Explosions Heard Across Israel As Iran Fires Missiles In Response For Israeli Strikes

Israel's overnight attacks, and the apparent retaliation from Iran, have scrambled civilian flights in the Middle East, with airlines being forced to re-route to avoid Iranian and Iraqi air space.

This animation from a popular flight tracker blog shows the scale of the disruption as of midmorning June 13.

Ukraine says it is concerned over the developments in the Middle East after Israel launched air strikes on multiple targets inside Iran. But while Kyiv said it is "important to avoid further destabilization of the region and prevent civilian casualties," it also was quick to point out Tehran's ties to Russia and North Korea -- parts of the so-called Axis of Evil -- and Iran's support for Moscow in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"We would like to remind you that the Iranian regime supports Russia in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and provides Moscow with weapons to kill Ukrainians. Iran is the source of many problems in the Middle East and beyond," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We are convinced that restoring peace and stability in the Middle East will serve the interests not only of the region but also of the entire international community. Security in Europe and the Middle East are directly linked. In this context, we call on the international community to take joint and decisive action to overcome modern security threats and coordinate the deterrence of a group of aggressive regimes — Russia, Iran, and North Korea."

Michael Horowitz, an independent analyst based in Israel, told RFE/RL that Israeli planes appear to have had "complete operational freedom."

"The operation likely involved the use of air-launched ballistic missiles against Iranian air defense, but also Mossad cells within Iran, according to Israeli media. The cells may have used smaller drones within Iran, positioned near military sites, to disable Iran’s air defense capabilities ahead of time," he said.

If true, the strike would be seen a dealing a significant blow to Iran’s prestige by penetrating its air defenses, leaving the country vulnerable.

On the question of who knew of the attacks ahead of time, Horowitz said Israel appears to have acted alone, though some amount of notice was likely given to its allies, namely Washington.

"Whether the 'coordination' goes beyond that is still hard to tell. I would say that it largely depends on the kind of evidence presented by Israel regarding Iran, as Israel seems to suggest that Iran was working on weaponization -- a sign it may have been preparing to cross the nuclear threshold," he said.

Israel’s large-scale assault on Iran appears to have stunned the country’s military leadership and may have delayed an immediate retaliatory strike.

But it remains unclear whether it achieved its primary objective: crippling Iran’s nuclear program, which Israel claims Tehran is on the verge of weaponizing despite claims from Iran that it is solely for civilian purposes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have alleged Iran recently accelerated uranium enrichment and weaponization efforts to the point where it could produce a nuclear weapon within months -- or even days.

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The Kremlin warned of a "sharp escalation of tensions" between Iran and Israel, after Israel launched major air strikes on facilities across Iran, killing a top general and other military officials.

"Russia is concerned and condemns the sharp escalation of tensions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.