Description

The Iran–Israel war, also called the Twelve-Day War, was an armed conflict in the Middle East fought between Iran and Israel during June 2025. It 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. Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes throughout the war. Iran retaliated with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israeli cities and military sites; over 550 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 explosive drones were launched by Iran during the war. 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 bombing three Iranian nuclear sites. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at a US base in Qatar. On 24 June, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire after insistence from the US, following an appeal by Iran to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press US President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire with Iran.