LOC10:28
07:28 GMT
TEHRAN, June 13 (KUNA) -- The Islamic Republic of Iran announced on Friday that it is preparing a decisive response to the recent Israeli occupation's airstrikes that targeted Tehran and several other cities across the country.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), an informed source stated that Iran's response to the Zionist entity's attacks carried out early on Friday will be decisive.
The strikes were part of a large-scale operation launched by the Israeli occupation's forces, dubbed as "Operation Rising Lion," which involved five waves of aerial bombardment targeting Iran's nuclear facilities and long-range missile.
Iran state television reported that approximately 50 people were wounded in the strikes and transported to Shahid Chamran Hospital in northern Iran, and medical officials confirmed that among the injured were at least 35 women and children
In a major escalation, Iranian authorities also confirmed the deaths of several senior figures, including Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami.
The airstrikes also claimed the lives of a number of senior IRGC officers, nuclear scientists, and civilians, and struck critical nuclear facilities and residential areas.
The unprecedented attack marks a significant escalation in regional tensions, with Iran signaling it will retaliate forcefully, and international observers have expressed concern over the potential for further destabilization in the Middle East. (end)
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