What do Israel-Iran war codenames signify? ‘Rising Lion', ‘True Promise 3', ‘Midnight Hammer' meaning explained

In a surprise move, Israel launched a "targeted military operation" against Iran on June 13. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "Operation Rising Lion'. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired retaliatory strikes against Israel and codenamed it 'Operation True Promise 3'. Days later, the United States launched "Operation Midnight Hammer', striking three nuclear sites in Iran.
What's behind these three codenames — 'Operation Rising Lion', 'Operation True Promise 3' and "Operation Midnight Hammer — as Israel-Iran conflict rages on? Here we decode:
Israel's Operation Rising Lion is aimed at foiling Iran's nuclear ambitions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Friday, June 13, that his country struck at the heart of the Islamic regime's nuclear programme, including its main enrichment facility in Natanz. The strikes also left key military commanders and nuclear scientists dead.
Israel's codename for the operation could be inspired by and signify several aspects of the conflict with Iran.
First, think about the animal itself. What characteristics do you gather? A lion represents dominion, fierceness and might. In ancient times, the animal symbolised kingship and victory.
By using the name 'Operation Rising Lion', Israel could compare its strength and power to that of a lion and signify its dominance and victory over Iran.
Second, 'Operation Rising Lion' could refer to the pre-1979 Iranian national flag, a lion before a rising sun.
Third, it could also have a biblical significance.
A day before Israel launched strikes on Iran, Netanyahu reportedly placed a note at the Western Wall with a verse from the Torah, from which the inspiration for the name of the military's operation was drawn.
The note quoted the Book of Numbers 23:24, reading: "Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion," the Jerusalem Post reported.
The full verse reads: "Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain."
The Israeli PM reportedly shared a picture of the note on the wall, known as the Wailing Wall or Kotel — a sacred Jewish religious site located in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Besides, the lion holds deep significance for Israel, primarily as a symbol of the Tribe of Judah and its associated concepts of strength, courage, and royal lineage, reports claimed. The origin of the title "Lion of Judah" can be traced back to Genesis 49.
According to Study.com, in Genesis Chapter 49, Jacob, Judah's father, blesses Judah on his deathbed. He states that Judah is a like a '"...lion's whelp"', or lion's cub. The lion would symbolise Judah's power, bravery, success in battle, and leadership for him and his descendants, the report added.
Operation 'True Promise 3" was launched by Iran in retaliation for Israel's "Operation Rising lion", targeting Israeli cities and infrastructure.
The codename "True Promise" was first used during Iran's first-ever direct attack on Israel on the night of April 13-14, 2024. Iran had then unleashed a barrage of missiles and drones on Israel in response to April 1's suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus, which had killed 13 people.
This massive Iranian attack was dubbed by Tehran 'Operation True Promise'.
Six months later, about 200 ballistic missiles[16] at targets in Israel, Iran launched 'Operation True Promise 2', firing about 200 ballistic missiles at targets in Israel. It was the second direct attack by Iran against Israel after a series of high-profile assassinations — including that of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah — according to Press TV.
The United States' strikes on Iran late Saturday (June 21) were codenamed 'Operation Midnight Hammer'. It was at aimed crippling Iran's nuclear program.
'Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's No. 1 state sponsor of terror,' US President Donald Trump said after the US attacked nuke sites in Iran -- Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
The name 'Midnight Hammer' signifies the timing of the massive and unprecedented attacks by the US on Iran.
According to a timeline provided by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, massive 'bunker buster" bombs were dropped on two of the nuclear sites in Iran around 6:40 PM ET Saturday in the US, placing the time of the attack around 2:10 am local time Sunday in Iran, CNN reported.
Besides, "hammer" in the codename signals the overwhelming force, targeted blow and precision with which the US attacked Iran on the night of June 21 and 22. The US attacked Iranian sites using B-2 bombers and bunker buster bombs. It also involved strikes with GBU 57 MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) weapons, Tomahawk missiles and a decoy operation.

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