Shortly after five in the morning, a massive explosion shakes the Iranian capital. Smoke rises above the building of the state broadcaster, a reporter has to cut off his live broadcast. It is the dramatic climax of an air offensive with which Israel has been attacking Iran for six days – targeted, massive, devastating. According to the Washington-based organization Human Rights Activists, 585 people have already died, including nearly 240 civilians. Iran itself hardly releases any figures anymore, and many people are fleeing from Tehran toward the west. The bazaar is closed – a signal that was last seen only during the 2022 protests or the pandemic.
Israel claimed responsibility for the attacks on Tehran during the night. More than 50 fighter jets were reportedly involved, and among other targets, a centrifuge production facility was said to have been destroyed. A military academy of the Revolutionary Guard in Hakimiyeh also appears to have been hit. At the same time, Israel reported the killing of General Ali Shadmani, who had only been appointed last week as the new commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya central command. With his death, the Iranian leadership has lost a key figure – only days after the death of his predecessor, also by an Israeli airstrike.
As the bombs fall, US President Donald Trump takes the escalation to a new rhetorical level. In a social media post, he demands the "unconditional surrender" of Iran, warns Ayatollah Khamenei that they "know where he is hiding," and adds that there are "at least for now" no plans to kill him. In Washington, officials are trying to avoid the impression of direct involvement – but new US fighter jets have been deployed to the region. A phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms the close coordination behind the scenes.
Iran responds with rocket attacks - over 400 projectiles and hundreds of drones have so far been fired at Israel, with at least 24 people killed. But the intensity of the attacks is decreasing – possibly due to the destruction of Iranian launchers. General Abdul Rahim Mousavi, meanwhile, announced a "punishment operation" that is yet to come. In Israel, the alarms on Wednesday did not remain silent, including in Dimona, the center of Israel's nuclear program. The US Embassy in Jerusalem remains closed for the time being. The region is reeling – between war and madness, between technocratic precision and religious fury.
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