Israel’s Daring Strike on Iran: Operation Rising Lion Ignites Tensions

A Shockwave Across the Middle East
In the predawn hours of June 13, 2025, Israel unleashed Operation Rising Lion, a bold preemptive assault on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, sending shockwaves through global markets and geopolitics. The meticulously planned operation targeted Iran’s advancing nuclear program, which Israel deemed an existential threat, marking a dramatic escalation in a decades-long shadow war. As the world grapples with the fallout, the risk of retaliation and regional instability looms large.

The Genesis of Hostility: Iran’s Revolution and Anti-Israel Ideology
The roots of the Israel-Iran enmity trace back to Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Ayatollah Khomeini’s regime severed ties with Israel, branding it the “Little Satan” alongside the U.S. as an axis of evil. Iran’s revolutionary ideology rejected Israel’s legitimacy, framing it as a Western-backed oppressor of Palestinians. By championing the Palestinian cause—despite Palestine’s Sunni majority—Iran sought to unify Muslims under its leadership, leveraging anti-Israel rhetoric to bolster its regional influence. This stance set the stage for a protracted conflict, fueled by Iran’s support for proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas, which Israel views as direct threats.

A Shadow War of Covert Strikes
For over four decades, Israel and Iran engaged in a covert war of sabotage, assassinations, and proxy conflicts. In 2010, the Stuxnet cyberattack, attributed to Israel and the U.S., crippled Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. Israel’s targeted killings, including nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020 and IRGC Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodaei in 2022, aimed to disrupt Iran’s nuclear and military ambitions. Iran retaliated through Hezbollah’s 2006 war with Israel, Hamas’s attacks, and a 2021 drone strike on an Israeli-linked tanker. By 2024, the conflict escalated with direct exchanges: Iran launched missile barrages on Israel in April and October, prompting Israeli counterstrikes, culminating in the audacious Operation Rising Lion.

Operation Rising Lion: A Preemptive Gambit
Launched on June 13, 2025, Operation Rising Lion—named Am KeLavi (“Nation like a Lion” in Hebrew)—was Israel’s response to Iran’s alarming nuclear progress. Intelligence revealed Iran could produce weapons-grade uranium for one nuclear bomb within days and up to seven within a month, enriched to 60% purity—far beyond civilian requirements. The operation aimed to dismantle Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and military leadership, signaling Israel’s resolve to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and protect its survival.

Precision and Power: Strike Methodology and Targets
Israel executed the operation with over 200 aircraft, including F-16 Falcons and stealth F-35I Adir jets, conducting five waves of strikes with 330 precision munitions. F-16s, equipped with AN/ASW-55 data-link pods for Popeye missiles, carried Small Diameter Bombs and AIM-120 missiles for surgical accuracy. The Mossad’s cyber and sabotage operations neutralized Iran’s air defenses, enabling strikes on the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, nuclear sites in Khondab and Khorramabad, and missile production centers. In Tehran, IRGC headquarters and residences of senior commanders, including Hossein Salami and Mohammad Bagheri, were hit, alongside nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, all confirmed killed.

Overcoming Past Hurdles: Air Defense Failures and Logistical Solutions
Iran’s Chinese-supplied air defense systems, similar to those bypassed in India’s 2024 Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, failed again against Israel’s advanced electronic warfare and stealth capabilities. In the late 1970s, Israel sought India’s support for refueling to strike Pakistan’s Kahuta nuclear facility, a plan complicated by Iran’s own request to India under Shahís regime for refueling to counter Pakistan’s nuclear efforts. Then-Prime Minister Morarji Desai rejected both, citing non-violence and inadvertently exposing RAW agents by informing Pakistan’s General Zia-ul-Haq. In 2025, Israel avoided such dependencies by leveraging its own Boeing 707 refueling tankers, enabling long-range missions from Israeli territory without foreign bases. This self-reliance, combined with Mossad’s sabotage of Iran’s defenses, ensured operational success.

Israel’s Rationale: Neutralizing an Existential Threat
Israel justified Operation Rising Lion as a critical preemptive strike to halt Iran’s nuclear weaponization, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a “clear and present danger” to Israel’s existence and regional stability. Citing Iran’s near-breakout capacity—enough enriched uranium for multiple warheads—and its support for anti-Israel proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas, Israel argued that delaying action risked catastrophic consequences. The operation was framed as a defense of Israel and its Arab neighbors against Iran’s regional ambitions.

Global Alarm and Diplomacy
The international community expressed alarm. China condemned Israel’s violation of Iran’s sovereignty, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian urging restraint. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for de-escalation, while the IAEA emphasized nuclear compliance monitoring. The U.S., informed but uninvolved, saw Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarify non-participation, with President Trump pushing diplomacy to avert a “massive conflict.” Jordan intercepted Iranian drones, and Germany’s pre-strike warnings to Iran signaled tacit support for curbing its nuclear program. Iran’s allies, like Yemen’s Houthis, threatened U.S. targets, escalating tensions.

Iran’s Defiant Vow of Retaliation
Iran’s leadership reacted with fury, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei labeling the strikes a “crime against humanity” and vowing “severe punishment.” President Masoud Pezeshkian suspended U.S. nuclear talks, and state media confirmed the deaths of IRGC leaders and scientists. Iran launched 100 drones at Israel, with indications of planned missile strikes similar to its 2024 barrages. Despite weakened defenses and leadership losses, Iran may resort to proxy attacks via the Houthis or cyberattacks, though its capacity for large-scale retaliation is constrained.

Economic Ripples Worldwide
The strikes sent global markets into turmoil. Brent crude oil prices soared 15% to over $92 per barrel, threatening supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, critical for 12% of global trade. U.S. stock futures plummeted 600 points, with investors flocking to gold and bonds. Rising shipping costs and inflation fears may delay central bank rate cuts, disrupting global economic recovery and supply chains.

India’s Economic Exposure
India, heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil (over 80% of imports), saw its Sensex and Nifty drop over 1%. A $10/barrel oil price hike could widen India’s trade deficit by $12-13 billion annually, fueling inflation and delaying Reserve Bank rate cuts. Red Sea disruptions threaten 15-20% higher freight costs for exports like textiles, while delays in the Chabahar Port and IMEC projects hinder trade. India’s $692 billion forex reserves provide a temporary shield, but prolonged conflict could strain its economy.

The Road Ahead: Regional Conflict Risks
Israel’s state of emergency braces for Iran’s retaliation, likely limited to missile and drone strikes due to its diminished military capacity. Hezbollah, decimated by Israel’s 2024 campaign and cut off from Syrian supply routes post-Assad, is unlikely to pose a significant threat. Syria’s new Sunni leadership prioritizes neutrality, reducing its role. Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, focused on economic stability, are unlikely to join Iran, whose “Axis of Resistance” is fractured. While a full-scale regional war is improbable, miscalculations—such as Iran targeting U.S. assets or accelerating its nuclear program—could escalate tensions. Proxy attacks or disruptions in shipping lanes remain key risks, with the Middle East at a precarious juncture.

Operation Rising Lion has thrust the Israel-Iran rivalry into a volatile new phase, with global calls for restraint clashing against Iran’s vow for revenge. India, balancing ties with both nations, faces economic challenges but remains uninvolved. The region’s future hinges on whether diplomacy can prevail or if retaliatory spirals ignite broader conflict.