Israeli carry out airstrikes in Iran, as Iran responds with hundreds of missiles, analysts react

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Israeli military launched a series of strikes on Iran early Friday, targeting key military leaders with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and scientists involved with their nuclear program.

Among those killed include IRGC Commander Hossein Salami.

"Iran has been the largest state sponsor of terror for decades now," said Michael Rubin, a senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

Rubin, who lived in Iran from 1996-1999, noted the scale of Israel's attack.

"Israel's airstrikes on Iran show incredible penetration in terms of military ability but also intelligence," Rubin explained.

It comes on the heels of a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency which found Iran was not complying with nonproliferation obligations, which were in place to prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon. In response, Iran vowed to increase its uranium enrichment.

"When you have a hornet's nest, you have two good options. One is to leave it alone. The other is to get rid of it. The last thing you want to do is sit underneath it lightly, tapping it with a stick. That's always been America's concern. In this case, it looks like the Israelis have actually managed to get rid of the hornet's nest," said Rubin.

While the United States was not directly involved in Israel's moves, sources tell ABC News officials received advanced notice and shared intelligence. President Donald Trump spoke with ABC News Chief Political Correspondent Jonathan Karl about the attacks.

"I think it's been excellent," Trump said. "We gave them a chance and they didn't take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. a lot more."

In a post on Truth Social, Trump alluded to a timeline regarding ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran on a nuclear deal:

Two months ago, I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to "make a deal." They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn't get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!

"The Iranian regime tends to look at diplomacy as an asymmetric warfare strategy to run down the clock. They've been treating Trump and Trump's negotiators sort of like Charlie Brown with the football, knowing that they're going to pretend that they're sincere this time, only to remove the football at the last moment," said Rubin.

Bruce Jentleson, a Political Science Professor at Duke University who has previously lectured in Israel, expressed caution over what could follow Israel's strikes.

"Any time a country goes to war (or) uses military force, it really has to weigh what its security anticipated gains are. In this case, it's Israel setting back the Iranian nuclear development program nuclear bomb. They have to weigh that against what the risks and costs are. I think in this situation, for Israel as well as the United States, the costs and risks are greater than the gains," said Jentleson.

He alluded to political unrest in the country, from split feelings over the war in Gaza and the tenure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"While the Israeli public has been concerned about Iran, the Israeli public actually sees this now as very much Prime Minister Netanyahu in his political interest, more than the country's interest," said Jentleson.

Further, Jentleson believes the attack could hamper the prospect of relations between the United States and Saudia Arabia, which has long been a goal of Trump.

"Any hope that Israel had of making progress in relations with Saudi Arabia are not going to happen. There were periods in the past where the Saudis were concerned about the Iranian nuclear threat. Saudi Arabia and Iran, over the last few years, have actually had their own diplomatic relations. In a lot of ways, this may serve Bibi Netanyahu's political interest. It really does not serve his country's security interests," said Jentleson.

In a statement posted on X, Fahad Nazer, Spokesperson for the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, wrote:

"HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump to discuss recent developments, including Israel's military operations against Iran. The leaders stressed the need for self-restraint, de-escalation, & resolving disputes through diplomatic means."

"Most countries in the Middle East did not want Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. That includes Arab countries, but doing it this way, whatever the setback is in their nuclear development program, it's far outweighed by the immediate destabilization of the region as a consequence of this," said Jentleson.

Friday afternoon, Netanyahu posted a video statement on X to "the proud people of Iran," where he said in part:

"The objective of Israel's operation is to thwart the Islamic regime's nuclear and ballistic missile threat to us. As we achieve our objective, we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom. In the past 24 hours, we have taken out top military commanders, senior nuclear scientists, the Islamic regime's most significant enrichment facility and a large portion of its ballistic missile arsenal. More is on the way. The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them. It has never been weaker. This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard."

In response to Israel's attacks, Iran launched a series of ballistic missiles towards Israel, including heavily populated cities like Tel Aviv. At least 21 people have been injured as a result of those missiles. The United States did provide support to Israel in shooting down Iranian missiles targeting the country.

"The targeting of the top levels of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have undercut Iran's ability to repress its own people. The Iranian people have been primed for for decades to rise up. We've seen nationwide protests with ever-increasing frequency," said Rubin.

But Jentleson was skeptical that Israel's attacks would lead to any regime change within Iran.

"I think right now the reaction of Iranian people is fear and anger. Some of that is against their regime, but a lot of that is against Israel and a lot of that is against the United States, because even though we technically weren't part of this, we're seen by them as complicit in lots of ways. And so I think that anybody in the United States who thinks this is the way to get regime change, it's a pipe dream," said Jentleson.

In the aftermath of Israel's attack, crude oil prices spiked up, up just under 8% as of late Friday afternoon.

"The wholesale price of gasoline is up about 10 cents a gallon so far," said Patrick De Haan, the Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy.

He said the scale of impact could vary on fuel type and region.

"Diesel prices going to be going up more significantly, at least for now. Part of the reason is that diesel inventories are about 20% below the five year average for right now, so a bit more of a shock for diesel," De Haan explained.

As of Friday, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Raleigh was $2.86.

"You might get close to or surpass the $3 a gallon mark, at least for now until the situation starts to de-escalate. But that's still a 50-cent-a-gallon drop compared to what we're spending last year," said De Haan.

US stocks slumped largely across the board Friday, with the Dow falling nearly 770 points, the NASDAQ dropped about 256 points, and the S&P 500 down nearly 69 points.