The Middle East edged closer to a major military confrontation early Friday as Israel launched a large-scale airstrike campaign on Iran, marking one of the most dramatic escalations in the long-standing hostilities between the two arch-rivals.

The strikes, part of a newly unveiled campaign dubbed “Operation Rising Lion,” were confirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a televised address to the nation. "This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat," Netanyahu declared, adding, “Israel has initiated a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”

The operation comes amid growing anxiety over Tehran’s nuclear program and rising Israeli fears that Iran’s strategic ambitions could threaten its existence. According to sources in the Israeli Defense Forces, the operation targeted multiple Iranian sites believed to house missile systems, military infrastructure, and potentially nuclear-related facilities.

Meanwhile, loud explosions rocked several districts in Tehran in the early hours, as reported by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. Although Iranian authorities have not confirmed the origin of the blasts, speculation is rife that the Israeli strikes were focused on sites with strategic military or nuclear value.

In an official response, Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) warned that any aggression against Iranian territory would be met with immediate retaliation. “Our armed forces have identified critical Israeli nuclear and strategic targets,” the SNSC said, hinting at the possibility of hitting back at Israel's undeclared nuclear facilities.

Just days earlier, Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib had claimed Tehran had obtained a “significant cache” of classified Israeli documents, bolstering its capacity to respond in the event of a military attack. The SNSC echoed this, stating that “months of intelligence work” had mapped out key Israeli sites for possible retaliatory strikes.