Israeli strikes on Iran may continue for several days, ambassador says

Israeli Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka has stated that the ongoing Israeli strikes on Iranian territory could persist for several more days but are not expected to turn into a prolonged military campaign. 

Speaking to French media, Zarka emphasised that the operation is not intended to last for weeks or months and could conclude within a short timeframe, Caliber.Az reports.

The ambassador clarified that Israel has no intention of declaring war on Iran. Instead, the strikes aim to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. Zarka also revealed that during the night of June 13, Israel conducted five waves of attacks. According to his assessment, a significant portion of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was already destroyed in those strikes.

In the early hours of June 13, Israel carried out a series of coordinated airstrikes across Iranian territory. The Israeli Air Force conducted at least five separate raids, targeting a wide range of sites linked to Iran’s nuclear and military programs. The offensive followed an earlier announcement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared the beginning of a large-scale military operation aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

In a video statement, Netanyahu confirmed that Israeli forces had struck the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, as well as other locations connected to Iran’s ballistic missile program and nuclear weapons research. Despite these claims, Iranian authorities informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was not among the targets, and that no radiation spikes had been detected at the Natanz site. No damage was reported at the Isfahan nuclear facility or the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.

The scope of the assault marked one of the most extensive direct Israeli attacks on Iran in recent memory, with missiles hitting more than a dozen high-value targets. The strikes also claimed the lives of several senior Iranian military and scientific figures. Among the dead was Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces. The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), General Hossein Salami, was also killed, a loss later confirmed by the IRGC. Former national security chief Ali Shamkhani and multiple senior officers and nuclear scientists were also reported among the casualties.

By Sabina Mammadli