Israeli regime launched a series of unprovoked airstrikes across Iran early Friday, targeting civilian areas in the capital Tehran and strategic sites including the Natanz nuclear facility.

The strikes, widely condemned by observers as reckless and criminal, resulted in significant civilian casualties. Eyewitnesses reported that entire residential blocks were reduced to rubble, with women and children among the martyrs. Footage from Tehran’s skyline showed widespread destruction as smoke rose from multiple neighborhoods.

Among the victims of the Israeli onslaught was Major General Hossein Salami, Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), whose assassination marks a dangerous escalation in the Zionist regime’s aggression against the Islamic Republic. Iran’s state media also confirmed the deaths of several nuclear scientists, key contributors to the nation’s peaceful nuclear development.

Explosions were also reported at Iran’s Natanz facility, long a target of Israeli hostility despite being under international nuclear oversight.

Iranian leaders swiftly condemned the attacks, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promising a powerful and decisive response. “This cowardly attack will not go unanswered,” Khamenei said, calling the strikes “a wicked and bloody crime” against Iran’s sovereignty and dignity.

The U.S. distanced itself from the operation, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirming Washington had no role in the attacks, though the prior evacuation of embassy staff in the region raised serious questions about foreknowledge.

Iran has long warned that any military aggression on its soil would lead to devastating consequences. The Islamic Republic’s armed forces are now on high alert, with the IRGC and regular military units mobilizing to respond to this act of terror.

Meanwhile, Israel has declared a state of emergency and shut down its airspace, clearly fearing the just retaliation it will face. Neighboring countries, wary of the repercussions of Israeli recklessness, have also closed their airspace.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, a sovereign nation with a right to self-defense, now stands united in mourning — and in resolve — as it prepares to defend its people and respond proportionally to this criminal provocation. (ILKHA)