200 Israeli Jets Hit 500+ Targets in Iran
Israel carried out what it described as the “largest military flyover in the history of the Israeli Air Force” on Saturday, sending about 200 fighter jets to strike about 500 Iranian missile and air defense targets in a near-simultaneous assault that commanders said eliminated direct threats and significantly expanded Israeli air superiority over Iranian skies.
The Israeli military said the operation was the largest strike ever carried out by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), targeting ballistic missile launchers and air defense systems in western and central Iran.
“This is the largest strike sortie in the history of the Israeli Air Force, executed after careful planning with high-quality intelligence, synchronizing hundreds of aircraft simultaneously,” the army said in a statement.
According to the IDF, fighter jets dropped hundreds of munitions on around 500 targets, including surface-to-surface missile launchers and anti-aircraft batteries. The strikes on Iranian defense systems, the military said, “enabled the expansion of air superiority over Iranian skies and dealt a severe blow to the regime’s core offensive capability – the launch sites in western Iran.”
One of the most important targets was a ballistic missile facility near Tabriz in western Iran.
“One of the sites that was struck in the Tabriz region was used by Iran’s ballistic missile unit, and from there it planned to launch dozens of missiles towards Israel,” the Israeli military said.
The military said the operation “thwarted numerous threats against IAF fighter jets and Israeli civilians.” He adds that “the Israeli military continues to operate in Iran” and that “the IDF will continue to operate to significantly degrade all aspects of the Iranian regime.”
Images released by the IDF show two major opening waves. The first targeted radar networks and anti-aircraft systems, including positions closer to Israel and around the Tehran region. The second focused on Iran’s ballistic missile infrastructure with the aim of degrading its ability to strike Israel’s home front.
Before the launch, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the pilots that they were embarking on a historic mission.
“On Saturday dawn, Operation Lion Roaring began. You are authorized to execute. Strike your targets, you make history. I have full confidence in you. Good luck to all of us,” Zamir said, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
After the opening phase of the operation, Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar conducted a situation assessment with pilots, control center commanders and crews – the audio of which was later made public by the military.
Welcoming the execution of “Genesis,” the opening strike of Operation Roaring Lion, Bar told the crews: “We have just completed one of the most significant flybys in the history of the Israeli Air Force. »
He described Genesis as a formation of nearly 200 fighter jets operating alongside dozens of personnel and thousands of combat support troops, saying the mission “eliminated direct threats against the citizens of the State of Israel.”
Bar added that the force struck dozens of sites and surface-to-surface missile launchers while simultaneously working to achieve air superiority, concluding: “Right now, I can say we’re off to a good start.” »
Saturday’s strikes took place as part of joint Israeli-US military operations targeting Tehran’s missile infrastructure. US President Donald Trump said “major combat operations” were underway to destroy Iran’s missile stockpiles and “wipe out” its missile production industry, warning the regime to lay down its weapons or face “certain death”.
Air raid sirens then sounded across Israel following retaliatory Iranian missile strikes, with the Israeli Air Force moving to intercept the incoming threats.
The Israeli military said operations were continuing.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
