Israel’s Military Attacks Iran
On Friday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel was firing military strikes at Iran, in response to Iran’s attempt to build a nuclear bomb.
Netanyahu said that Iran was a threat to “Israel’s very survival.” Following Israel’s attack, Iran launched hundreds of drones at Israel. Iran also launched many more strikes of its own on Israel, and called for other countries around the world to condemn them. The two countries have continued to attack each other repetitively.
Israel is a country in the Middle East, with a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. In 1948, Israel was created as a homeland for Jewish people, following World War Two and the Holocaust. Iran is also a country in the Middle East, bordering many countries including Afghanistan in the east and Iraq in the west. Iran is an Islamic Republic, where religious leaders have a big say in the running of the country. Most people in Iran follow the Shia interpretation of Islam.
Iran and Israel have been enemies for a long time- however, their relationship has been especially tense recently, leading them to engage in military attacks against each other.
Iran has long been accused of been building a nuclear bomb, which it has always denied. Iran says that its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes, like making electricity, rather than building a bomb. Last week, a United Nations body (also know as the IAEA) said that Iran was not complying with rules on sharing information about its nuclear program.
The two countries’ attacks have sprouted many reactions. For instance, Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the strikes against Iran were a “targeted military operation,” explaining that “if [Iran is] not stopped, [they] could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time.”
In response to the strikes in Iran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says that Israel “should anticipate a severe punishment.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said that America was not involved in the strikes and did not provide any assistance. U.S. President Donald Trump also told Fox News that he hopes that Iran will continue negotiations with the United States on holding back its nuclear program.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says that Guterres is “particularly concerned by Israeli attacks on nuclear installations in Iran, while talks between Iran and the United States on the status of Iran’s nuclear program are underway. The Secretary-General has asked both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford.“
Also against this violence is UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who urged both Iran and Israel to “step back and reduce tensions urgently,” calling the strikes “concerning.” He also added that “stability in the Middle East must be the priority.”
World leaders from a group of countries known as the G7, which includes the UK, US and Canada, are meeting later today, and will be discussing the conflict.
References: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/16/world/iran-israel-new