Iran has reportedly suspended all domestic and international flights amid ongoing Israeli strikes on multiple cities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to speak with US President Donald Trump today as both nations evaluate the escalating conflict.
Iran on Friday suspended all domestic and international flights following the Israeli strikes across multiple Iranian cities, according to the state-affiliated Fars News Agency, which cited the country’s civil aviation authority.
The attacks continued into Friday morning, targetting locations including Tabriz, Kermanshah, Hamedan, Qasr-e Shirin, and Kangavar, Iranian state media reported. These coordinated strikes have heightened fears of further escalation between the two countries.
An Israeli official told CNN that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to speak with US President Donald Trump later today, with the discussions expected to focus on the rapidly evolving security situation.
Additionally, Netanyahu is anticipated to hold a situational assessment briefing on Friday, though the exact timing of these meetings remains unclear.
Earlier in the day, he announced a “very successful opening strike” carried out by Israeli forces, expressing confidence in further achievements with divine support.
“After a very successful opening strike, we hit the senior command, we hit the select scientists who are advancing the development of atomic bombs, we hit the nuclear facilities. We are making great achievements, but I also know, and you know, there are no free wars. Therefore, I ask you again to listen carefully to the orders of the senior command, and it is very likely that you will be required to spend a long time, much longer than we have been used to so far, in the protected areas,” Netanyahu reportedly said.
He also urged the public to remain vigilant, saying, “Of course, you will patrol, and I am sure you will do so, in uniforms, suits, clothes and so on, but the most important thing is to patrol with a clear mind, with faith in the righteousness of our path, in the security of our victory.”
The Israeli Prime Minister announced the launch of a large-scale military campaign, ‘Operation Rising Lion’, aimed at dismantling what he described as an existential threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
“Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” Netanyahu reportedly said, adding that the mission would continue “for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
He accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons programme despite global warnings, noting that Tehran has stockpiles of enriched uranium capable of producing multiple nuclear bombs. “In recent years, Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs. Nine,” he said, warning that Iran could develop a nuclear weapon within months.
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