What’s happening now
• Israel attacks Iran: Israel has launched unprecedented strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear program and senior military leaders in an attack that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said will last many days. Israel’s military says 200 fighter jets have been used. In retaliation, Iran has launched over 100 drones toward Israeli territory, Israel’s military said.
• Military leaders killed: General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was killed in the attack. He was among the country’s most powerful figures. The attack also killed Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s highest-ranking military officer.
• Nuclear targets: Netanyahu said “Operation Rising Lion” struck Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz, nuclear scientists, and what he called “the heart of Iran’s ballistic missiles program.”
• US position: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was no US involvement or assistance in the strikes. Before the attack, President Donald Trump said he did not want Israel to target Iran as US negotiations on a nuclear deal continue.
Imagery released by the Israeli military on Friday showed American-made F-35, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets were involved in the airstrikes on Iran.
Israel said 200 fighter aircraft participated in the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, military sites and military leadership, using 330 munitions.
The 200 Israeli warplanes used make up almost 60% of the country’s combat-capable aircraft, according to statistics in the “Military Balance 2025,” published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
The US has long been Israel’s primary weapons supplier. The warplanes represent the breadth of US firepower, and all are in service with US forces as well as Israel’s.
The stealthy fifth-generation F-35 jets, made by Lockheed Martin, are the most modern in Israel’s fleet, and it operates 39 of them, according to the IISS statistics.
Israel has 75 of various models of the twin-jet F-15s, first made by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing) in its inventory, and almost 200 units of a range of F-16 models, originally made by General Dynamics and now Lockheed Martin, according to the IISS.
etfrop