Israel’s Blitz on Iran: The Night the Nuclear Clock Reversed

It’s Friday, June 13, and the moment Israel has been preparing for for 30 years has arrived: The all-out attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. This is far from a one-and-done show, but I’ll recap what we know so far.

At around 3am Israel time, reports began emerging of Israeli strikes in Iran. According to the IDF, over 200 Israeli Air Force aircraft took part in the initial strikes, which saw fighter jets hit some 100 targets with over 330 munitions.

What did Israel target? Iranian nuclear facilities, military and scientific leadership, and missiles aimed towards Israel.

Perhaps the most significant nuclear facility to be targeted was in Natanz—Iran’s largest uranium enrichment site. According to the IDF spokesperson, Israel struck Natanz’s underground facilities, including “a multi-story enrichment hall housing centrifuges, electrical rooms, and other supporting infrastructure.” The military also says “critical infrastructure at the site was targeted, which enables its continuous operation and the Iranian regime’s ongoing advancement of its nuclear weapons project.”

How badly did Israel hit Natanz? According to sources close to President Isaac Herzog, the International Atomic Economic Agency told the president that Natanz was critically damaged.

As of writing, Israel has reportedly renewed strikes on Natanz.

For an understanding of just how widespread the attacks are: This was the largest attack on Tehran since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

And in what is perhaps even more astonishing, the IDF said that all pilots who took part in the attacks on Iran this morning returned home unharmed. Just to hammer the point home, as the crow flies, it is around 1,000 miles from Israel to Tehran.

Think for a moment about what an achievement it is to carry out such a mission safely.

Now for the eliminated Iranian officials. As of writing, the below individuals are confirmed dead:

• Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces—and the second-highest Iranian commander after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

• Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps airspace unit.

• Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

• Gholamali Rashid, deputy commander in chief of Iran’s armed forces

• Fereydoun Abbasi, former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

• Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, president of the Islamic Azad University of Tehran and a theoretical physicist.

By this point, you’re probably wondering: How on earth did Israel pull this off? Here’s what a source in Israel’s security establishment told me:

Significant intelligence was gathered and surveillance was conducted against senior members of Iran’s defense establishment and nuclear scientists who were eliminated. Alongside this, a covert operational campaign targeted Iran’s strategic missile array.

The Mossad carried out a series of covert operations in Iran aimed at damaging Iran’s strategic missile infrastructure and its air defense capabilities.

As part of these operations, Mossad agents executed significant actions to infiltrate large quantities of special weaponry into Iran, deploy them across the country, and launch them toward designated targets with precision and effectiveness.

There were three distinct operations:

The first: In central Iran, Mossad commando units deployed precision-guided weapons systems in open areas near Iranian surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems. At the start of the Israeli offensive, simultaneously with IAF airstrikes across Iran, these systems were activated and the precision missiles were launched simultaneously and with high accuracy at their targets.

In another operational campaign aimed at neutralizing Iran’s air defense capabilities threatening Israeli fighter jets, Mossad embedded strike systems and sophisticated technologies within vehicles during covert missions. When the surprise attack began, the weaponry was launched and completely destroyed the designated Iranian air defense targets.

In the third campaign, the Mossad established a base of explosive-laden drones that were smuggled deep into Iran well before the attack by Mossad agents. During the Israeli offensive, the drones were activated and launched at surface-to-surface missile (SSM) launchers located at the Esfajabad base near Tehran—which pose a threat to strategic and civilian targets in Israel.

Much more will likely be written about this mindblowing operation in the weeks and years to come, but for now, that’s a little insight into the historic operation.

And how did Israel make the decision to go to war with Iran? I reported exclusively on the details earlier today:

Read more