Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson, BG Effie Defrin-June 13, 2025

Good morning,
Last night, under the direction of the political echelon, we launched Operation “Rising Lion”. In a precise and synchronized operation, our pilots struck, and continue to strike, military targets and targets related to the nuclear program in various regions across Iran, while flying over enemy territory.
Israeli Air Force pilots are operating heroically at great distances, thousands of kilometers away from Israeli territory, and are striking in areas where Israeli aircraft operated for the first time. 200 fighter jets launched an attack overnight and dropped over 330 different munitions. Over 100 targets across Iran were targeted during the night, including senior figures of the Iranian General Staff and leaders of the nuclear program.
At this time, I can confirm that the senior security leadership of the Iranian regime has been eliminated in the strike: the Iranian Chief of Staff, Bagheri; the Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Salami; and the Head of the Emergency Command, Rashid. Additional commanders were also eliminated alongside them; we will report on them later. In addition, we targeted and struck the Iranian regime’s aerial defense arrays.
We launched this operation at the most appropriate timing in light of an existential and tangible threat, and at the highest level of operational readiness. We have been monitoring developments in Iran for years. Recently, we identified that the Iranian regime has made significant progress in acquiring nuclear capabilities and in its ability to take significant action against us.
The evolving threat is composed of three components: The first component: The Iranian regime is racing toward a nuclear bomb. We are now revealing for the first time that intelligence indicates the regime has established a secret program. As part of this program, senior Iranian nuclear scientists have conducted clandestine experiments to advance all components required to build a nuclear weapon. This is unequivocal proof that the Iranian regime is operating to obtain nuclear weapons in the near future. The second component: The Iranian regime possesses thousands of ballistic missiles and is planning to double and triple that number, recognizing that this constitutes an effective threat against Israel. The quantity of missiles alone represents an existential threat. The third component: The Iranian regime continues to arm, fund, and direct its proxies across the Middle East against the State of Israel. All these components converge into a plan for the destruction of Israel, a plan that has gained momentum in recent years.
Senior officials in Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas planned a broad and precise fire assault by all members of the axis, which would lead to a ground invasion of Israel from all directions. The objective of our operation is to remove the threat. We launched this action to secure our lives here and to protect our civilians. We have been preparing for this operation for a long time. In recent months, breakthrough processes have been carried out that enabled the Israeli Air Force to strike at very long distances. The operation was made possible thanks to the advanced intelligence capabilities of the Intelligence Directorate, which achieved intelligence penetration within the enemy ranks.
At this hour, the Chief of the General Staff is commanding the operation alongside the Head of the Operations Directorate, the Commander of the Israeli Air Force, and the Head of the Intelligence Directorate. The IDF remains on high alert and continues to form an updated situational assessment.
In recent hours, Iran launched over 100 unmanned aerial vehicles from its territory toward the State of Israel. All defense systems are operating to intercept the threats. It is important to adhere to the instructions of the Home Front Command, as they save lives. This is a different event from anything we’ve experienced thus far, and we are expecting difficult hours ahead. We must demonstrate resilience and perseverance.
This is a moment of truth for our ability to stand firm together. I will continue to be here with you and provide updates on any developments.

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