On June 13, 2025, the world awoke to a dangerously escalated conflict in the Middle East. Israel launched a powerful coordinated strike—Operation Rising Lion—against Iran, targeting dozens of key nuclear and military facilities. The operation marked a peak in a long-standing covert war between the two regional arch-rivals and opened a new and unpredictable chapter in global geopolitics.
This wasn’t just a military strike—it was a message, a shockwave, and for many civilians, a nightmare. This article dives into the event, its key players like Major General Hossein Salami, the controversial Israeli “Threat Map”, and the ramifications for countries like India, all while grounding the analysis in human stories and today’s headlines.
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What Was Operation Rising Lion?
In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a sweeping aerial and cyber offensive that targeted over 100 Iranian military and nuclear facilities, including Natanz, Isfahan, Fordow, Arak, and Kermanshah. Iranian missile sites and command centres in Tehran and Tabriz were also bombed.
This wasn’t a limited precision strike. It was a calculated decapitation mission—aimed at Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and top military command. Notably, Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the IRGC, and several senior atomic scientists like Fereydoon Abbasi were reportedly killed.
The world watched in real-time as explosions lit up Iranian skies, air raid sirens wailed in Israel, and oil markets surged over 5% within hours.
Who Was Hossein Salami?
Hossein Salami, who is now the deceased commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was the one whom everyone feared and respected in Iran. A veteran of the Iran-Iraq war and a prominent hardliner, he was instrumental in Iran’s regional strategy—building alliances with Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Syrian militias.
Known for his dramatic anti-Israel rhetoric, Salami once stated: “Israel will not see the next 25 years.” After his death, Iran declared him a martyr, while his loss was seen as Israel’s boldest symbolic strike yet.
Why Did This Happen Now?
A confluence of rising threats triggered the strike:
- Iran’s Enrichment Escalation: The IAEA reported Iran enriching uranium past 60%, dangerously close to weapons-grade levels.
- Breakdown of Diplomacy: Talks between Iran and the West, particularly through Oman, had failed by early June 2025.
- Proxy Escalations: Iranian-backed groups in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq had stepped up attacks against Israeli targets.
- Cyberwarfare: Israeli water and electricity systems suffered recent cyberattacks, allegedly from Iranian hacker groups.
Israel’s leadership made a calculated decision: act now or face an emboldened Iran armed with a nuclear deterrent.
A Decades-Old Rivalry: The History of Hostility-
While Israel and Iran once enjoyed cooperation before 1979, the Islamic Revolution changed everything. The new theocratic regime branded Israel as the enemy for them.
Since then, the countries have fought a shadow war—assassinations of scientists, cyberattacks (like Stuxnet), sabotage, and proxy battles in Lebanon and Syria. The 2025 strike was just the latest eruption of this long-smoldering feud.
The Controversial Israeli “Threat Map”-
Days before the strike, an Israeli newspaper published a “Threat Map” outlining regional enemies. With red markers around Iran, Lebanon, and Syria, the map resembled war planning more than analysis.
Iranian media seized upon it as evidence of an imminent Israeli attack, while others viewed it as psychological warfare. Israeli officials brushed it off, but by then the damage had been done—it served as a chilling prelude to Operation Rising Lion.
Today’s Events: Iran’s Retaliation-
In retaliation for the strike, Iran today launched over 100 drones toward Israel. Most of them were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome and Jordanian fighter jets. However, some drones reportedly targeted Israeli airbases and ports, triggering red alerts and mass evacuations across cities.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, condemned the strike as “a satanic betrayal”, vowing a “storm of revenge.” All the Air raid sirens rang across Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the Golan Heights which made panic and fear. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned of a longer war if Iran escalates further. The U.S. and Europe called for restraint, with the UN Security Council so that an emergency session could be scheduled for June 14.
India’s Delicate Balancing Act-
For India, this conflict wouldn’t have come at a worse time.
- Energy Disruption: Crude oil prices jumped by 6%, disrupting India’s economic planning and inflation targets.
- Expat Concerns: Over 10,000 Indian workers are in Iran, and their safety remains uncertain.
- Diplomatic Tightrope: India is deeply aligned with Israel in defence tech but it also shares infrastructure and religious ties with Iran (e.g., Chabahar Port, Shia pilgrimage routes) which plays a crucial role.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a neutral appeal for peace, but quietly initiated back-channel crisis management with Gulf nations and the U.S.
Human Costs Behind Political Headlines-
- In the heart of Tehran, families slept under rubble after explosions shattered apartment blocks near suspected missile storage.
- In Isfahan, children were rushed to underground bunkers as Israeli drones buzzed above.
- In Israel, families slept in bomb shelters, fearing retaliatory strikes.
- It’s easy to forget these headlines are about people. A young Iranian girl, bleeding from a glass shard, asked a reporter: “Will the sky be quiet tomorrow?”
- A father in Jerusalem told his son: “We will go to the beach when the sirens stop.”
What Lies Ahead?
This isn’t the end. It might be the beginning.
- Will Iran retaliate further? Its proxies—Hezbollah, and Houthis—may escalate attacks across the region.
- Will Israel push deeper? There are rumours of a Phase II operation targeting Iranian naval assets.
- Will global powers intervene? China, Russia, and the U.S. all have stakes in the region.
- One thing is certain: diplomacy is running on borrowed time.
Conclusion-
Operation Rising Lion is not just a military headline—it is a loud, roaring declaration of an unresolved conflict. It shattered any illusions of calm in the Middle East. For some, it was justice; for others, it was a declaration of war.
While governments calculate moves and media follow the drama, ordinary people—in Tehran, in Tel Aviv, in New Delhi—just want one thing: peace. But peace won’t come from war maps or missile batteries.
Let’s hope the lions of war don’t devour the dreams of those living beneath their roar.