Israel warns of more strikes as Tehran buries top commanders
Shafaq News/ Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, declared Friday that his country is preparing for “severe and intense attacks” against Iran in the coming days, as Israeli strikes continue to devastate Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Danon emphasized that Israel’s goal is not regime change in Tehran but to eliminate what he described as a threat to Israel and the West. “We wish the Iranian people had a different regime, but our objective is to ensure that Iran cannot endanger Israel or Western civilization,” he said.
Danon confirmed that while Israel coordinated with the United States, the decision to launch the current operation was made independently. “We are now capable of reaching any target in Iran,” he added.
The remarks come as Israel carries out its most extensive air campaign in years. Operation Rising Lion has targeted key nuclear sites, ballistic missile facilities, and senior leadership positions across Iran, including multiple waves of strikes on Tehran, Tabriz, Kermanshah, and Hamadan provinces.
Iranian media confirmed that Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the IRGC, was killed in a strike on the IRGC’s main headquarters in central Tehran. Other high-profile deaths include General Gholam Ali Rashid, deputy commander of the Iranian armed forces, and nuclear scientists Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi. Supreme Leader adviser Ali Shamkhani remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization reported internal radioactive contamination at the Natanz uranium enrichment site, which it said had been “hit multiple times,” though it stressed that no external leak had occurred. “Decontamination inside the site is underway. There is no cause for concern outside,” the agency said.
Meanwhile, Nujeh Air Base and Sobashi Defense Base in Hamadan province were both struck, according to Iranian outlets Fars and Tasnim. Mehr News reported additional explosions near Nujeh Air Base and noted that Iranian fighter jets are now patrolling the skies over Mashhad, indicating a state of maximum alert across the Iranian Air Force.
In response to the strikes, Iranian authorities have closed the country’s airspace indefinitely and activated full emergency protocols across all critical installations. An Iranian security official told Reuters that Tehran is preparing a “painful retaliation” against Israel.
