More than 900 targets in Iran were hit by Israelis during Operation Rising Lion, according to an Israeli army statement.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that 11 Iranian nuclear scientists and 30 senior security officials, including three senior commanders, were killed during the operation.
CNN had previously reported on the death of Iran’s top military officer, the head of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its air force.
The operation “hit” a total of more than 900 targets, destroying 200 missile launchers, which, according to the IDF, accounted for half of Iran’s total launchers. The strikes also destroyed aircraft and missile production facilities, “thus preventing the manufacture of thousands of additional missiles,” the statement said.
On Thursday, Israel’s defense minister said in an interview with Channel 13 that there was no opportunity to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the operation, but said Israel would have “eliminated” him if such an opportunity had arisen.
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