Israel-Iran Conflict: What Is Operation Rising Lion? All You Need to Know

After several days of heightened tensions, Israel launched a large attack against Iran during the early hours of Friday, June 13, 2025.

What Is Operation Rising Lion?

The attack targeted leadership, nuclear research, and military sites both in Tehran and beyond.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video statement said, "Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat."

Several images highlighting targeted strikes against apartment buildings started trickling out along with reports of explosions in Tehran, and hour prior to this.

These images indicate that individual people were targeted alongside facilities themselves.

Additionally, a higher amount of damage was seen to be caused to a number of buildings, though it is impossible to say if this is intentional design or a result of differing construction.

Why Did The Israel Government Take This Step?

The Israeli government has decided to take this step on the basis of its assertions that Iran was close to completing the development of nuclear weapons.

Additionally, enrichment facilities like Natanz were among the targeted locations, and subsequently videos on social media were showing smoke and flames rising from the area.

Natanz houses centrifuges crucial for the production of highly enriched uranium, which is situated deep underground for protection from air attack.

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