Over 20 senior commanders are believed to have been eliminated by this morning’s strike by the Israeli Air Force on an underground command bunker beneath the Headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Aerospace Forces. Additionally, more than 30 senior officials linked to Iran’s nuclear project have been eliminated.

DEVELOPING: Iran has apparently shut off the Internet across the entire country.

Donald Trump to ABC News on Israel’s strikes on Iran: “I think it’s been excellent.  We gave them a chance and they didn’t take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you’re going to get hit. And there’s more to come. A lot more.”

The IDF issued an official statement shortly after launching airstrikes on Iran, describing the campaign as a “preemptive strike” against an immediate and mounting danger.
According to top Israeli defense officials, Iran’s nuclear program had progressed to a stage that posed a direct existential risk. The regime in Tehran, which has long declared its intention to destroy Israel, was, in their eyes, on the verge of crossing an irreversible threshold. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir addressed the nation, explaining that the situation had “reached the point of no return.”
David Horovitz, writing for the Times of Israel, explains the background of Israel’s attack.

In a dramatic late-night briefing, IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari confirmed that Israel struck and destroyed key elements of Iran’s air defense infrastructure and eliminated top figures within the Islamic Republic’s military leadership. The unprecedented announcement followed the launch of Operation Im KeLavi, Israel’s largest military strike against Iran to date.
“Tonight, under the direction of the political echelon, we launched Operation Im KeLavi,” Brig. Gen. Hagari declared. “In a coordinated and precise strike deep in enemy territory, our air force attacked military and nuclear-related targets throughout various regions of Iran. These attacks are still ongoing.”

Israel duped the Islamic Republic prior to its unprecedented attack on Iranian soil overnight Thursday in a number of ways, including hinting that nothing would happen before Avner Netanyahu’s wedding next week; US envoy Steve Witkoff’s fictitious meeting with Iran on Sunday; and Trump’s “warnings” to Netanyahu to refrain from attacking Iran, Channel 12 News reported. According to Yisrael Hayom, military analysts are calling the deception operation the most sophisticated in Israel’s modern history.

CRAZINESS!: An Israeli Air Force Fuel Tanker is seen refueling a fighter jet over the skies of Syria. Israel has totally destroyed all air defenses in Lebanon, Syria, Iran and can apparently operate freely.

Iranian sources claim that Tabriz airport and an underground ballistic missile base in the region were just destroyed.