This document provides a detailed timeline of significant events in the Iran-Israel conflict, focusing on key developments from the 1979 Iranian Revolution to the escalation into open warfare in June 2025. The information is compiled from reputable sources to ensure accuracy and comprehensiveness, with an emphasis on major incidents, proxy conflicts, and direct confrontations.

Historical Context

• Pre-1979: Iran and Israel maintain cordial relations under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, driven by shared strategic interests against Arab powers. Iran supplies oil to Israel, and Israel provides military and economic support, including arms sales during the 1980s Iran-Iraq War.
• 1979: The Iranian Revolution establishes an Islamic theocracy under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which severs diplomatic ties with Israel, branding it the “Little Satan” (with the U.S. as the “Great Satan”). Iran begins supporting anti-Israel groups like Hezbollah and Palestinian militants.

Timeline of Key Events

• 1982: Israel invades Lebanon, prompting Iran to train and arm Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia militia, to resist Israeli occupation. This marks the start of Iran’s proxy war strategy against Israel.
• 1985: Hezbollah’s manifesto declares Israel’s “final obliteration” as a goal, with Iran providing substantial funding, training, and weapons.
• 1992: Iranian-backed Hezbollah is linked to the bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, escalating tensions.
• 1994: The AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, attributed to Iran and Hezbollah, kills 85 people, further intensifying hostilities.
• 2002, August: Western intelligence and an Iranian opposition group reveal Iran’s secret Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, raising Israeli concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
• 2005: Election of Iranian hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad increases tensions with inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric.
• 2006: Israel fights a war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) believed to have directly assisted Hezbollah.
• 2009, June: Ahmadinejad’s disputed reelection sparks Iran’s Green Movement protests, but his government’s crackdown reinforces Iran’s anti-Israel stance.
• 2010: The Stuxnet cyberattack, widely attributed to Israel and the U.S., destroys over 10% of Iran’s Natanz centrifuges, delaying its nuclear program.
• 2010, January 12: Iranian nuclear physicist Massoud Ali-Mohammadi is killed by a remote-controlled bomb in Tehran. Iran blames Israel.
• 2010, November 29: Nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari is killed, and Fereydoon Abbasi is injured in separate bomb attacks in Tehran. Iran accuses Israel.
• 2011, November 12: A blast at a Tehran military base kills 17, including General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, a key figure in Iran’s missile program. Suspected Israeli involvement.
• 2015, July 14: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal is signed, limiting Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. Israel opposes the deal.
• 2018, January 31: Mossad agents steal Iranian nuclear documents from a Tehran warehouse, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu uses to argue Iran’s nuclear deceit.
• 2018, May: U.S. President Donald Trump withdraws from the JCPOA, leading Iran to resume uranium enrichment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) loses monitoring capacity.
• 2020, July 2: An explosion at Natanz’s centrifuge assembly shop, blamed on Israel, causes significant damage.
• 2020, November 27: Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is killed by a remote-controlled machine gun near Tehran. Israel is widely blamed.
• 2021, April 11: A cyberattack causes a blackout at Natanz. Iran accuses Israel, which does not confirm involvement.
• 2022, June: Iran claims Israel poisoned two nuclear scientists, Ayoub Entezari and Kamran Aghamolaei, though details remain unclear.
• 2023, October 7: Hamas, backed by Iran, attacks Israel, killing 1,200 and sparking the Gaza war. Hezbollah and the Houthis, also Iranian proxies, escalate attacks on Israel.
• 2024, April 1: Israel bombs Iran’s consulate in Damascus, killing senior IRGC officers, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
• 2024, April 13: Iran launches its first direct missile and drone attack on Israel, retaliating for the Damascus strike. Most projectiles are intercepted with U.S., U.K., French, and Jordanian assistance.
• 2024, April 19: Israel conducts retaliatory strikes on Iranian and Syrian targets.
• 2024, July 31: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is assassinated in Tehran, hours after Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr is killed in Lebanon. Iran and Hamas blame Israel.
• 2024, September 27: Israel kills Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan in Lebanon.
• 2024, October 1: Iran launches missile strikes on Israel in retaliation for the assassinations.
• 2024, October 26: Israel conducts retaliatory strikes on Iran, destroying Iran’s S-300 missile defense system.
• 2025, June 12: The IAEA passes a resolution declaring Iran non-compliant with nuclear obligations, citing uranium enrichment violations.
• 2025, June 13, 01:30 (Tehran time): Israel launches “Operation Rising Lion,” a surprise attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, including Natanz and Arak, killing senior IRGC commanders, nuclear scientists, and over 600 civilians. Mossad sabotages Iran’s air defenses.
• 2025, June 13, 06:00: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vows “severe punishment” for Israel. Iran launches Operation True Promise 3, firing over 100 missiles and drones at Israel.
• 2025, June 14-18: Both nations exchange sustained airstrikes. Israel targets Iranian energy facilities, government buildings, and IRIB broadcaster, while Iran hits Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
• 2025, June 18: Iran launches 400 missiles and 1,000 drones since the conflict’s start, with Israel intercepting most. Israel claims to have destroyed 30% of Iran’s missile launchers and achieved air supremacy over Tehran.
• 2025, June 21: Israeli strikes hit Isfahan’s nuclear centrifuge facility and military sites in Shiraz and Khuzestan. Iran reports 430 deaths and 3,500 injuries.
• 2025, June 22: U.S. strikes three Iranian nuclear sites (Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan), escalating the conflict. The Houthis, Iran’s allies, declare the U.S. strikes a “declaration of war.”
• 2025, June 23, 18:02 (EDT): U.S. President Donald Trump announces a ceasefire, termed the “12 Day War,” to take effect by June 25. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denies an agreement but says Iran will halt attacks if Israel reciprocates by 04:00 Tehran time.
• 2025, June 24: A fragile ceasefire holds, though both sides report minor violations. Israel claims to have set back Iran’s nuclear program by years, while Iran denies significant damage to its nuclear capabilities.

Summary

The Iran-Israel conflict, rooted in ideological and strategic differences post-1979, evolved from proxy warfare through groups like Hezbollah and Hamas to direct confrontations in 2024-2025. Israel’s concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and Iran’s support for anti-Israel militias have driven decades of covert operations, cyberattacks, and assassinations. The June 2025 war, sparked by Israel’s preemptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, marked the most intense direct conflict to date, with significant casualties and U.S. involvement. A fragile ceasefire was announced on June 23, 2025, but regional tensions remain high.