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One of the most significant cross-border strikes in recent memory of the region has already been launched as a result of Israel’s ongoing military assault on Iran. It included well-known assassinations and sophisticated cyberattacks, far more than a focused operation against missile silos or nuclear facilities. Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of its Aerospace Force, are just a few of the most notable developments so far. Since Iran’s military leadership suffered the most severe blow to its military since the 1980-1988 conflict with Iraq, with these killings being the most recent example. The assault is the expression of a political doctrine that has been developed for a long time. However, beneath the surface, it is more than just a military maneuver.

The Islamic Republic’s destabilization and eventual collapse are now more apparent than ever as Israeli officials have publicly stated that the operation was a preemptive action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Israeli and some American strategists have argued for years that regime change is the only real way to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions, sometimes in secret and occasionally overtly. Through psychological, political, and social pressure inside Iran, the current campaign in line with this long-held goal.

According to recent research, the operation was intended to start an internal uprising. The playbook is well-known for those who have witnessed previous regime-change initiatives like the assassination of senior military figures, psychological warfare, disinformation campaigns, and symbolic institutional targeting. Apparently, Israeli-backed cyberattacks and precision strikes have reportedly impacted government buildings and ministries in Tehran, temporarily stumbling across the Islamic Republic’s communications infrastructure, including national television broadcasts.

This is the resonant of Israeli political rhetoric. Officials have acknowledged in closed briefings and selected media interviews that the deeply fortified underground nuclear facilities, some of which are reportedly buried more than 500 meters (1, 640 feet) beneath the Zagros and Alborz mountains, cannot be completely destroyed without the full United States’ support. The GBU57 “Massive Ordnance Penetrator” bombs, which are only available from American strategic bombers, would be used specifically for the operation. Israeli leaders appear to have come to the conclusion that halting Iran’s nuclear program is impossible without a change in the government in the absence of these capabilities.

Israel’s concurrent military and political efforts take on new dimensions as a result of this situation. Israeli propaganda against the Iranian people increased in the wake of the attacks, portraying the Iranian people as the main oppressors rather than the IRGC. With phrases like “This is not Iran’s war,” the message sought to break up the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation. The regime’s war is underway. Iranian opposition figures from abroad echoed these claims, calling for regime change and supporting the strikes Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last shah of Iran.

However, it is possible that the strategy was flawed. The attacks appear to have consolidated public opinion across political lines rather than igniting a nationwide uprising or fracturing it. What they perceive as a foreign invasion of Iranian sovereignty has caused many Iranians to express anger, including long-standing critics of the regime. A deeply ingrained defensive reflex has resurfaced as a result of the collective memory of external intervention, which dates from the 1953 coup led by the CIA to the Iran-Iraq War.

There has been a discernible reluctance to align with foreign military intervention, even among activists from the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, which sparked nationwide protests after Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022 was taken into custody. A sense of compassion and solidarity momentarily replaced the need for regime change as images of bombed-out buildings and fallen Iranian soldiers appeared. The focus of many people’s discussions has changed to national defense rather than political reform.

Notably, several prominent individuals and former Islamic Republic opponents criticized the Israeli attacks and expressed support for Iran. Rejecting cooperation with any foreign assault, football legend Ali Daei said, “I prefer to die rather than be a traitor.” Former political prisoner and former judge Mohsen Borhani wrote, “I kiss the hands of all defenders of the homeland,” referring to the IRGC and other armed forces.

What started out as a logical attack on military installations may have had the opposite effect. Israel’s actions risk reinforcing its position of authority by bringing about national unity and stifling dissent, rather than weakening it. The failure of an attempt to engineer a revolution from the outside could have a negative impact.

If Israel’s ultimate goal was to suffocate a regime, it may have underappreciated Iran’s political system’s historical resilience and the importance of national trauma as a catalyst. Iran’s social fabric does not appear to be fraying as bombs fall and generals die. It might be putting itself back together instead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said something that has become well-known for more than three decades: “Iran is on the verge of developing nuclear weapons.”

Netanyahu has consistently asserted that Tehran is only a few years away from launching a nuclear weapon in his 1992 speech to Israel’s Knesset as an MP. We can anticipate that Iran will be able to develop and produce a nuclear bomb independently in three to five years, he declared at the time. In his 1995 book, Fighting Terrorism, he later made the prediction.

Netanyahu’s interactions with American officials have been influenced by the perception of an imminent threat. He made an appearance before a US congressional committee in 2002, arguing that Iraq and Iran were waging a nuclear war against one another. No weapons of mass destruction were discovered until the US-led invasion of Iraq began soon after.

He told members of Congress that Iran was only one or two years away from nuclear capability in a US State Department cable that was released by WikiLeaks in 2009.

Netanyahu famously blasted a cartoon of a bomb at the UN General Assembly to back up his claim that Iran was ever more close to the nuclear threshold. They will have finished the medium enrichment by the spring, or at most by the summer, he predicted in 2012.

Israel has attacked Iran in recent years, more than 30 years after Netanyahu first issued his first warning, but Netanyahu maintains that the threat is still pressing. Iran could develop nuclear weapons in a very short amount of time, he claimed recently, citing his recent assertion that the process could take months or even weeks.

Despite claims made by the US Director of National Intelligence earlier this year that Iran was not developing nuclear weapons, these assertions still persist.

As the two countries engaged in six straight days of attacks, Iran has warned that any US intervention in the conflict with Israel could lead to an “all-out war.”

Any American intervention, according to spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Esmaeil Baghaei in a Wednesday interview with Al Jazeera, would lead to a region-wide “war.”

We have good relations with Arab nations, and they are aware that Israel has been trying to entice others into the conflict. We are certain that the Arab nations where US bases are located won’t allow their territory to be used against its Muslim neighbors, he continued.

Donald Trump, the president of the US, initially vehemently opposed to the Israeli attacks, has since suggested a greater US involvement in the conflict, claiming that he wants a “much bigger” outcome than a ceasefire. The US is also sending the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, which has also been sent by the US.

Nearby nations within Iran’s purview of the weapons have a large number of American soldiers stationed there. However, the US has threatened a massive attack response.

Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” on Tuesday.

He also made a glorious claim that Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, could be assassinated in the United States.

“We are aware of where the alleged “Supreme Leader” is hiding out. He’s a simple target, but he’s safe there: We won’t kill him! Trump stated on his Truth Social platform, “at least not for the moment.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted a message on the social media platform X that read, “A storm is passing over Tehran.” “Districts fall apart in this manner.”

Khamenei vowed on Wednesday that his nation would not tolerate the rulers of Israel.

“We must confront the Zionist regime’s terrorist organization head-on. Hours after Trump’s threat, Khamenei posted on X with the statement, “We will show the Zionists no mercy.” On Wednesday, he was scheduled to address the nation.

Iranian ambassador to the UN in Geneva stated to reporters on Wednesday that it would “strongly” and “without restraint” respond to Israeli strikes.

“We will not show any resistance to defending our people, our homeland, and security.” Without restraint, we will take our position seriously and decisively,” said Ali Bahreini.

Barrages of Iranian missiles

The two parties engaged in sixth-day firefights as the warnings were issued. In the first two hours of Wednesday morning, the Israeli military reported that two barrages of Iranian missiles were launched at Israel. Over Tel Aviv, revelations were also audible.

At least 10 drone launches launched from Iran were reported by the military.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed its hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles were “repeatedly shaking the shelters” in Israel’s commercial hub [overnight,” and Iran warned Tel Aviv residents to get ready for an attack as early as Wednesday.

The IRGC stated in a statement released on state television that “the 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles” was carried out.

Hypersonic missiles can maneuver in midair at more than five times the speed of sound, making them more difficult to track and intercept.

Nour Odeh, a journalist from Amman, Jordan, reported that Iranian missiles were launched directly at Israel overnight, focusing on both the north and the central region.

According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, 94 Israelis have received treatment for injuries from overnight strikes, and there have also been numerous fires where these missiles have been hit or interceptor fragments have hit, she said.

Iran’s centrifuge factories suffered a blow.

Later on Wednesday, the Israeli military claimed to have struck Tehran’s centrifuge factory and two weapons manufacturing sites.

The military claimed that the most recent wave of attacks was “part of Iran’s nuclear weapons development program’s extensive effort.”

A workshop in Karaj and the Tehran Nuclear Research Center, two centrifuge production facilities, both of which were hit, have been confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The nuclear watchdog stated on the social media platform X that “at the Tehran site, one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested, and two buildings were destroyed at Karaj, where various centrifuge components were made.

Tohid Assadi, a journalist from Tehran, claimed Iranian residents frequently heard explosions overnight.

“Israeli strikes continue, and what we are seeing on the ground is escalation upon escalation.” The IRGC, for its part, also made a statement declaring that it would continue its retaliation as long as Israeli strikes continue, he added.

“And in Tehran, which has at least 10 million residents, we are seeing that a sizable portion of the population has decided to leave the area.” Given the threats made by the Israelis and the US president, who have ordered them to leave, many civilians are still present, he continued, and they are very concerned about the future.

An Israeli Hermes drone was shot down in Isfahan, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB. Additionally, it published footage of the abandoned unmanned aircraft.

An Israeli F-35 fighter jet was destroyed in Javadabad, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Leaders from Russia, China, and the European Union have expressed concern about the ongoing conflict.

Since Israel launched its campaign on Friday, more than 700 foreigners from Iran have crossed into Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to government figures.

More than 700 people have been moved to “places of safety,” according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Due to the conflict, the US also announced that it would hold off visiting Jerusalem until Friday.

Numerous Israeli citizens who have been evacuated abroad and with dual nationalities have arrived in Bulgaria. Bulgaria, Slovenia, the United States, Belgium, Albania, Kosovo, and Romania were all flown in Sofia on a flight carrying 148 passengers.

In Kenya, police officers shot an unarmed bystander, causing widespread outcry from security forces and hundreds of other men who were carrying whips and clubs.

The East African nation already had high tense relations with the country as it celebrated a year since widespread Gen Z-led protests over the state of the economy, and recent demonstrations were sparked by a man’s death earlier this month.

Small groups of protesters gathered on Tuesday in Nairobi’s business district, the epicenter of the last year’s demonstrations, to demand that police brutality be end.

However, hundreds of men riding motorcycles, known in Kenya as “goons,” armed with temporary weapons, quickly attacked them.

Police actively guarded the armed men and fired tear gas at protesters, who responded by ejecting stones and burning at least two of their motorcycles as shop owners had hurriedly shut down their businesses.

After videos of a police officer shooting a bystander in the head at close range were widely circulated, there was outrage.

Despite suffering a severe injury, the man who had been selling face masks was still alive.

He was taken to the ICU after being handed over to Kenyatta National Hospital. He had a lot of criticism. He was still breathing, according to Kenya Red Cross disaster recovery officer Vincent Ochieng.

The police stated in a statement that it “does not condone such unlawful groupings,” but it did not directly deny any cooperation with the armed “goons.”

Additionally, it stated that the officer who “used an anti-riot shotgun” to shoot the man in the head had been detained.

With its most recent finance bill, the government had been trying to stop unrest this year, avoiding the tax increases that had sparked weeks of protests in June and July 2024.

However, protests have taken place in response to the death of 31-year-old teacher Albert Ojwang earlier this month while he was being held by the police.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of the senior officer who is to blame for the death.

On June 25, 2016, thousands of people stormed Parliament to debate the unpopular finance bill, which set off protests last year.