Iran Prepares ‘Decisive Response’ to Massive Israeli Attack

Iran is preparing a substantial response to a large-scale attack conducted by Israel against key sites and personnel associated with the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and military, according to official Iranian media.

“Iran’s response to the Zionist regime early Friday morning attacks will be decisive,” state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) cited an unnamed official as saying in the aftermath of the Israeli attacks.

Another unnamed Iranian official was cited by Reuters as saying that “the response to the Israeli attack will be harsh and decisive,” adding that consultations regarding the scope and timing of retaliation were being discussed at the highest levels.”

Iranian Armed Forces spokesperson General Abolfazl Shekarchi also told IRNA that Israel would be met with a severe response, while alleging that the United States played a role in the assault.

“The Zionist enemy, who carried out this action with the support of America and attacked residential areas, will pay a heavy price,” Shekarchi said.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a warning as well, vowing Israel would be subject to a “severe punishment.”

“By God’s grace, the powerful arm of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces won’t let them go unpunished,” Khamenei said. “In the enemy’s attacks, several commanders and scientists have been martyred. God willing, their successors and colleagues will carry on with their duties without delay.”

“With this crime,” he added, “the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.”

Newsweek has reached out to the Iranian Mission to the United Nations for comment.

The attacks marked the most serious escalation yet in rising tensions between archenemies Iran and Israel, which twice last year exchanged direct strikes amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

The prior Iranian operations, known as “Operation True Promise I” and “Operation True Promise II,” both saw hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones launched against Israel in April and May of last year, respectively. In both instances, the U.S. and several other nations came to Israel’s defense in intercepting the incoming salvo, but damage was reported to several sites.

While previous Israeli attacks largely focused on military sites in Iran, the latest strikes, dubbed “Operation Rising Lion,” involved dozens of attacks on military and nuclear infrastructure as well as personnel, including the head of Iran’s Armed Forces, Mohammed Bagheri, and elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Hossein Salami.

Others reported by Iranian media to have been killed in the Israeli strikes include nuclear scientists Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi. Iranian outlets also reported on the deaths of women and children in the attack.

In the immediate aftermath of the strikes, an Israeli military official told Newsweek that intelligence had concluded Iran had obtained sufficient capabilities to produce 15 nuclear bombs, presenting an “existential threat” to Israel.

Iranian officials have always denied seeking nuclear weapons. The country’s nuclear program was subject to extensive restrictions in exchange for sanctions relief as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached in 2015 under then-U.S. President Barack Obama, but the deal was abandoned by President Donald Trump in 2018.

After former President Joe Biden failed to reach an agreement to revitalize U.S. participation in the JCPOA, Trump has sought to reach a new accord that would introduce stringent checks on Iran’s nuclear program. Representatives from Washington and Tehran have held five meetings, with a sixth scheduled to take place Sunday in Oman.

But the Israeli military official with whom Newsweek spoke Thursday alleged that Iran was simultaneously advancing toward a nuclear weapon, approaching the “point of no return.” The same phrase was included in a statement later issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) detailing suspected Iranian nuclear weapons progress.

“In recent months, accumulated intelligence information has provided evidence that the Iranian regime is approaching the point of no return,” the IDF statement said. “The convergence of the Iranian regime’s efforts to produce thousands of kilograms of enriched uranium, alongside decentralized and fortified enrichment compounds in underground facilities, enables the Iranian regime to enrich uranium to military-grade levels, enabling the regime to obtain a nuclear weapon within a short period of time.”

“Additionally,” the IDF added, “in recent years, and more so since the beginning of the war, concrete progress has been identified in the Iranian regime’s efforts to produce weapons components adapted for a nuclear bomb.”

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has denied playing any role in the Israeli attack, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that Israel “took unilateral action against Iran” in a statement.

“We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said. “Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense.”

“President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners,” he added. “Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.”

The Israeli operation was preceded by evacuations of non-essential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, as well as reports of authorizations for certain staff and family members to depart from sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has since issued a shelter-in-place advisory for U.S. nationals in Israel.

This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.