‘Unprecedented...’: Military analyst says Israel’s Tehran strike rewrites modern war rules

John Spencer didn’t expect to keep revising the playbook for modern warfare. But as dawn broke over Tehran on Friday, he knew history was being rewritten again. Israeli airstrikes had pounded the Iranian capital, zeroing in on the country’s nuclear, missile, and air defense networks in a rare and audacious escalation.

“War researchers like me have to keep rewriting as Israel continues to make military history,” Spencer posted on X (formally Twitter). “From walkie-talkie beepers to leadership decapitation and the destruction of Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal, to now achieving dominance over an enemy nation at the start of a campaign: 20 senior commanders eliminated, 6 nuclear scientists killed, air defenses wiped out to secure full air superiority over a larger nation, ballistic missile sites struck to cripple retaliation, and their most protected nuclear facilities hit. Unprecedented.”

In the aftermath of the strike, Israeli defense minister Israel Katz delivered a stark warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: “Tehran will burn” if missile attacks on Israeli civilians persist. He added, “The Iranian dictator is taking the citizens of Iran hostage, bringing about a reality in which they, and especially Teheran’s residents, will pay a heavy price for the flagrant harm inflicted upon Israel’s citizens.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Saturday that the strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear program “possibly by years,” and hinted at further escalation. “We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” he said in a video message. Netanyahu also said Israel was now targeting Iran’s ballistic missile production.

Amid the escalating conflict, an Israeli drone attack struck a refinery at Iran’s South Pars gasfield — the world’s largest, shared with Qatar — triggering a massive explosion, according to news agencies.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump asked Iran’s leadership to strike a nuclear deal or face consequences. He had also urged Netanyahu to delay any military action to allow room for diplomatic negotiations.