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Operation Rising Lion: Israel’s Decapitation Strike on Iranian Nuclear Facilities and the Drone War That Followed

BY Guy D. McCardle

Israel lit the night sky over Iran like the Vegas strip on fire, and now the whole region’s holding its breath, waiting to see who strikes the next match.

An Israeli Air Force pilot prepares to take off on a mission in support of Operation Rising Lion. Image Credit: Israeli Air Force

In the predawn hours of June 13, 2025, Israel launched a massive preemptive air assault on Iran, codenamed Operation Rising Lion. The operation was a calculated move aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear capabilities and eliminating key military leadership. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the strikes by citing intelligence reports indicating that Iran was mere months away from developing nuclear weapons. The urgency was underscored by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s findings of uranium traces at undeclared sites in Iran, suggesting non-compliance with nuclear agreements. 

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Targets and Tactics: A Surgical Strike With A Sledgehammer

Operation Rising Lion was more than a surgical strike—it was a high-octane, hellfire blitz that screamed across Iranian skies in the early hours of Friday, June 13, 2025. The Israelis didn’t tiptoe in with plausible deniability and a handful of covert agents. No, they lit the fuse on a full-scale military campaign designed to throttle Iran’s nuclear ambitions before they could bear radioactive fruit.

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The scope of the operation was staggering. Israel launched the assault with multiple dozens—possibly upwards of 200 fighter jets—in synchronized waves. These weren’t some random flyovers. This was a choreographed air ballet of destruction, dropping more than 330 precision munitions on over a hundred targets scattered across Iran’s nuclear and military map. And they didn’t miss many.

At the top of the target list was the Natanz uranium enrichment facility—the beating heart of Iran’s nuclear machine. Israeli bombs turned it into a smoking crater. Satellite photos showed plumes of thick black smoke rising like funeral pyres. That alone would’ve been a message, but Israel went much further.

In Tehran, explosions rocked the capital. Not just around military bases, but deep into neighborhoods where senior commanders lived. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters was hit and lit up like a bonfire, according to reports from inside the city. Fires raged into the morning, and the reverberations of that strike were more political than seismic. It meant no one in the regime’s inner circle was off-limits.

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Other nuclear sites were zeroed in on too, including facilities at Khondab and Khorramabad, both tied to Iran’s secretive nuclear weaponization and long-range missile development programs. These were hardened targets, but not hardened enough. Israeli jets tore through them with surgical fury, disrupting not just infrastructure but morale.

The human toll was just as calculated. Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the IRGC and architect of Iran’s regional proxy wars, was confirmed dead. You could almost hear the champagne corks pop in Tel Aviv. Alongside him, another senior IRGC commander was reported killed, though Tehran’s censors are still scrambling to control the narrative. But it wasn’t just the military that took a hit. Two leading nuclear scientists, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, both deeply embedded in Iran’s uranium enrichment projects, were also killed in the strikes. Israel didn’t just hit buildings—they removed the brains of the operation.

And the mission wasn’t a one-note symphony. Israeli war planners went after military installations, weapons storage sites, and even private residences belonging to key Iranian officials. These strikes caused widespread chaos, with some civilian casualties, fires, and destruction across several urban centers. Tehran, in particular, looked like it had taken a direct punch to the solar plexus—staggering but not yet collapsed.

The strategic impact? Catastrophic for Iran, at least in the short term. Natanz—crippled. Missile development—crippled. Leadership—decapitated. The IDF claims Operation Rising Lion has set back Iran’s nuclear timeline by years and thrown a wrench into their chain of command.

Iran’s proxies in Hezbollah and across Iraq and Syria are still awaiting orders—orders that may never come now that the upper echelons are either dead or digging bunkers.

As the smoke settles, one thing is certain: Israel achieved its immediate objective—to blowtorch Iran’s nuclear and military command before it could become an existential threat. In Tel Aviv, it’s seen as the most decisive military action since the Yom Kippur War. In Tehran, it’s being called an act of war. And it was…but they had it coming.

But this isn’t over—not by a long shot. Iran has already launched drones in retaliation, and while most were intercepted, the intent is clear: they’re not backing down. The region is on a razor’s edge, and everyone’s just waiting for the next trigger pull.

Strap in. The lion’s still roaring.

Iran’s Retaliation: The Drone Onslaught

Iran didn’t wait long to answer back after Israel dropped the hammer with Operation Rising Lion. Within hours of the Israeli airstrikes tearing through Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, the Islamic Republic fired back with a drone barrage that could be heard around the region—if not physically, then politically.

The main punch came in the form of over 100 drones, launched early Friday morning. These weren’t your garden-variety surveillance UAVs either—we’re talking Shahed-136 drones, the same explosive-laden models Iran has shipped to Russia for use in Ukraine. This time, though, they were aimed squarely at Israel. The plan was timed with military precision: Iranian officials expected the drones to enter Israeli airspace by noon local time, giving just a few hours’ window from launch to impact. It was a swift, high-stakes game of aerial chicken.

 

Israel saw it coming. Their air defense network—arguably one of the most layered and battle-tested in the world—kicked into high gear. Iron Dome batteries, David’s Sling, and whatever other toys they had on standby were quickly activated to intercept the incoming threats. Israeli officials made it clear: they were expecting this and were ready. And based on early reports, most, if not all, of the drones were taken out before they could do any real damage.

Iran’s leadership didn’t mince words either. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Israel’s strikes a blatant act of war and warned the country to “await a harsh response.” That message wasn’t mere rhetoric—it was a green light for escalation. And Israel took it seriously. They declared a state of emergency, shut down Ben Gurion Airport, and mobilized tens of thousands of troops. Air raid sirens wailed across cities, and every inch of Israeli airspace was put on high alert.

Interestingly, Iran held back on launching missiles in this first retaliatory wave. That suggests either a calculated approach to escalation—or they’re saving the bigger punches for later. The drones were clearly meant as a direct reply to Israel’s targeted assassinations and facility strikes, and while no specific Israeli sites hit the news as confirmed targets, the intent was unmistakable: strike Israeli soil, fast and hard.

On the home front in Iran, civilian casualties from the Israeli strikes were already fueling rage. State media reported that children were among the dead in Tehran, and images of fire, rubble, and wounded civilians were splashed across screens to rally public support. That emotional firepower is now backing Tehran’s war machine as it considers the next steps.

The broader region isn’t exactly taking this sitting down either. Tensions have spiked from Jordan to the Gulf, and even the United States has quietly moved assets into position in case things go further off the rails. Airports are locked down, embassies are bracing for fallout, and foreign militaries are watching for signs this may spill beyond Israel and Iran.

To sum it up: Iran’s drone response to Operation Rising Lion was fast, aggressive, and heavy on symbolism. It was about hitting back fast and making a statement. And though the actual physical damage may have been limited thanks to Israeli defenses, the psychological and strategic impact has been loud and clear. This conflict’s fuse is still burning, and both sides are holding the matchbox.

The Road Ahead: Uncertain Horizons

The duration and scope of the conflict remain uncertain. War is funny that way; it doesn’t really come with an expiration date. 

While Israel has declared a state of emergency and remains on high alert, Iran’s capacity for sustained retaliation is under scrutiny. Analysts suggest that while the immediate threat of large-scale conflict may be contained, the risk of proxy engagements and regional instability persists.

Iran has been warned not to touch American targets. Whether they will comply or not remains to be seen. 

The international community, including the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency, has expressed deep concern over the escalation.

Calls for restraint and a return to diplomatic negotiations are growing, but the path forward is fraught with uncertainty.

Keep checking back with SOFREP for the latest on the situation. This fight is nowhere near over.

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