Israel strikes Iran’s nuclear sites and military leaders, Trump distances U.S. from attack

Israel launched a "pre-emptive" strike on Iran from Thursday evening into Friday morning with the aim of dismantling the country's nuclear program. The attack appeared to target dozens of facilities and eliminate a number of top Iranian officials.

The U.S. has distanced itself from the Israeli action and warned Iran not to attack American facilities in retaliation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday morning stated that Israel would continue strikes against Iran for as long as necessary to eliminate Tehran's capacity to threaten Israel.

“This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat,” he said, according to the Washington Post. “This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival,” he said, adding that Iran could “produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be a few months.”

Israeli strikes targeted dozens of sites across Iran aimed at dismantling the nation's nuclear program, Jerusalem has said. Iranian state television on Friday morning stated that Gen. Hossen Salami, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was feared dead and that Israeli strikes had killed other top IRGC leaders and several nuclear scientists. The extent of the damage remains unclear as of press time, but video footage purportedly from Tehran shows columns of smoke rising in the city.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday warned Iran against attacking U.S. troops in response to the Israeli assault, saying Jerusalem acted alone.

"Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran," he said in a statement. "We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel."

Iranian media outlets are reportedly stating that the Islamic Republic of Iran will officially declare war on Israel in the aftermath of Jerusalem's strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Just the News could not independently verify the content of the Iranian state broadcasts, which was relayed by multiple outlets, including Russian state-controlled media outlet, RT. Iran has not issued a formal declaration of war since 1943, when it joined the allies in the fight against Nazi Germany. It did not issue a formal declaration during the Iran-Iraq War.

In justifying the strike, the IDF said that Tehran had worked with its myriad proxy groups to draft a plan for Israel's outright eradication just days before.

The president subsequently convened a Cabinet meeting in response to the developments, leading to a public statement disavowing involvement.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strikes to the Jerusalem Post, saying "[w]eapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the State of Israel and to the wider world." It further asserted that Iran had worked with Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups to eliminate Israel entirely in recent days.

Prior to the attack, Trump directed his "entire" administration to pursue diplomatic options in Truth Social post, saying "[m]y entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran. They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" 

Earlier in the day, he said he opposed an Israeli strike.

“As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want them going in because I think that would blow it," Trump told reporters. "Might help it, actually. But also could blow it... But we’ve had very good discussions with Iran."