Photo by
Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry/TPS-IL on 13 June, 2025
‘No Choice But to Act’: Israel Striking Iranian Nuclear, Military Facilities
By
Pesach Benson
• 13 June, 2025
Jerusalem, 13 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- Israel launched strikes on dozens of military and nuclear-related targets across Iran on Friday morning in what Jerusalem described as an opening wave of a multi-day campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities.
The Israel Defense Forces said the operation began with a large-scale aerial strike on military command centers, nuclear facilities, and strategic missile infrastructure.
The IDF emphasized that sirens activated across parts of Israel were not triggered by incoming fire, but rather as a precaution to prepare the public for a possible Iranian response, including missile barrages expected in the coming days.
Iran is believed to have stockpiled enough enriched uranium for up to 15 nuclear bombs and is in advanced stages of assembling a nuclear device. “If we do not act now, we will know less every day,” said a senior Israeli defense official.
In parallel, Iran is reported to possess thousands of ballistic missiles and is working to exponentially expand its arsenal, which the IDF described as an existential threat even independently of the nuclear issue. Israeli intelligence also indicates that Iran continues to arm and supply terrorist proxies throughout the region, creating a multi-front threat that cannot be ignored, the army said.
According to the IDF, Iran has developed a comprehensive military plan to destroy the State of Israel. That plan includes widespread and precise missile attacks from Iranian proxies across the region, coordinated ground invasions using pickup trucks from multiple fronts, and efforts to destabilize neighboring Jordan and Egypt.
“We are in a strategic window of opportunity,” the IDF said in a stark statement. “We have reached a point of no return—there is no choice but to act now.”
The operation is expected to span several days, and military officials are bracing for an Iranian counterattack. The IDF confirmed that it is in full coordination with the U.S. military, though it stopped short of saying whether American forces are directly participating in the strikes.
Israeli defense officials stressed that the operation does not aim to topple the Iranian regime but is focused solely on degrading Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure. According to assessments, the opening strike surprised Iranian forces both in scale and in the locations targeted.
Defense Minister Israel Katz held a final strategy session late Thursday with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and members of the General Staff Forum, just hours before the launch of the operation. “At the end of the operation—there will be no nuclear threat,” the IDF declared.
