'Israel has no choice, but...': Israeli military justifies attack on Iran nuclear programmes | Full statement

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a preemptive offensive against Iran's nuclear program, with IAF jets targeting military sites.

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In a post on X, IDF said, “Dozens of IAF jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran. Today, Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the State of Israel and to the wider world.”

The State of Israel has no choice but to fulfill the obligation to act in defense of its citizens and will continue to do so everywhere it is required to do so, as we have done in the past, IDF said.

‘Operation Rising Lion’

Multiple sites in the capital had been hit in the attack, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said targeted both nuclear and military sites and officials leading Iran’s nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal.

Moments ago, Israel launched Operation “Rising Lion”, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat, he said.

Also Read: Israel carries out strikes in Iran's Tehran amid US fears, expects retaliatory ‘missile attack on civilians’

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the Israeli strike “a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence.”

“These strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces,” he said. Reed added: “I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control.”

(This is a developing story)

(With inputs from agencies)