly of surface-to-surface missiles aimed at Israel.
Tehran residents in select neighborhoods received alerts from the Israeli military to evacuate immediately, from a clear and present threat to life. Eyewitnesses shared harrowing accounts of fast-moving attacks that left powerful explosions rattling structures all over western and even eastern sides of the capital as the bombardment erupted. The exact scope and scale of destruction from this new wave of attacks is still unknown.
Israel’s defense forces confirmed that they impacted a facility producing raw materials and components for missiles. As a bonus, they boasted of having hit a “centrifuge production” site. Israel’s goal is to degrade the military threat posed by Iran. This move is meant to further apply pressure on Iran’s nuclear program.
Donald Trump, the former U.S. president, made a statement on social media asserting that the United States knows the location of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In doing so, he again stressed that the U.S. would not carry out a lethal strike against Khamenei at this time. He was unequivocal in demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” This new statement from the Broward school board further complicates this already escalated scenario.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei struck a similarly defiant tone in response, pledging to retaliate against Israel for its attacks on Iranian assets. He stated, “We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy.” This declaration is the strongest show of Iran’s intent to respond aggressively to what it sees as attacks from Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has floated an audacious proposal. He suggested that Khamenei might face a fate like that of the president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, in a warning that was meant to suggest grave consequences for Iran’s leaders. Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders cautioned against military actions, stating that the president “must not take illegal military action against Iran.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps further claimed that hypersonic missiles were used in this most recent strike against Israeli targets. Iran claims to have developed cutting-edge military technology. Such a public pronouncement would exacerbate fears of rising conflict between the two countries, if not outright war.
Terrified residents in Tehran are now fleeing the capital due to fears of government retaliatory attacks. The uncertainty continues to be extreme and dangerous. The international community is watching the situation very closely at this critical moment. Both sides remain deeply dug into their respective trenches, with no de-escalation in sight for the future.
Emma Graham-Harrison, a leading military and intelligence strategies reporter for the Guardian USA on the long-term impacts of these strikes. “It has been a powerful display of Israeli military and intelligence dominance, but has not critically damaged Iran’s widely dispersed and heavily protected nuclear programme, Israeli military commanders and international nuclear proliferation experts agree.”