President Donald J. Trump confirmed Friday that several high-ranking Iranian military leaders were eliminated during a powerful overnight Israeli airstrike targeting Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure — a move that sent shockwaves across the region and left Tehran scrambling.

In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, President Trump didn’t mince words. When asked about the deaths, he clarified, “They didn’t die of Covid” or “the flu,” firmly implying that Israel’s decisive action followed Iran’s failure to cooperate with the administration’s push for a peaceful nuclear agreement focused solely on civilian energy development.

The president followed up with a fiery statement on Truth Social, declaring:

I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to “just do it,” but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done. I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it.

Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!

The IDF operation, dubbed "Operation Rising Lion," reportedly focused on crippling Iran’s underground nuclear weapons programs and decapitating the Islamic Republic’s military hierarchy. By Friday morning, Iran confirmed it had already begun replacing key military officials — a sign of just how severe the damage was.

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According to Fox News, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Israel acted on its own, and emphasized that the United States did not participate in the planning or execution of the strike.

In retaliation, Iran launched a drone assault, though Israeli sources say that was expected — and that further, stronger phases of the operation are already prepared. Israeli officials insist the goal is to derail Iran’s decades-long ambition of acquiring nuclear weapons, a goal Tehran has repeatedly denied despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi predictably called the Israeli strike a “declaration of war,” and attempted to implicate the United States by claiming Israel’s actions were impossible without “coordination and approval” from Washington.

“Consequently, the U.S. government, as the primary patron of this regime, will also bear responsibility for the dangerous repercussions of the Zionist regime’s reckless actions,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

The usual suspects abroad joined the chorus of criticism.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry issued a statement denouncing the attack and accusing Israel of violating international law — even as Riyadh has long expressed concern over Iran’s growing nuclear ambitions. Behind closed doors, Saudi officials have previously indicated that if Iran obtains a nuclear bomb, the Kingdom will have little choice but to follow suit.

Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan reiterated the call for diplomacy but made no effort to address Iran’s destabilizing role in the region or its continued defiance of international nuclear watchdogs.

Meanwhile, Turkey demanded an end to what it called Israel’s “aggressive actions,” warning that the conflict could spiral into a broader regional war — a possibility Israel seems fully prepared for.