Iran has enriched enough uranium to build 9 nuclear warheads, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announcing Operation Rising Lion, a large-scale airstrike campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure on June 12–13, 2025.
Netanyahu stated that Iran had taken “unprecedented steps” to weaponize its enriched uranium, claiming that Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in less than a year if not stopped. He said the strikes were a preemptive move to prevent what he described as a “nuclear Holocaust” and an existential threat to Israel.
The Israeli operation targeted key nuclear sites including Natanz, ballistic missile factories, and military-scientific leaders involved in Iran’s nuclear program. According to Netanyahu, the strikes were timed just days before scheduled US-Iran nuclear talks, to prevent Tehran from using diplomacy to shield its nuclear advances.
Netanyahu said Israel had “no choice but to act and act now” to roll back Iran’s nuclear progress. He framed the attack under Israel’s Begin Doctrine, which supports preemptive strikes against nations developing nuclear weapons.
