Note: This report was last updated as of 4 p.m. EDT, June 13, 2025. Things are still actively unfolding. For the latest, check live updates from the Associated PressTimes of Israel, or The Guardian.

In a sweeping and highly coordinated military and intelligence operation, Israel launched what it called a preemptive strike early Friday morning against Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure, following years of covert groundwork. The effort, named Operation Rising Lion, combined deep-cover Mossad activity and wide-scale Israeli Air Force (IAF) strikes, culminating in one of the most ambitious Israeli operations in history.

According to Israeli security officials cited by The Times of IsraelN12Euronews, and Fox News, Mossad had spent years infiltrating Iranian territory. Their agents reportedly smuggled in precision-guided weapons, camouflaged advanced strike systems in vehicles, and even established a secret drone base near Tehran. 

The intention, officials said, was to create the conditions for a decapitating blow to Iran’s air defense and long-range missile capabilities, executed from within Iran’s own borders.

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