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AFP
2 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Old video falsely claimed to show recent Israeli strikes on Iran
'Scenes of Israeli missiles falling on the Iranian capital, Tehran,' reads the caption on a video published on Facebook on June 13, shortly after Israel launched air strikes on Iran. The post was shared more than 40 times before it was deleted. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post The video appears to show rockets falling from the sky, identified by a red flash and rising smoke. Israel's strikes on June 13, 2025, killed the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, and senior Revolutionary Guards commanders Hossein Salami and Gholam Ali Rashid (archived here). According to Iranian media, top nuclear scientists were also killed. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the attack (archived here). 'We carried out a very successful opening strike,' he said in a video message. 'We have hit the senior command, we have hit senior scientists who are promoting the development of atomic bombs, we have hit nuclear facilities.' Explosions were reported across the city of Tehran throughout the morning of June 13. Subsequent Israeli attacks have since killed Iran's top military commander, Ali Shadmani, the closest figure to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (archived here). Iran has retaliated by launching several waves of missiles at Israel (archived here). However, the claim that the Facebook video shows a recent Israeli air strike is false. Old footage Using the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify, we conducted a reverse image search on keyframes from the video. This revealed that the same footage was previously posted online more than eight months ago. The video was published by several local and international media outlets (here, here, and here), which described it as showing an Iranian strike on Israel that took place on October 1, 2024 (archived here, here, and here). The strike targeted several Israeli airbases including Nevatim, one of Israel's largest bases (archived here). Image Satellite image from October 2, 2024 showing Israel's Nevatim airbase damaged by Iranian strikes on Oct 1, 2024 (AFP / Valentina BRESCHI, Olivia BUGAULT) On October 1, 2024, Iran fired approximately 180 rockets into Israel (archived here) in response to the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, and the Iranian commander of the Quds Force in Lebanon, Abbas Nilvoroshan – all attributed to Israel. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked other claims relating to the same video, including the claim that it shows a Pakistani missile attack on India.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel tried to break Iran – but it may have actually helped unite it
Israel's ongoing military assault on Iran has already become one of the most consequential cross-border strikes in the region's recent history. Far more than a targeted operation against missile silos or nuclear facilities, it has included high-profile assassinations and sophisticated cyberattacks. Among the most significant developments so far has been the assassination of several senior Iranian commanders, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami and the head of its Aerospace Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh. These targeted killings represent the most severe blow to Iran's military leadership since the 1980-1988 war with Iraq. Yet, beneath the surface, the assault is not merely a military manoeuvre – it is the expression of a political doctrine decades in the making. While Israeli officials publicly framed the operation as a preemptive act to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, its deeper strategic logic appears increasingly clear: the destabilisation – and eventual collapse – of the Islamic Republic. For years, Israeli and some American strategists have argued – sometimes discreetly, sometimes overtly – that the only durable solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions is regime change. The current campaign aligns with this longstanding objective, not only through military means but also via psychological, political and social pressure inside Iran. Recent developments suggest the operation was designed to provoke the early stages of an internal uprising. The playbook is familiar to observers of past regime‑change efforts: assassinations of top military officials, psychological warfare, disinformation campaigns and the symbolic targeting of state institutions. In Tehran, Israeli‑backed cyberattacks and precision strikes have reportedly hit government buildings and ministries, even temporarily disrupting national television broadcasts – a key pillar of the Islamic Republic's communications infrastructure. Israeli political rhetoric has echoed this direction. In closed briefings and selected media interviews, officials have acknowledged that Iran's deeply fortified underground nuclear facilities – some reportedly buried more than 500 metres (1,640ft) beneath the Zagros and Alborz mountains – cannot be destroyed without full United States participation. Specifically, the operation would require the use of GBU‑57 'Massive Ordnance Penetrator' bombs, deliverable only by American B‑2 or B‑52 strategic bombers. In the absence of such capabilities, Israeli leaders appear to have concluded that halting Iran's nuclear programme is impossible without a change in government. This context lends new meaning to Israel's concurrent military and political efforts. In the aftermath of the attacks, Israeli messaging aimed at the Iranian public intensified, portraying the IRGC not as national defenders but as the chief oppressors of the Iranian people. The messaging sought to separate the Islamic Republic from the Iranian nation with slogans such as: 'This is not Iran's war. This is the regime's war.' Iranian opposition figures abroad – including Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last shah of Iran, and former footballer Ali Karimi – echoed these narratives, expressing support for the strikes and calling for regime change. However, the strategy may have produced the opposite effect. Rather than igniting mass revolt or fracturing national unity, the attacks appear to have consolidated public sentiment across political lines. Many Iranians, including longtime critics of the regime, have expressed anger over what they perceive as a foreign assault on national sovereignty. The collective memory of external intervention – stretching from the CIA‑backed 1953 coup to the Iran‑Iraq War – has reactivated a deeply embedded defensive reflex. Even among activists from the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement – which sparked nationwide protests after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in police custody – there has been visible reluctance to align with foreign military intervention. As images of bombed‑out buildings and fallen Iranian soldiers circulated, a mood of empathy and solidarity momentarily replaced the demand for regime change. For many, the conversation has shifted from political reform to national defence. Notably, several public figures and former opponents of the Islamic Republic voiced support for Iran and denounced the Israeli attacks. Football legend Ali Daei declared, 'I prefer to die rather than be a traitor,' rejecting cooperation with any foreign assault. Mohsen Borhani, a former judge and political prisoner, wrote, 'I kiss the hands of all defenders of the homeland,' referring to the IRGC and other armed forces. What began as a calculated strike on military targets may be achieving the opposite of its intended outcome. Rather than weakening the regime's hold on power, Israel's actions risk reinforcing it – by rallying national unity and silencing dissent. The attempt to engineer revolution from outside may not only fail – it may backfire. If Israel's ultimate aim was to catalyse a regime collapse, it may have underestimated the historical resilience of Iran's political system and the unifying power of national trauma. As bombs fall and generals die, Iran's social fabric does not appear to be fraying. Instead, it may be stitching itself back together. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Middle East Eye
3 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Why Israel's attacks are backfiring as Iranians rally around the flag
Israel appears to have forgotten a lesson from the Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980. Instead of inducing regime change, it led to the people of Iran rallying behind the Islamic Republic in the name of nationalism, not necessarily out of love for the clerical elite. Rather than fuelling internal dissent, Israel's recent strikes have similarly sparked a resurgence of nationalist feeling - centred not on support for the regime, but on defence of the nation. There have been public mourning ceremonies and online tributes. Even some of those once aligned with the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement have begun expressing solidarity with those they now frame as 'defenders of the homeland'. In working-class neighbourhoods and rural areas, where opposition movements had struggled to gain a foothold, such sentiments are even stronger. Israel's attempt to divide the Iranian people from their state has, at least for now, backfired. The dominant reaction inside Iran has not been jubilation or uprising, but a rallying around the flag - a phenomenon familiar to those who study the mechanics of national trauma and external threat. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The targeting of high-ranking officials, far from emboldening calls for regime change, has been interpreted by many Iranians as a direct assault on national sovereignty. Beyond Israel's high-profile air strikes on Iran's nuclear and missile infrastructure, and the deliberate suppression of Iran's air defence systems, the most consequential and defining achievement of Israel's recent military campaign lies elsewhere: in the targeted assassinations of Iran's top military leadership. Broader ambitions The deaths of Mohammad Bagheri, the Iranian army's chief of staff; Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, among others, have left the upper echelons of Iran's military apparatus shaken. These were not peripheral figures. They were the architects of Iran's regional deterrence doctrine, and their coordinated elimination - within hours - signals a shift in the nature and objectives of Israel's campaign. The operation went far beyond a preemptive strike against nuclear escalation; it delivered a calibrated blow to the strategic command structure of the Islamic Republic. Israel might have inadvertently provided the Islamic Republic with a powerful political gift: a moment of cohesion, a common enemy While Israeli officials officially maintain that their core objective is to stall or derail Iran's nuclear ambitions, the scale and precision of the strikes - particularly Monday's attack on a national television station, and the assassinations of top officials - suggest broader ambitions. For years, there has been speculation in regional and western policy circles that Israel's long-term strategic calculus views a strong, stable and territorially intact Iran as an enduring geopolitical threat. Israel regards Iran not merely as a hostile state, but as a regional civilisational rival whose power must be contained - not just its nuclear programme, but its very political and geographic coherence. This strategic logic has shaped decades of covert operations, diplomatic isolation efforts, and economic sanctions. It also informs long-standing ideas - whispered and sometimes stated outright - about eventual regime change, and even the fracturing of Iran into smaller, weaker successor states. Such visions, once confined to hawkish policy white papers in Washington and Tel Aviv, gained renewed currency in the wake of the nationwide protests in Iran following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini. The uprising, led by women and youth under the slogan 'Woman, Life, Freedom', presented the clearest domestic challenge to the Islamic Republic in a generation. Sensing an opportunity, both the US and Israel amplified their support for opposition groups. Among them, Reza Pahlavi - the exiled crown prince - emerged as a symbolic figure. His widely publicised visit to Israel, and his statements openly calling for coordinated support to overthrow the Islamic Republic, was unprecedented. This convergence of opposition figures and foreign governments marked a shift from passive solidarity to open alignment. Liberation narrative That realignment became more explicit in the aftermath of this month's strikes, when Israel's messaging pivoted. No longer framed solely around nuclear non-proliferation, Israel began portraying its operations as part of a broader struggle to liberate the Iranian people from a repressive regime. The narrative emphasises a separation between the Islamic Republic and the Iranian populace, insisting that this is not a war against Iran, but against its rulers. Public campaigns have sought to connect Israel's military actions to the aspirations of ordinary Iranians. Diaspora figures such as Pahlavi and former footballer Ali Karimi have publicly echoed this framing, calling on Iranians to support the downfall of the regime. But despite the clear strategic communications effort, the campaign has failed to capture the domestic imagination in Iran. A colonial reckoning: How Israel's war on Iran reopens old wounds Read More » What the Israeli leadership and its allies might have underestimated is the Iranian public's deeply ingrained historical memory and reflexive resistance to foreign intervention. While opposition to the Islamic Republic remains widespread, especially among younger and urban populations, the sight of a foreign military killing Iranian commanders on Iranian soil triggers an altogether different sentiment. This shift is not just symbolic. The level of domestic unity being observed, especially in contrast to past periods of internal unrest - such as the 2019 fuel protests or the Amini demonstrations - suggests that Israel might have inadvertently provided the Islamic Republic with a powerful political gift: a moment of cohesion, a common enemy, and a temporary suspension of internal divisions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thus joined the ranks of Saddam Hussein, whose decision to invade Iran in 1980 consolidated Ayatollah Khomeini's precarious position among other revolutionary factions in Iran. It is premature to say whether this unity will last. Iran remains a deeply fractured society with generational, ideological and economic cleavages. But for now, it is clear that the Israeli strikes have not accelerated regime collapse; rather, they might have delayed it. And in the long arc of strategic planning, Israel's most recent operation may be remembered not for what it destroyed - but for what it unintentionally reinforced. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Israeli strikes damage Iran's main nuclear site at Natanz, says IAEA
Israeli strikes have damaged underground uranium enrichment facilities at Iran's key nuclear fuel production site, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Monday, citing high-resolution satellite imagery taken after the attacks on Friday. "Based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz. No change to report at Esfahan and Fordow," the United Nations nuclear watchdog posted on X. The Natanz facility, located in central Iran, houses approximately 15,000 centrifuges used to separate uranium isotopes, according to Bloomberg. The site is built underground and protected by multiple layers of steel and reinforced concrete. Four days ago, UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told an emergency session of the UN Security Council that Israeli strikes had destroyed the above-ground portion of the Natanz facility. He stated that the site's electrical infrastructure and backup power systems were also eliminated, along with a section used for enriching uranium to 60 per cent purity. Operation Rising Lion and escalating tensions The strikes were part of Operation Rising Lion, launched by Israel on 13 June. Israeli forces reportedly targeted over 100 critical infrastructure sites in Iran, focusing on key nuclear and missile facilities in Natanz and Isfahan. The offensive is said to have resulted in the deaths of top Iranian officials, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri and General Hossein Salami, as well as six nuclear scientists connected to Iran's uranium enrichment and missile development programmes. Israel stated that the aim of the operation was to significantly impair Iran's ability to pursue its nuclear ambitions. On Tuesday, Israel further claimed to have killed Major General Ali Shadmani, Iran's most senior military commander, in an airstrike in central Tehran—just days after eliminating his predecessor. Iran retaliates with missile and drone attacks In response to the Israeli strikes, Iran launched a series of ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting several Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. The Iranian government warned of intensified retaliation should Israeli military actions persist and cautioned Western countries against backing Israel in the ongoing conflict. US urges evacuation from Tehran Amid rising tensions, US President Donald Trump issued a warning on Tuesday urging civilians to evacuate Tehran, citing the risk of further military escalation. 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
What are Iran's key nuclear sites? What can destroy them?
Israel has struck several of Iran's nuclear facilities during Operation Rising Lion. But how much damage has been caused? read more Israel launched strikes against Iran early June 13, hitting its nuclear programme and targeting its long-range missile capabilities. File image/Reuters Tensions between Iran and Israel have reached a boiling point in recent days with both sides trading airstrikes, missiles, and fiery warnings. What began as rising hostility has now escalated into one of the region's most serious military escalations in years. In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched its most extensive assault on Iran in years. Dubbed Operation Rising Lion, the strikes were widespread and intense, hitting Iran's nuclear facilities, long-range missile sites, taking out top generals, and over two dozen nuclear scientists. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The offensive is being called the heaviest blow to the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. Israel has long accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian energy programme. 'This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival,' said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, justifying the operation as a necessary act of defence. Iran, for its part, suffered devastating losses in the strike. Among the dead were Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the country's top-ranking military officer, IRGC commander Hossein Salami, and Ali Shadmani, who served as Iran's wartime Chief of Staff. Tehran responded swiftly, firing hundreds of missiles and drones at Israeli targets over the next few days. While Iran vowed to 'open the gates of hell', Israel made it clear that this was just the beginning of a broader campaign. So, how vulnerable are Iran's nuclear sites in light of this high-stakes exchange? Here's a closer look
