Twelve-Day War

2025 armed conflict in the Middle East This article is about the June 2025 armed conflict between Iran and Israel. Tens of thousands of Iranian civilians displaced 9,000+ Israeli civilians displaced 8,000+ Israeli civilians homeless 1 Syrian civilian killed, 1 injured 7 Jordanian civilians injured 5 Palestinian civilians injured An armed conflict between Iran and Israel began when Israel launched surprise attacks on key military and nuclear facilities in Iran on 13 June 2025, in the midst of the Gaza war and its broader regional spillover . In the opening hours of the war, Israeli air and ground forces assassinated some of Iran's prominent military leaders, nuclear scientists, and politicians; and damaged or destroyed Iran's air defenses and some of its nuclear and military facilities. Iran retaliated by launching missiles at cities and military sites in Israel. The Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen also fired several missiles at Israel, in an adjunct of the Red Sea crisis . The United States , which defended Israel against Iranian missiles and drones, took offensive action on the ninth day of the war by striking three Iranian nuclear sites . On 24 June, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire . The conflict is considered an escalation of decades-long animosity between Israel and Iran, including a proxy war , during which Iran challenged Israel's legitimacy and called for its destruction . It also follows more than a decade of international concern about Iran's nuclear program , which Israel considers an existential threat. In 2015, six countries negotiated with Iran the JCPOA nuclear deal that lifted sanctions on Iran and froze Iran's nuclear program, but in 2018, US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from and voided the deal , after which Iran began stockpiling enriched uranium and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) lost most of its ability to monitor Iran's nuclear facilities. During the crisis in the Middle East that followed the October 7 attacks in 2023 and the ensuing Gaza war, Israel weakened Iranian proxy groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon . Direct conflict began in April 2024 when Israel bombed the Iranian consulate in Damascus , Syria, killing senior Iranian officials, and the countries traded strikes in April and October . On 12 June 2025, the IAEA passed a resolution drafted by the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany that declared Iran non-compliant with its nuclear obligations . Israel began strikes the following day. The Israeli attacks, which reportedly involved commando units and Mossad operatives in Iran, killed several of Iran's military leaders , leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), at least 10 leading nuclear scientists, and civilian killed and wounded estimates ranging over 3,000. The war saw Internet blackouts by the Iranian government, and tens of thousands of civilians displaced. Israeli and US airstrikes damaged the nuclear facilities at Natanz , Isfahan , and Fordow . Israel also hit a missile complex near Tabriz , the Kermanshah Underground Missile Facility , and IRGC facilities near Tehran and in Piranshahr , as well as a hospital. The first wave of Iranian retaliation included about 100 missiles and 100 drones. Those and later retaliation strikes hit military and government sites, American interests, civilian apartments, a university, and a hospital . The attacks killed 28 civilians. Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities have been damaged, but its stockpile of enriched uranium has likely been moved, and Iran likely retains most of it. A US intelligence assessment said that Iran's nuclear program was set back only a few months. The International Commission of Jurists and some other legal scholars saw the Israeli strikes as a violation of international law . The attacks were condemned by Bolivia , Brazil , China , Cuba , Russia , and South Africa . The initial attacks by Israel were condemned by countries across the Islamic world , including Egypt , Jordan , Pakistan , and Turkey . Israel's attacks were met with approval by Germany, Ukraine , and the United States, who said Iran should agree to a nuclear deal promptly. A number of Western countries condemned the violence, and called on both Israel and Iran to de-escalate, with Argentina , Canada , France, and the United Kingdom stating support for Israel's attacks and that it "had a right to self-defense". Russia stated Iran had a right to self-defense. The United Nations expressed concern and called for restraint. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ). Germany : Government of Germany. Jordan shot down Iranian missiles and drones crossing overhead and Saudi Arabia likely allowed Israel to use its airspace to do so...As with any other sovereign state, missiles or other unauthorized objects crossing a country's airspace are often deemed violations of either domestic or international law. : CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ( link ) Ravid, Barak (23 June 2025). The Foreign Ministry of Qatar issued a statement saying Qatari air defenses 'thwarted the attack and successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles,' with no injuries or deaths reported. : CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ( link ) "France says it intercepted drones targeting Israel prior to Iran ceasefire" . "Live updates: Ceasefire status is unclear after Israel reports continued missiles from Iran" . The Jerusalem Post . 16 June 2025 . "Woman dies of heart attack while sheltering from Iran missiles; MDA raises Haifa injury toll to 23" . The Times of Israel . 20 June 2025 . "Medical officials say 28 people were killed, over 3,000 wounded by Iranian missiles during conflict" . The Times of Israel . Al Jazeera English . 24 June 2025 . A Comprehensive Report on the Iran-Israel War" . HRANA News Agency . 28 June 2025 . The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel . "IDF says it destroyed 2 Iranian fighter jets, 8 ballistic missile launchers, among dozens of targets" . The Times of Israel . Now All Claim to Have Won?" . The New York Times . Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) . 18 June 2025 . "التوغل العسكري الإسرائيلي يتصاعد في جنوب سوريا" [Israeli military incursion escalates in southern Syria]. The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel . 14 June 2025 . The Wall Street Journal . The New York Times . "Israeli strikes kill some of Iran's most powerful men, including military and nuclear leaders" . "Report: Mossad carried out covert sabotage operations against Iranian air defenses, long-range missiles" . The Times of Israel . 13 June 2025 . Washington, D.C. : Institute for the Study of War . The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel . Center for Strategic and International Studies . The New York Times . "Iran's attacks on Israel: World leaders warn against escalation, UN Security Council emergency meeting on Sunday" . The Israeli public doesn't have the full picture" . The Times of Israel . Did it strike a decisive blow?" . "Iran launches missiles at Israel, and some hit Tel Aviv, as Israel attacks Iranian nuclear sites and commanders" . The New York Times . "Israel/Iran: Israel's attack on Iran violates international law, threatening peace and security" . International Commission of Jurists . "My impression is that the majority of legal analysts see [Israel's attack] as a case of 'prohibited self-defense'," Matthias Goldmann, a law professor and international law expert at EBS University Wiesbaden, told DW. ... There's another reason why most legal experts believe Israel's attack was illegal, says Marko Milanovic, a professor of international law at the UK's University of Reading. They have also been condemned by legal scholars who argue that the strikes are illegal under international law. "Brazil condemns Israel's attack on Iran: "Violation of sovereignty" " . The Times of Israel . 17 June 2025 . "French FM says Iran's nuclear program is an existential threat to Israel and the region, urges diplomatic solution" . "Spanish Government condemns military escalation in the Middle East after Israel's attacks against Iran" .