Major Events Between Israel and Iran in 2025

Dear Readers,

The escalating tensions between Israel and Iran have marked 2025 as a pivotal year in their long-standing conflict. Below, we summarize the major events that have unfolded, particularly focusing on the dramatic developments in June 2025, which have brought the region to the brink of a broader conflict. These events follow years of proxy wars, covert operations, and nuclear disputes, now erupting into direct military confrontations.


Key Events in 2025

1. Prelude to Escalation: Weakening of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”
Following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Israel launched extensive military campaigns targeting Iran-backed groups, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. By mid-2025, these operations significantly weakened Iran’s regional allies:

Hamas was heavily degraded, with reduced operational capacity.
Hezbollah suffered major losses, including the assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in September 2024, and faced growing domestic opposition in Lebanon.
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria severed a critical supply route for Iranian weapons to Hezbollah, leaving only the Houthis in Yemen and some Iraqi militias as active Iranian proxies.

This shift created a strategic window for Israel to target Iran directly, as Iran’s deterrence capabilities were diminished.

2. U.S.-Iran Nuclear Negotiations and Israeli Concerns
In April 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced renewed nuclear negotiations with Iran, aiming to curb its uranium enrichment program. A March 2025 U.S. intelligence report, led by Director Tulsi Gabbard, stated that Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had not authorized restarting the program suspended in 2003.
However, Israel viewed these talks skeptically, fearing a “bad deal” that would allow Iran to retain enriched uranium. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons “one way or another.” The expiration of a U.S.-imposed two-month deadline for a nuclear deal on June 12, 2025, heightened Israeli urgency to act unilaterally.



3. Operation Rising Lion: Israeli Strikes on Iran (June 13, 2025)
On June 13, 2025, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a large-scale aerial assault targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, missile factories, and military sites. Coordinated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Mossad, the operation aimed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Targets: The Natanz nuclear facility was destroyed, and Isfahan’s uranium conversion facility was damaged. Military bases in Hamadan and Tabriz were hit, with dozens of air defenses, drones, and missile launchers neutralized.
Casualties: The strikes killed key Iranian figures, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami, Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri, and nuclear scientists Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi. Iranian reports also noted civilian casualties in residential areas.
Israeli Justification: Netanyahu described the operation as a “last-resort effort” to stop Iran from crossing the nuclear threshold, claiming Mossad intelligence indicated Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon.
The attack, the largest on Iran since the Iran-Iraq War (1980s), was executed without U.S. military support, though American intelligence assistance was likely provided.



4. Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes (June 13–15, 2025)
Iran responded swiftly with waves of ballistic missiles and drones targeting Israeli military bases and civilian areas:

June 13: Iran launched approximately 100 drones and dozens of ballistic missiles, with some intercepted by Israeli, Jordanian, and U.S. forces over Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.


June 14–15: Iran fired two additional salvoes, striking Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Bat Yam. At least 15 people were injured in Haifa, and four women were killed in Tamra. In Bat Yam, six civilians died in a missile strike on apartments

Casualties: By June 15, Israel reported 14 deaths and over 200 injuries, while Iran claimed 224 deaths (90% civilians) and over 1,200 injuries, including 60 in a Tehran apartment block strike.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. of supporting Israel’s attacks and vowed a “harsh response” against both Israeli and U.S. targets in the region.

5. Regional and International Reactions

United States: President Trump praised Israel’s strikes but warned Iran against targeting U.S. assets, evacuating non-essential personnel from Iraq and authorizing military family departures from the Middle East. U.S. ground-based air defenses assisted in intercepting Iranian missiles.
United Nations: The UN Security Council met on June 13, with Iran’s ambassador calling the strikes a “declaration of war” and Israel’s ambassador defending them as “self-preservation.” UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi expressed concern over possible contamination at Natanz, urging that nuclear facilities never be targeted.
Other Actors: British PM Keir Starmer and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for restraint, while French President Emmanuel Macron opposed Russian mediation. Yemen’s Houthis launched ballistic missiles at Israel in support of Iran.
Economic Impact: Brent crude oil prices surged 2.9% to $76.37 per barrel due to Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil and gas sector.


6. Additional Developments

Internet Outages in Iran: Widespread blackouts in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz followed the strikes, attributed to infrastructure damage and government censorship. Elon Musk’s SpaceX reactivated Starlink to provide uncensored internet access to Iranian civilians.
Iranian Counterintelligence: Iran executed Esmail Fekri on June 16 for allegedly passing intelligence to Israel. Earlier, on June 7, Iran claimed to have obtained thousands of documents on Israeli nuclear projects, recruiting several Israeli citizens.
Civilian Impact: Both sides urged civilians to evacuate targeted areas. Israel closed schools, banned large gatherings, and shut its airspace, while Iran suspended flights at Imam Khomeini International Airport.