"We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days."
The warning comes after Israel launched a coordinated assault that reportedly eliminated key figures in Iran’s military command. Israel also appeared to have targeted Iran’s oil and gas industry. Netanyahu stated that the strikes have set back Iran’s nuclear program potentially by years.
"Very soon, you will see IAF planes above Tehran’s skies. We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days," the prime minister said in a video statement.
In response, Iran launched a large-scale retaliatory strike Friday night, firing hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at civilian targets in Israel. According to Reuters, the attack killed at least three people while injuring 174 others.
Israel's defense minister commented that Iran will "pay a heavy price" and that Tehran "will burn" if Iranian missile attacks on Israel continue.
Israel’s military operation is aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which it says is an existential threat to the Jewish state. Netanyahu has made clear that Israel's goal was to eliminate Iran's "dual threat," referring to both Iran's nuclear capabilities and its ballistic missile arsenal. The Prime Minister has also addressed the people of Iran in a direct address on Friday, urging citizens to "stand up and let your voices be heard."
Reuters reported that a senior military official confirmed Israel’s strikes caused significant damage to nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan. However, the uranium enrichment site at Fordow, located within a mountain, remains untouched.
The official added that Israeli forces had "eliminated the highest commanders of their military leadership" and killed nine nuclear scientists who were "main sources of knowledge, main forces driving forward the (nuclear) program.”
US President Donald Trump responded to the conflict by urging Iran to accept reductions to its nuclear program. Iran has since pulled out of ongoing nuclear talks with the US, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stating that negotiations are unjustifiable while Israel’s “barbarous” attacks are taking place.
While Iran maintains that its nuclear efforts are strictly for civilian purposes and denies seeking an atomic weapon, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency reported this week that Iran has been violating key obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
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