‘Tehran Will Burn’; Israel Issues Fresh Warning To Iran
Israel has issued a fresh chilling warning to Iran, vowing to turn Tehran into a blazing ruin if missile attacks on Israeli territory persist, following a dramatic escalation in hostilities between the two nations.
Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, reacting to the ongoing barrage of Iranian missiles allegedly hitting residential areas, declared that Tehran had crossed a red line.
“If Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn,” Katz said in a strongly worded statement on Saturday.
The statement followed a wave of retaliatory attacks from Iran, launched in response to Friday’s devastating Israeli airstrikes that targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and military leadership.
According to Iran’s envoy to the United Nations, the Israeli assault killed at least 78 people, including civilians, and severely damaged nuclear and military installations.
Among those reportedly killed were some of Iran’s top military officials, including General Hossein Salami, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
Former national security chief, Ali Shamkhani, was also said to have been killed in the strikes.
In a televised address on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the launch of Operation Rising Lion, a large-scale military campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear enrichment site in Natanz, its ballistic missile programme, and top scientists believed to be involved in nuclear weapon development.
“Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” Netanyahu said.
“This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced sweeping changes to the nation’s military leadership, acknowledging the deaths of several high-ranking commanders.
The reshuffle, posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, confirmed new appointments to the leadership of the IRGC, the Armed Forces, and the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.
“In view of Lt. Gen. Gholamali Rashid’s martyrdom at the hands of the vile Zionist regime… I appoint [Major General] as Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central HQ,” Khamenei wrote, using similar phrasing for the appointments of the new heads of the IRGC and the Armed Forces.
Iran has since intensified its missile offensive, with state television warning that any foreign military bases aiding Israel could be targeted.
“Israel’s allies must know that their bases in the region will not be spared if they assist in intercepting our missiles,” Iranian state media warned.
While Israel has not formally claimed responsibility for Friday’s strikes, officials have repeatedly emphasised their willingness to act unilaterally to neutralise threats emanating from Iran.
As missiles continue to rain down on both nations, the prospect of full-scale regional conflict looms large, with both sides trading deadly blows and threats of greater devastation.
