Israel launched a major air attack on Iran, killing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Hossein Salami in the Guard’s headquarters and targeting Iran’s nuclear weapons development centers.
Multiple simultaneous attacks across the country apparently took Iran by surprise, killing multiple military leaders. While President Trump’s comments earlier Thursday seemed to imply Israel could attack soon, no one foresaw it happening before Sunday, the next scheduled talks between Iran and the U.S.
Israel says it launched the attack to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. A variety of reports say Iran has enough nuclear materials to rapidly develop ten to fifteen nuclear weapons, which could be mounted on its ballistic missiles.
An Evolving Story
I’m writing this at 11 p.m. Eastern time, and the news is still breaking. Strikes are ongoing even as dawn breaks across the Middle East. By the time you read this, more will be known.
As of now, it appears Israel will not be satisfied with a single attack. They are already on the second wave of what is expected to be multiples waves attacks, which will last hours or days. They want to knock out Iran’s nuclear facilities and their ability to launch ballistic missiles and other long range attacks on Israel.
Iran is expected to respond. It is just a question of when and how, as there may be some disarray among Iran’s forces after attacks on its command and control apparatus.
Other things to watch as the attacks unfold:
- How the Iranian people react. Will they rally behind Iran or will they revolt?
- Will Iran target U.S. bases and naval ships? Doing some would invite a U.S. response.
- Once satellite pictures are available, will there be evidence of bunker-busting bombs striking the Iranian underground bunkers? How successful will these attacks have been?
- Will Iranian proxies attack Israel or the United States?
- How will other Middle Eastern countries react? Will they lie low or take sides?
- At what level will the U.S. get involved? Will it intercept Iranian missiles aimed at Israel as it did last year? Or will it become an aggressor and use its stealth fighters and bombers to strike Iran?
Keep your eye on the news, monitor the situation, and act accordingly. I recommend avoiding potential terrorist targets and travel outside the United States.
