Israel Strikes Iranian City

Israel conducted its long-awaited retaliatory strike against Iran early Friday morning. Israel is staying silent and Iran is downplaying the damage, but Iranian sources confirmed to the New York Times that Israel struck a military air base near the central city of Isfahan.

Isfahan is home to four nuclear research facilities and is close to Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment site. Analysts suspect Israel chose Isfahan due to its association with Iran’s nuclear program.

Retaliation: The strike is in retaliation for Iran’s barrage of over 300 drones, missiles and other projectiles against Israel earlier this week, which was a response to Israel’s assassination of a prominent Iranian general.

Israel’s response suggests it is trying to deescalate the tit-for-tat responses, most likely due to pressure from the United States.

King of the Middle East: Israel has been battling Iranian proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis since last year. But Israel is increasingly finding itself fighting not Iran’s proxies, but Iran itself.

Expect Iran to reveal itself more and more as the power behind the war on Israel. To learn more, read “The Real Power Behind Hamas.”