Operation Rising Lion expands: Israel targets Iran missile sites and vows nuclear shutdown
Shafaq News/ The Israeli military announced on Sunday the launch of a new wave of airstrikes targeting dozens of Iranian surface-to-surface missile sites in western Iran, intensifying its campaign against Tehran’s military infrastructure.
The announcement follows remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told Fox News that Israel would continue operations aimed at “eliminating Iran’s dual threat: its nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal.”
“This mission will end only when Iran’s nuclear capabilities are dismantled,” Netanyahu said, adding that negotiations would only be worthwhile if Tehran fully abandons uranium enrichment.
Netanyahu also confirmed what Israeli media had previously speculated; that the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was a pre-planned component of what he called the “disruption of the Iranian axis.”
“We achieved surprise, and surprise is a powerful element of success,” he said.
Netanyahu further claimed that Israeli forces had destroyed the nuclear reactor in Isfahan. “Without this facility, Iran cannot reach a nuclear weapon.”
He also alleged that Iran had planned to transfer nuclear weapons to the Houthis (Ansarallah) in Yemen, citing Israeli intelligence as the source.
“I believe we’ve pushed Iran’s nuclear program significantly backward,” he said, revealing that Israel had also eliminated a top IRGC intelligence commander in the ongoing campaign.
The latest wave of strikes comes within the framework of Operation Rising Lion, under which Israel claims to have hit more than 170 strategic targets and 720 military infrastructure sites across Iran since June 13.
These include the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tehran, command centers associated with the SPND nuclear project, and locations believed to house Iran’s secret nuclear archive.
Iran has yet to issue a response to Sunday’s latest wave of strikes, but officials previously confirmed damage at several defense-linked facilities and the deaths of multiple high-ranking IRGC commanders, including Maj. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC Aerospace Force.
The confrontation, triggered by Israel’s surprise strike on June 13, has evolved into one of the most dangerous escalations between the two countries in years. Iran’s retaliatory operation, True Promise 3, involved mass missile and drone attacks that left dozens killed and wounded in Israel.
