On June 13, 2025, the State of Israel launched Operation Rising Lion – a precision military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear weapons programme and military infrastructure. This preemptive strike was executed as a last resort to neutralise an imminent existential threat to Israel.
Operation Rising Lion: Updated Data
Iranian response since the beginning of the operation:
- Over 370 missiles launched
- Hundreds of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) deployed
- More than 30 impact sites
Israeli Casualties:
- 24 killed
- 592 injured: 10 in serious condition, 36 in moderate condition, and 546 lightly injured.
Why Israel Acted: The Imminent Nuclear Threat
Critical Intelligence Assessment
- Iran possessed 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity—enough fissile material for 9 nuclear warheads if further enriched
- One-third of this material was enriched in just three months—an unprecedented acceleration pace not seen in two decades
- Iran was developing ballistic missile systems capable of delivering nuclear warheads to Israel, southern Europe, and parts of Africa
- Despite ongoing diplomatic negotiations with the US and EU, Iran accelerated its weaponisation programme clandestinely
Iran’s Genocidal Intent: Not Rhetoric, But Policy
Iranian leadership has consistently declared the intention to destroy Israel across multiple decades and administrations. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called for Israel’s elimination, stating in May 2024 that “the divine promise to eliminate the Zionist entity will be fulfilled and we will see the day when Palestine will rise from the river to the sea,” declaring in 2015 that “there will be no such thing as a Zionist regime in 25 years,” calling Israel a “cancerous tumour that will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed” in 2020, and describing it as a “barbaric, wolflike & infanticidal regime” that “has no cure but to be annihilated” in 2014.
IRGC commanders have echoed these threats, with Hossein Salami warning in 2025 that Iran will “open up the gates of hell” on Israel and declaring in 2019 that “destroying Israel is now an achievable goal.” President Raisi threatened in 2022 that “Iran’s armed forces will target Israel’s heart if it makes the slightest move,” whilst deceased Qassem Soleimani vowed to make “land, sky and sea turn into hell for Zionists” and called for “dismantling and uprooting the baby-killing Zionist regime.” Senior military figures have threatened to “raze Haifa and Tel Aviv to the ground” and force Israel to “collect bits and pieces of Tel Aviv from the lower depths of the Mediterranean Sea.”
These statements represent binding ideological directives driving Iranian military policy, not mere political rhetoric. According to Professor Gregory Gordon, who served as a legal officer for post-Nuremberg prosecutions for incitement to genocide, Iranian calls for Israel to be wiped off the map are “even more direct than much of the language from the Rwandan cases.”
Violations of International Law
- Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) violations: Iran has consistently breached its NPT obligations as a signatory
- IAEA findings: Documented undeclared nuclear activities and systematic obstruction of international inspections. See full IAEA full report.
Below are some crucial findings from the report:
- “In front of the inspectors’ eyes, Iran is undertaking the near-final step of breaking out, now converting its 20 percent stock of enriched uranium into 60 percent enriched uranium at a greatly expanded rate.”
- “Iran could produce its first quantity of 25 kg of WGU in Fordow in as little as two to three days.”
- “Iran has no civilian use or justification for its production of 60 percent enriched uranium, particularly at the level of hundreds of kilograms. Its rush to make much more, quickly depleting its stock of near 20 percent enriched uranium, which has a civilian use in research reactors, raises more questions.”
- “The significantly increased production and accumulation of highly enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear-weapon State to produce such nuclear material, is of serious concern.”
- “Iran’s actions and its refusal to cooperate with the IAEA across a wide range of monitoring issues causes the IAEA to consistently express doubt about understanding key aspects of Iran’s nuclear activities.”
- UN Security Council resolutions: Multiple violations ignored by Iran over decades
Operation Details
The operation commenced on June 13, 2025, at 3:00 AM Tehran time, with coordinated strikes by the IDF, Israeli Air Force, and Mossad continuing through June 15, 2025. Over 200 fighter jets delivered 330+ precision-guided munitions against approximately 100 strategic targets across Iran.
Primary Targets Struck
Nuclear Facilities: • Natanz uranium enrichment complex (Iran’s largest facility) • Khondab and Arak heavy water reactors
• Advanced centrifuge production plants in Isfahan • Facilities in Khorramabad responsible for metallic uranium production and enriched uranium reconversion
Military Infrastructure: • Esfajabad missile base near Tehran • Missile installations in Kermanshah and Parchin • IRGC command centres and radar systems • Surface-to-air missile launchers • Long-range missile assembly bases operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force
Precision and Civilian Protection
The operation aimed to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran while minimising civilian harm through precision-guided munitions and pre-strike evacuation warnings where feasible. All efforts were made to avoid civilian infrastructure and population centres.
Legal Justification Under International Law
Article 51 of the UN Charter: Self-Defence
Israel acted within its inherent right of self-defence against an imminent armed threat. Iran’s nuclear programme, combined with explicit genocidal threats from its leadership, constituted a clear and present danger requiring immediate action to prevent an existential threat to Israel’s survival.
Anticipatory Self-Defence
International law recognises the right to act preemptively when facing an imminent threat. Iran’s rapid uranium enrichment to weapons-grade levels and advanced weaponisation activities met this threshold for anticipatory self-defence under customary international law.
Proportionate Response
The operation targeted only military and nuclear facilities directly related to Iran’s weapons programme. Civilian infrastructure and population centres were deliberately avoided, in line with humanitarian principles and the laws of armed conflict.
Addressing South African Government Position
DIRCO’s Critical Omissions
The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (DIRCO) statement on 13 June 2025, condemning Israel’s operation, reflects a biased anti-Israel and anti-US stance that distorts international law and context. DIRCO selectively cites IAEA resolutions to criticise Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military targets while ignoring the IAEA’s recent finding of Iran’s non-compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, including undeclared nuclear sites, blocked inspections, and enough enriched uranium for at least nine nuclear warheads—actions accompanied by Iran’s leadership publicly chanting “Death to Israel, Death to America.” DIRCO’s failure to address Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks on 13 June 2025, which killed eight Israeli civilians and injured dozens in Tel Aviv, contravenes the impartiality required under international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions’ prohibition on indiscriminate attacks.
To view the South African Zionist Federation’s full statement released on 13 June 2025 please visit this link: SAZF: Israel’s Pre-Emptive Strike on Iranian Military Sites Was Act of Last Resort Against Existential Threat – South African Zionist Federation
