Operation Rising Lion: Israel's Largest Strike on Iran Since the Iran–Iraq War

Date: Early hours of June 13, 2025
Scope: Over 200 Israeli aircraft and Mossad units struck ~100 locations across Iran, deploying more than 330 munitions
Targets included:
- Nuclear infrastructure (Natanz enrichment site, Tehran, Qom, Isfahan, Hamadan, Tabriz, Kermanshah, Markazi)
- Iranian missile silos, radar arrays, air defense batteries (SA‑63, SA‑68, SA‑69, SA‑71)
- Residences and command centers hosting senior military figures

Phase 1: Mossad operatives smuggled drones and precision weapons—establishing a covert drone base near Tehran to incapacitate air defense installations
Phase 2: Sabotage of Iranian radar and missile systems using planted explosives and NLOS (Non-Line-Of-Sight) guided strikes
Phase 3: With airspace cleared, IDF jets—F‑16Is, F‑35Is—conducted bomb runs on nuclear and military targets, supported by drone-detected telemetry

IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj‑Gen Mohammad Bagheri
IRGC Aerospace Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh
Khatam-al Anbiya HQ Commander Gholam‑Ali Rashid
Nuclear scientists Fereydoon Abbasi(-Davani) and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi

PM Netanyahu described the operation as essential to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival”, aligning with a biblical metaphor: “the people shall rise up as a lion…”
The IDF called this a “decapitation strike”, signaling intent to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and military leadership and capabilities

Iran’s label: “A declaration of war” — followed by a drone salvo (≈100 drones) launched at Israel; intercepted successfully with minimal damage
Airspace disruption: Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel closed their skies. Airlines rerouted flights, citing safety, affecting global travel routes
Diplomatic firestorm: Emergency IAEA meeting called, U.N. Security Council convened. Western powers urged restraint even as the U.S. endorsed Israel’s right to act defensively .

Israel’s strategy may delay Iran’s nuclear weaponization for years and constrain missile capacity.
The potential for further escalation remains high, with Iran’s leadership vowing retaliation—possibly through proxies or missile forces.
The operation might derail ongoing nuclear talks set for mid-June in Oman, prompting a broader regional crisis

Consider these assets for powerful visual storytelling:

Annotated strike map showing target locations across Iran (based on JINSA/Newsweek maps)
Drone/photos of Natanz site post-strike
Infographic timeline with phase breakdown and key events/services
Portraits of leaders killed, framed for gravity and impact