Israel stunned the region before dawn Friday, unleashing Operation Rising Lion against Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure. Precision strikes tore through the Natanz enrichment complex, destroyed air-defense radars in western Iran, and killed four of the Islamic Republic’s most powerful men — IRGC chief Hossein Salami, armed-forces boss Mohammad Bagheri, ex-security czar Ali Shamkhani, and air-force commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh — along with six senior nuclear scientists. Tehran’s sky lit up with fireballs as residents felt the ground shake; Iran’s airspace slammed shut while Ayatollah Khamenei promised “severe punishment.”

Within hours, that retaliation began. Israel’s military said more than 100 Iranian drones were intercepted outside its borders and tens of thousands of reservists were called up, schools closed, gatherings banned. Washington insisted it had no role but acknowledged Israel had given advance notice; President Trump warned Iran to accept a nuclear deal “before there is nothing left,” hinting future Israeli blows could be fiercer. Saudi Arabia, China and the EU condemned the attack for imperiling regional stability, while oil prices spiked and airlines rerouted traffic.

Strategists say Netanyahu seized a rare opening: Iran’s proxies are battered, its economy choking under sanctions, and its air defenses degraded by earlier covert hits. Yet analysts fear a much larger showdown if Iran’s promised revenge targets Israeli or American assets. With roughly 40,000 U.S. troops stationed across the Middle East, even one miscalculated rocket could ignite the wider war leaders across the Gulf have dreaded for years.