Operations "True Promise 3" and "Rising Lion" continue, but... who is winning and who is losing?
Let's try to find out based on the fact on the ground and what we know so far.
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Time for another update, as Iranian “Operation True Promise 3” against Little Satan (a.k.a. Israel) continued overnight until dawn, in retaliation to the Zionist aggression Iran, which is also still ongoing (check my previous article on how it all started).
Last night Iran launched new waves of missiles, at least 6 now, since the start of “True Promise 3”, targeting and hitting “strategic sites” all across Israel and, in particular, Tel Aviv, al-Quds (Jerusalem), Haifa, Bir al-Sabee' and the Tabarayya Lake, as well as al-Naqab desert, which hosts strategic Israeli air bases, military sites, and the Dimona nuclear site, as reported in this Al Mayadeen article, quoting Israeli media, including Channel 13 and Channel 14.
An “extremely dangerous” event was reported in Tel Aviv, such as a missile impact near the Israeli Security Ministry, HaKirya, or maybe - even worse! - missile strikes on a nuclear research center in Tel Aviv, as reported by Amir Mousavi, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies and International Relations, quoted by Al Mayadeen. However, it must be said, the Zionists are targeting nuclear power plants and researcher centres in Iran, such as the Natanz (see satellite photo below - courtesy of Andrei Martyanov), Isfahan, Kamalvandi and Fordow nuclear facilities, the latter of which is one of Iran’s most fortified nuclear facilities and has sustained limited damage, as per Al Mayadeen, which quoted Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO), as saying:
There has been limited damage to some areas at the Fordow enrichment site.
We had already moved a significant part of the equipment and materials out, and there was no extensive damage, and there are no contamination concerns.
No casualties have been reported, though, in Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, as reported by IRNA, quoting the same Behrouz Kamalvandi.
But let’s go back to the Iranian missile barrage against Israel (we will go back to the ongoing Israeli strikes on Iran later). Here are a few videos of the missile hits during the overnight missile barrage, which lasted at least until dawn (as you can see in the last one), when Iranian missiles, launched at 4:39 AM, targeted the Tabaryya lake, the southern occupied Golan, and the lower al-Jalil, with early warning sirens activated half an hour later or, in some cases, not sounding at all:
Please notice in the video below how the (Anglo-)Zionists put air defense systems firing from densely populated areas in Tel Aviv to intercept Iranian missiles, yet they blame Hamas in Gaza to use Palestinians as human shield and complain later about Israeli civilian casualties - hypocrites!
Here instead are a couple of videos of the aftermath of the overnight Iranian missile barrage on Israel:
Also, please watch this video, showing an Iranian ballistic missile that just struck Tel Aviv travelling so fast and hitting the target so hard that it caused a shock wave, with analysts arguing that this could be a new kind of missile that Iran has not used in combat before, as per MintPress News:
Now this is a huge military lesson to the Anglo-Zionists, whose “super duper” air defenses cannot stop Iranian and Yemeni hypersonic ballistic missiles (yes, Ansar Allah has launched a few missiles overnight too! - Source: Al Mayadeen) and who have been losing at least two F-35s over Iran (at least according to Iranian sources, e.g. Tasnim, which today has reported on a third one), as discussed in my previous article. Maybe that’s the reason why US President Donald J. Trump has been silent on this topic on his Truth Social for more than 24 hours now: he is probably disappointed by the performance of US jet fighters (and their Israeli pilots), missiles, Patriot and THAAD batteries… oh, well… I understand it, but… hey, you (Trump) and Netanyahu started the war with Iran and now you own it and you pay the consequences for it!
On the other hand, US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, could not stay quiet and had to vent his rant on X (formerly Twitter), complaining about Iranian missiles keeping him awake all night, as he had run to the shelter 5 times… poor star! Think about the innocent Palestinian civilians, especially children and women, whom you and your fellow (Anglo-)Zionists burned alive in Gaza in their sleep! Thank God that you are still alive and pray that you do not get killed in the next Iranian missile wave or you may end up in hell quicker than you thought!
However, as aforementioned, it must be said that Iran is also being bombed by Little Satan, though not at the same level as Iran has been pounding Israel. Here for instance are couple of videos from Teheran (courtesy of The Times of Israel) - no huge missile barrage as in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities (yawn, life is so boring in Iran! Just kidding!):
Also, Al Mayadeen reported that Iranian military defenses “downed an Israeli drone over the southern city of Bushehr” and intercepted Israeli targets in the Lavizan area, east of Tehran, whereas Iranian security forces intercepted trucks loaded with drones, probably pre-programmed or remotely controlled to target Iranian officials or other sensitive military targets within the country - this is reminiscent of what happened in Russia at the beginning of this month (June 2025), when Ukrainian GUR (Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine) attacked Russian strategic air bases in Olenya, Murmansk, and Belaya in the Irkutsk region using drones coming out of trucks (I briefly touched upon it in an update at the end of this article here).
In another article Al Mayadeen quoted Iranian forces stating that…
Iranian Islamic fighters in the Salmas border region successfully shot down Israeli drones that had violated the nation’s airspace.
…while The Times of Israel reported on the targeting of Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport by the Israeli air forces - see also video below.
It must be said also that Iran suffered new casualties among its ranks: in particular, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Operation, Brigadier General Mahdi Rabbani, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Intelligence, Brigadier General Gholamreza Mehrabi were killed in Israeli strikes, as per Tasnim.
Another Al Mayadeen article this morning reported on the Iranian bombardment of Rishon LeZion in central Israel, which “holds significant military importance due to its proximity to strategic military infrastructure, such as the Kirya military headquarters, making it a key logistical and command hub during wars. It lies near major defense industry hubs like Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael, with many residents contributing to military R&D and production. The settlement's role in military recruitment, especially in tech and intelligence units, further ties it to the Israeli military's ecosystem”. Al Mayadeen quoted Israeli media reporting on “casualties stuck beneath the rubble” and that “around 10 firefighting and rescue teams are operating in the area”, emphasizing that “destruction in the central district has been unprecedented”. That was probably the last missile salvo from Iran, as, since then, there have been only interceptions of “several Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over the occupied West Bank and the Dead Sea, reportedly launched from Iranian territory”, as per Al Mayadeen and Tasnim, according to which Arash suicide drones with a range of 2,000 km were used.
Later in the day, Al Mayadeen, citing the Israeli Maariv newspaper, revealed that a missile strike on Rishon LeZion, which killed two settlers, “landed just 250 meters from the home of a former senior official in the Israeli security establishment”, who now “serves as the CEO of one of ‘Israel’s’ major energy companies and is considered a prominent public figure”. Clearly, the Iranian have indeed gathered very good intelligence, as I reported in previous articles (here and here).
Meanwhile, Little Satan has continued carrying out attacks in Iran and, in particular, in Tabriz, Khorramabad, and Kermanshah, though “Iranian air defense systems were actively intercepting incoming Israeli missiles” and “the Tabriz oil refinery remained undamaged”, according to Al Mayadeen, citing a Tasnim report.
We will now move to the “war of words” between Israel and Iran.
Speaking on Iranian TV last night, Brigadier General Ahmadi Vahidi, a top advisor to the IRGC (Islamic Revolution Guards Corps) commander, confirmed that “Operation True Promise 3” hit over 150 Israeli targets in multiple stages, including “Nevatim and Ovda airbases, in which the Israeli regime’s command and control center and electronic warfare center are located”, “Tel Nof airbase near Tel Aviv, the Zionist regime’s defense ministry, as well as its industrial and military centers in Tel Aviv”, as reported by Tasnim this morning.
On the other hand, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, rejected the Israeli claim that his country targeted residential areas. Well… even if they did, there are legitimate military targets, as we have seen in the videos above, e.g. air defense batteries - so, who’s the culprit? The Zionists of course! After all, don’t they target Palestinian hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, UN offices in Gaza, etc. because, allegedly, Hamas hides there? Hypocrites! But let’s read Shekarchi’s statement, as reported by IRNA (all emphasis mine):
It was this fake, child-killing Israeli regime that attacked our residential areas on Friday, massacring a significant number of innocent civilians—women and children.
The Israeli regime is utterly incapable of intercepting Iran’s powerful, precision-guided missiles—which can penetrate all layers of the Israeli air defenses—even with the help of its supporters, particularly the United States.
The Israeli regime and its supporters have made a grave miscalculation and they believe that by assassinating some of the brave Iranian commanders, they can create weakness for us.
Think that this is just the beginning! Hezbollah and other members of the Axis of Resistance have not yet entered the fray. In fact, as reported by Tasnim this morning, a senior Iranian official told CNN that “Iran will intensify its attacks on the Israeli regime and target the regional bases of any country that tries to defend the regime”, noting that “Iran reserves the legitimate right to respond to the Israeli regime’s act of aggression that claimed the lives of several top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists in the early hours of” 13th June 2025, according to Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Earlier this afternoon Al Mayadeen quoted a statement released by the Secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council stating that “all necessary domestic preparedness measures to sustain its ongoing military campaign against ‘Israel’”:
Domestic preparedness issues have also been reviewed, and the necessary measures have been taken.
…following a high-level meeting of Iran's security council yesterday, when “plans to continue Iran's military operations, signaling Tehran's commitment to respond forcefully to any further attacks on its territory”.
It is clear that Iran will not stop its attacks on Israel until the latter stops its aggression against Iran. The problem is that Israel is saying the same, but the other way around (i.e. Israel will not stop bombing Iran, until the latter stops its missile strikes on the former), though it’s Israel that started this war with allegedly “pre-emptive strikes”, as I reported here. In fact, earlier today, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued this ominous warning, as quoted by The Times of Israel:
The Iranian dictator is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and creating a reality in which they, especially the residents of Tehran, will pay a heavy price for the criminal attack on Israeli civilians.
If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn.
That’s how it works for Israel and the West. First, you provoke your enemy, then, when it retaliates, you cry wolf… exactly as the Outlaw US Empire and its NATO and EU vassal states did in Ukraine: first the Euromaidan coup in 2014, then the anti-terrorist operation against Russophones and Russians in Donbass who did not recognize the new puppet regime installed in Kiev, then, finally Russia started its Special Military Operation in Ukraine in February 2022, they accused Russia of being the aggressor… but I do not want to repeat myself, as I already mentioned this story in my previous article yesterday. If you do not believe me on this story of Ukraine, please check the bibliography in my response to a comment to my article (I think I need to create a dedicated article on it!).
But I am digressing. Let’s move to what happened last night at the UN Security Council emergency session requested by Iran. As per Al Mayadeen, “Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reported to the Security Council that the above-ground experimental enrichment facility at the Natanz site had been destroyed during the Israeli attack, citing the Iranian authorities”, whereas “Russian envoy Vasily Nebenzya expressed condolences to Iran and condemned the Israeli attack as unprovoked and dangerous”, accusing Israel of derailing the US-Iran nuclear talks, blaming “Western countries for inciting unjustified hostility toward Iran”, accusing UK of allowing “Israeli warplanes to operate from a military base in Cyprus”. Similarly, Fu Cong, China’s representative, “condemned the Israeli violation of Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “called for an immediate end to all Israeli military actions and urged peaceful resolution of disputes”. On the other hand, “US representative McCoy Pitt acknowledged that ‘Israel’ took unilateral action against Iran” and “confirmed that Washington had prior knowledge of the strikes but did not participate militarily”, warning Tehran against targeting American assets in the region, at risk of severe consequences.
If you have some time, I strongly recommend that you read the full text (or at the least, the parts I emphasized) of the statement that Saeed Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN), issued last night at the UN Security Council (UNSC), or the statement issued to the press afterwards (further down). Here is the full text of Iravani’s speech at the UNSC, as reported by Tasnim and IRNA (emphasis added):
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Madam President,
We extend our sincere congratulations to Guyana on assuming the Presidency of the Security Council this month, and we thank you for your coordination and for convening this urgent and important meeting.
We appreciate USG, Ms. DiCarlo, and DG. Mr. Grossi, for their contribution to this meeting.
We also wish to express our appreciation to Algeria, Pakistan, China, and the Russian Federation for their support in convening this emergency session to address Israel’s unlawful act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, a grave violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
I address the Council today on behalf of the people and Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the utmost urgency and grave alarm.
Madam President,
Last night, the Israeli regime, the most dangerous and terrorist regime in the world, with full intelligence and political support from the United States regime, conducted a series of coordinated and premeditated military attacks across multiple cities in Iran. These acts of aggression and unlawful strikes target peaceful nuclear facilities, military sites, vital civilian infrastructure, and residential areas.
Among the key targets was the Natanz nuclear facility, a safeguarded site under the full monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Madam President,
We strongly and unequivocally condemn these barbaric and criminal attacks. A series of targeted assassinations were against senior military officials, nuclear scientists, and innocent civilians. So far, seventy-eight [78] people, including senior military officials, have been martyred and over 320 others injured, the overwhelming majority of them civilians, including women and children.
Earlier today, Israel continued its acts of aggression against Iran, once again targeting multiple civilian and military sites across several Iranian cities.
These deliberate and systematic killings were not only illegal but inhumane, a chilling display of calculated aggression.
These atrocities constitute clear acts of state terrorism and flagrant violations of international law.
Madam President,
The inaction of the United Nations, the Security Council, and the IAEA, despite repeated and documented warnings by the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding Israeli threats against its nuclear sites, has seriously undermined their credibility and authority. Their silence in the face of repeated Israeli provocations has emboldened this rogue regime to escalate its violations and cross every red line.
Let us be clear: this reckless attack on safeguarded nuclear facilities defies not only the fundamental principles of international law but also basic human conscience. Any damage to these facilities risks catastrophic radiological consequences that would not be confined to Iran, but could spread across the region and beyond. Only a regime devoid of humanity and responsibility would endanger millions of lives in pursuit of its destructive ambitions.
These actions stand in direct violation of numerous legal instruments, including the IAEA Statute, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Geneva Conventions, and multiple Security Council and IAEA General Conference resolutions, all of which prohibit attacks or threats against nuclear facilities under safeguards.
Above all, this aggression is a grave breach of the United Nations Charter, particularly Article 2(4), which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any Member State.
Israel also violated Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Permanent Mission of Iraq today formally protested and condemned this violation of its territorial integrity in a letter to the Security Council and the Secretary-General.
Madam President,
Those who support this regime, with the United States at the forefront, must understand that they are complicit. By aiding and enabling these crimes, they share full responsibility for the consequences. Supporting Israel today is supporting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the deliberate undermining of global peace and security.
The Israeli regime’s long-standing crimes against the oppressed Palestinian people, its repeated violations of the sovereignty of regional countries, and its possession of undeclared weapons of mass destruction [see this Al Mayadeen article by Kit Klarenberg on this topic] have made the Middle East a cauldron of chronic instability since its creation. It is long overdue for the international community to act: this regime must be disarmed of all WMDs, placed under international supervision, and held fully accountable.
Madam President,
This is not a regional issue. This is not merely an attack on one country. This is a direct assault on the international order, an attack on the Charter of the United Nations, the UN system, the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, as well as the authority of the IAEA.
Israel’s leadership, including its criminal Prime Minister, has shamelessly and publicly claimed responsibility for these heinous acts. Israel's officials said that this aggression aims to “wreck nuclear talks.” This confession alone is enough to reveal the real motives behind the attack: to kill diplomacy, to sabotage negotiations, and to drag the region into wider conflict. This leaves no room for denial.
Furthermore, the aggression was intentional, coordinated, and fully backed by a permanent member of this Council, the United States.
The United States complicity in this terrorist attacks is beyond doubt, the officials of the United States have expressly and brazenly confessed their willful aid and assistance in the crimes and gross violations that the Israeli regime committed as of last night including their deliberate transfer of arms; we will not forget that our people lost their lives as result of the Israeli attacks with American weapons.
These actions amount to a declaration of war. They are the latest in a long and well-documented pattern of lawless, destabilizing, and aggressive behavior by the Israeli regime, a regime that acts with impunity because it is shielded by powerful allies. This must end.
Madam President,
The Security Council must act now, firmly and decisively. In 1981, this very Council responded unanimously to Israel’s military attack on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor by adopting Resolution 487 (1981), which unequivocally condemned the aggression as a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. The Council also called on this criminal regime to refrain from any such acts or threats in the future. Had the Council enforced that resolution and held Israel accountable at the time, this regime would not have been emboldened to continue its unlawful behavior with impunity. The current aggression is a direct consequence of decades of inaction and double standards.
Madam President,
The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defense, as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. Iran will respond decisively and proportionately to these acts of aggression, at a time, in a place, and by means of its choosing. This is not a threat. It is the natural, legal, and necessary consequence of an unprovoked military attack.
Iran’s response will be firm, lawful, and essential to restore deterrence, defend our sovereignty, and uphold the principles of international law. No aggressor can be allowed to act with impunity.
Madam President,
We have requested this emergency meeting because we expect this Council to fulfill its Charter mandate. The Security Council must condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Israel’s unlawful aggression. It must take immediate, concrete measures to hold the Israeli regime accountable and to prevent the further erosion of international peace and security.
Anything less would signal the collapse of the international system and invite chaos.
Let me conclude with a simple and undeniable truth:
Israel attacked Iran.
Israel violated international law and the UN Charter.
And Israel must be held accountable.
The Security Council must act now and stop these acts of aggression immediately.
Silence is complicity in this crime.
Thank you.
Saeed Iravani delivered a similar statement to journalists at the stakeout after the UNSC session (source: Tasnim - see also IRNA):
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Good afternoon. I wish to make a short statement. I will not be taking questions.
We have just concluded an emergency meeting of the Security Council, convened under the agenda item: Threats to international peace and security.
The Council addressed Israel’s barbaric and criminal attacks against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
During the meeting, I made the following key points clear:
We unequivocally and forcefully condemn Israel’s unlawful and terrorist military aggression against Iran.
Israel, the most lawless and violent regime in the world, committed these barbaric attacks with the full intelligence, operational, and political backing of the United States government.
This was not self-defense. It was a premeditated, unjustifiable act of aggression.
The targets included peaceful nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, military installations, civilian infrastructure, and residential areas.
Iran has also been the victim of systematic assassinations of senior officials, scientists, and civilians, a campaign of targeted murder that violates the most basic principles of humanity.
So far, seventy-eight [78] Iranians have been killed, and more than 320 injured — the vast majority of them civilians, including women and children.
Let me be clear: Israel attacked safeguarded nuclear sites. This was a reckless, criminal act that could have triggered a radiological catastrophe far beyond Iran’s borders.
Such an attack is not only a violation of the UN Charter, the Statute of the IAEA, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty, but it is a direct threat to regional and global peace.
This was not simply an attack on Iran.
It was an attack on the international legal order, an attack on the United Nations, an attack on every nation that believes in the rule of law over the rule of force.
Israel has openly claimed responsibility. And it has done so with the active support of a permanent member of this Council, the United States.
This aggression constitutes a declaration of war.
Let me be clear: Iran will exercise its inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter.
Our response will be lawful, proportionate, and determined. And it will come at a time of our choosing.
The Security Council must act now and stop the aggressor from further aggression. It must condemn this act of aggression; it must uphold its Charter obligations; it must defend the rule of law.
Let me conclude with this:
Israel attacked Iran.
Israel violated international law.
Israel must be held accountable.
Silence is not impartiality.
Silence is complicity.
A few last sundry items:
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has issued a strong statement condemning the recent Israeli strikes on Iran, “describing them as a violation of Iranian sovereignty and a threat to regional and international security”, as per Al Mayadeen.
This morning Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei was quoted by Al Mayadeen and IRNA as stating (all emphasis mine):
It is still unclear what decision we will take regarding Sunday [indirect talks in Muscat (Oman) with the Outlaw US Empire on a nuclear deal].
It is inconceivable for Iran to imagine the Israeli regime committing such warmongering in the region without U.S. coordination or deliberate approval.
The other party acted in a way that effectively rendered negotiations meaningless.
We hold the U.S. Administration responsible for the consequences of this reckless and illegal action by the Israeli regime.
Similarly, in a phone call with EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted by Tasnim and IRNA as saying (emphasis mine):
Continuing negotiations between Iran and the US in a situation where the Zionist regime's savagery continues is unjustifiable.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has given a decisive response to the Zionist regime’s aggression in order to protect its national sovereignty, people and security, and is also determined to exercise its legitimate right to retaliatory action.
Earlier today Iranian Supreme Leader and Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, appointed Brigadier General Seyed Majid Mousavi as the new commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, replacing Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, martyred yesterday morning in an Israeli airstrike, as reported by Al Mayadeen and Tasnim.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif urged “Islamic nations to unite in confronting the Israeli occupation, warning that continued silence and division would have devastating consequences for the entire Islamic world” and asked the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) “to hold an urgent meeting and adopt a unified stance against the Israeli escalating hostilities”, as per Al Mayadeen, which quoted him as saying (all emphasis mine):
If we remain silent and disunited today, then everyone will be targeted eventually.
In this time of trial, we stand by Iran in every way. We will protect Iranian interests. Iranians are our brothers, and their grief and pain are shared. [This is significant, as Pakistan has nuclear weapons!]
We have neither recognized Israel nor established diplomatic relations with it.
I will conclude this long article with this cartoon from Saba:
P.S.: Additional reading here with Richard Silverstein’s latest post, titled “Israel Attacks Iran: Regional War Likely”, on his Tikun Olam blog. I will just quote the following two paragraphs:
The difference between Nazi Germany and Israel, between today and WWII is that the Allies united against the Nazi threat and vanquished it. Today, the world stands mute in the face of naked aggression. It calls mass airstrikes on a nation’s capital “defensive.” It calls any Iranian response “terrorism.”
Imagine FDR declaring Hitler’s invasions of Poland, Britain and France justified as “defensive acts” as US officials have done. Imagine calling the extermination of European Jewry an “unfortunate casualty of war.” This is what the world has done. We are guilty. We are accomplices.
Please read it - it is shorter than my article and worth your time (~10 minutes).
Magnificent reporting! I am grateful to the person who pointed me and others in the direction of your substack.
Thank you for this invaluable coverage.