Israel destroyed key nuclear targets in Iran and wiped out multiple top military officials in ‘Operation Rising Lion’ – now it appears that Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at the name hours before
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to drop a major hint just hours before launching ‘Operation Rising Lion’, it has been claimed. A major air assault by Israeli forces on Thursday night reportedly involving 200 warplanes saw them inflict major damage on Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
It also wiped out a large portion of its air defence systems, killing several of its top military commanders. Despite warnings in recent weeks that Israel was sizing up potential military targets in the country, the hail of missile attacks appeared to take Iran largely by surprise – though it appears now that the name of Israel’s new operation had been teased hours in advance.
READ MORE: Israel strikes LIVE: Iran says Israel nuclear site attack is ‘declaration of war’
Yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu placed a note in the Western Wall (also known as the ‘wailing wall’) with the verse: “A people that rises up as a lioness, and as a lion lifts himself up.”
The mission name of the coordinated missile and drone attacks that took place overnight was today confirmed to be Operation Rising Lion.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that Israel should expect “severe punishment” in response to its attack, while its foreign secretary described their actions as a “declaration of war”.
This morning, Israeli forces said Iran had fired around 100 drones in response, though these are all said to have been intercepted.
Number 10 said the UK did not participate in Israeli strikes overnight and would not say whether Israel had requested help.A Downing Street spokesman also refused to say whether Keir had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the strikes, or whether Israel had informed the UK of its plans beforehand.“Our priority is to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, that’s in no-one’s interest… we’re working closely with all our allies to press for that diplomatic solution”, the spokesman added.
Britain could reinstate sanctions lifted a decade ago
It comes after Downing Street said the government is prepared to take “every diplomatic step” to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons after Israeli strikes targeted the country’s nuclear facilities.
This could include reinstating sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran by triggering the “snap back” mechanism.The UK’s priority is to prevent further escalation after the strikes and “press for a diplomatic solution”, and officials have urged Iran to keep nuclear talks going with Donald Trump, Downing Street said.
Keir Starmer earlier urged “all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently” after Israel launched strikes on Tehran overnight, raising fears of a full-scale conflict.
Donald Trump meanwhile called for Tehran to make a deal “before it is too late” in a Truth Social post on Friday.