Israel is continuing with its operation aimed at neutralizing Iran’s nuclear program, dubbed Rising Lion. Israeli forces have apparently already made use of drones and missiles launched by operatives from deep within Iran, as well as air-launched munitions, as you can read more about here. Iran has now also launched at least one retaliatory attack consisting of approximately 100 drones. Readers can first get caught up on the situation through our initial reporting here.
Since the start of Operation Rising Lion last night, Israel has struck more than 100 major targets in Iran, including nuclear facilities and missile sites, and killed senior military commanders and scientists in what Tehran said was a “declaration of war.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have provided additional information about one of the key nuclear targets that they went after overnight.
A video released by the IDF shows the destruction of an Iranian surface-to-surface ballistic missile that was apparently disguised as a commercial truck:
This is the uranium enrichment site in the Natanz area, a particularly tough target that is understood to be buried more than 130 feet below ground and which is protected by a steel and concrete shell. It was targeted by Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighters.
According to the IDF:
“This is the largest uranium enrichment site in Iran, which has operated for years to achieve nuclear weapons capability and houses the infrastructure required for enriching uranium to military-grade levels. As part of the strikes, the underground area of the site was damaged. This area contains a multi-story enrichment hall with centrifuges, electrical rooms, and additional supporting infrastructure. In addition, critical infrastructure enabling the site’s continuous operation and the Iranian regime’s ongoing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons were targeted. We will continue to operate to prevent the Iranian Regime from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
A video that shows the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Tabriz, reportedly targeting an Iranian ballistic missile facility. The extent of the secondary explosions could well indicate the presence of solid fuel associated with ballistic missile storage and/or production:
Also reportedly taken in Tabriz, the following video claims to show an Israeli Heron drone operating over the city:
More details are now coming to light about some of the individuals who were targeted.
The IDF says that they eliminated multiple senior officers within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force. Reportedly, IAF fighters struck an underground IRGC Air Force HQ overnight, killing the commander of the service, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, together with senior officers, among them drone chief Taher Pour and air defense head Daoud Shaykhian.
Previously, Iranian state media had confirmed the deaths of the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Hossein Salami, the Army Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Joint Forces Headquarters, Maj. Gen. Gholamali Rashid, and six nuclear scientists, including Fereydoun Abbasi, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013.
Meanwhile, Israel appears to be making good on Prime Minister Benjamin’s assertion that the process of “rolling back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival” will take “many days.”
The IAF says that operations against Iran are continuing, including flexing to more defensive operations, to bring down drones launched by Iran against Israel in response to Operation Rising Lion.
The IAF has released footage showing F-16 fighters taking off to shoot down the drones, at least 100 of which have reportedly been launched at Israel. Although the IDF has said it has “control over the situation,” not all of the drones have been shot down.
A tweet from the IAF shows a pair of F-16s about to launch to intercept Iranian drones:
Footage from the ground in Iran indicates that Israel is continuing offensive operations, as well. The IDF campaign has included efforts to degrade and disable the Iranian air defense system, which will allow the IAF to operate more freely in and around Iranian airspace.
At least one unverified video claims to show IAF aircraft operating with impunity “in Iranian airspace,” including an F-16 taking on fuel from a 707 Re’em tanker, although the legitimacy of this claim cannot be confirmed.
The IDF has released pictures and videos showing strike aircraft armed with a mix of weapons, including Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) precision-guided bombs and Rampage missiles, which are an adaptation of a ground-launched precision-guided artillery rocket.
There are also signs that the Israeli strikes may be switching their focus to Iranian airpower, with reports from Iran of attacks on at least two Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) bases, Noje Air Base in Hamadan province and Tabriz Air Base in East Azerbaijan province. A video purported to show the aftermath of an airstrike on the latter shows a column of smoke rising above it.
Reflecting the intensity of the IAF air operations so far, there have been multiple sightings of discarded drop tanks, jettisoned by F-15s in the course of their missions, as seen in the tweets embedded below.
Foreign powers around the world are also reacting to the still-evolving situation. Today, U.S. President Donald Trump described the attack as “excellent” and warned further strikes would be more brutal unless Tehran agreed to back down over its nuclear program. This contradicts Washington’s previous official stance that Israel’s action against Iran has been unilateral.
“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,” Trump said in a social media post.
In another post, the U.S. president suggested Israel had attacked a day after a 60-day deadline he had given Iran to secure a deal had run out and indicated vaguely that Iran might have a “second chance.”
This is a developing story, and we will continue to update it as more information becomes available.
Update, 10:30 AM Eastern:
The following video claims to show the evacuated Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s main international air transport hub, on the outskirts of the city of Lod. The airport was closed until further notice earlier today, due to concerns about possible retaliatory strikes from Iran. Publicly available flight data from today also indicates that airlines cleared out of the airspace over Iran, Iraq, and Jordan.
While the following video cannot be verified, it’s claimed to show a pair of IAF C-130J transport aircraft flying at very low level over southeast Syria, close to the border with Iraq. If that’s the case, the airlifters could have been involved in transporting Israeli commandos out of Iran after the first strikes of Operation Rising Lion. Reports from Israel, citing an unnamed Israeli security source, suggest that the strikes included the use of drones and missiles launched by operatives from deep within Iran.
The Israeli Navy, as well as the IAF, has been active in intercepting drones inbound from Iran. The following footage, published by the IDF, is said to show the interception of a drone over the Red Sea by an Israeli Navy Sa’ar 6 class corvette. As you can read about here, the Sa’ar 6 is well equipped for such air defense missions, being armed with Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles plus a pair of Rafael C-Dome systems, which are armed with Tamir missiles.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
Thomas is a defense writer and editor with over 20 years of experience covering military aerospace topics and conflicts. He’s written a number of books, edited many more, and has contributed to many of the world’s leading aviation publications. Before joining The War Zone in 2020, he was the editor of AirForces Monthly.