16:18⇢Israel Declares War Beginning
⌨The newspapers report Israel's military campaign against Iran has escalated with multiple new waves of strikes targeting nuclear facilities, killing 78 people and wounding 329 in Tehran (Adnkronos, ANSA, Corriere Della Sera, La Repubblica, La Stampa, Sky TG24). Key casualties include Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force, along with Iran's chief of staff and nuclear scientists previously reported (Corriere Della Sera, La Repubblica). Netanyahu declared this is "only the beginning" while expecting retaliatory waves, as Israel closed all embassies worldwide and markets responded with surging oil and gold prices (ANSA, Corriere Della Sera). Iran threatened to "open the gates of hell" in response, while Trump called the attacks "excellent" and spoke with Netanyahu, Putin, and Starmer (ANSA, La Stampa). HuffPost Italia analyzed this as Israel's gamble to establish regional supremacy through intimidation, noting the high-risk strategy that could prompt Iranian military, nuclear, or regional responses.