Iran's Supreme Leader vows vengeance after Israel strikes nuclear sites
What's the story
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed "severe punishment" against Israel following a series of airstrikes that targeted its nuclear facilities and long-range missile capabilities. The strikes killed several military commanders, including Hossein Salami, the chief of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran's armed forces chief of staff. Khamenei condemned the attack as a crime committed by Israel with its "wicked and...blood-stained hand," adding the country has revealed its malicious nature by striking residential centers.
Retaliation
Israel should await a severe punishment: Khamenei
Khamenei warned that Israel "should await a severe punishment," adding, "By God's grace, the powerful arm of the Islamic Republic's Armed Forces won't let them go unpunished." The strikes are part of Operation Rising Lion, a coordinated military campaign by Israel to counter what it calls an existential threat from Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the operation will continue for as many days as it takes "to remove this threat."
Attack details
Weapons Iran may use
Iran's ability to respond to Israel's attacks is heavily reliant on its ballistic missile force. According to the "Military Balance 2025" report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force has over 100 medium-range ballistic missile launchers with a range of over 1,000 kilometers. Iran also possesses a range of drones and cruise missiles that can reach Israel. The Iranian Air Force has 265 combat-capable aircraft but most of those are Cold War-era jets.