The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has destroyed more than 120 of Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launchers—about a third of the Islamic Republic’s arsenal, the IDF reported on Monday as Israel's preemptive Operation Rising Lion entered its fourth day.
According to the IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the most recent wave of strikes was carried out overnight, targeting approximately 100 military sites in and around Isfahan, central Iran. The operation involved around 50 fighter jets and other aircraft that struck missile storage sites and command centers belonging to both the Iranian military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force in Tehran, as well as surface-to-surface launchers poised to fire on Israeli cities.
IDF launches major operation to disrupt Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israel
(Video: IDF)
More than 20 Iranian missiles were destroyed in real time before they could be launched at Israel, the Defrin said. In one incident, a missile launch crew was identified as it prepared to fire; Israeli aircraft eliminated the crew and destroyed the launchers. "The chief of the General Staff has instructed to increase the strikes on surface-to-surface missile launchers. The Israeli Air Force is pushing eastward," he said in a video statement.
According to military estimates, Iran fired around 40 missiles at Israel overnight, killing eight people in Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak and Haifa, and striking multiple sites in Tel Aviv. A previous salvo had included 30 missiles and resulted in no casualties. The IAF also successfully intercepted dozens more drones launched toward Israeli territory, which were intended to be part of the missile barrage. “These strikes caused the regime to launch only half of the missiles it had planned in last night’s barrage,” Defrin said.
Defrin added that the Quds Force command centers that were struck had been used to plan terrorist attacks against Israel through Iran’s regional proxies. According to reports, the IDF also struck near the fortified nuclear facility in Fordow. “We will reach more targets, conduct further strikes and continue to act in pursuit of the operation’s objective, to neutralize the existential threat from Iran, from its nuclear project to the regime’s missile array," he said.
Additionally, Defrin also confirmed the assassination of Mohammad Kazemi, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence unit, and his deputy, Mohammad Hassan Mohaqiq, in an Israeli airstrike in the heart of Tehran on Sunday. In a prior statement, the military described the operation as a "significant blow to the Iranian regime’s intelligence apparatus and its ability to carry out terrorist attacks against the State of Israel."
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Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence deputy chief Mohammad Hassan Mohaqiq
(Illustration: IDF)
Kazemi had held the post since 2022 and was responsible for internal surveillance, espionage and neutralizing opponents of the regime, the IDF said. “In his role, Kazemi oversaw intelligence gathering for terrorist activities and the monitoring of Iranian citizens to suppress dissent and preserve the Iranian regime,” the military said in a statement.
According to the IDF, Kazemi’s deputy, Mohaqiq, "previously chaired the Strategic Intelligence Department and played a key role in the regime’s terrorist operations against Israel, the West and countries in the Middle East."
The assassination of top IRGC intelligence command in Tehran
The statement also named Mohsen Bakri and his deputy, Abu al-Fadl Nikouei, as senior figures in the Quds Force intelligence unit, responsible for providing operational and intelligence support to Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” which includes Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The two were said to have "played a significant role in Iran’s efforts to reestablish its presence in Syria and supported Hezbollah’s military buildup in Lebanon."
Their elimination, the IDF said, follows the killing of the head of the Iranian Armed Forces’ General Staff Intelligence Directorate, also named Bakri, in a separate strike last Friday. The opposition-affiliated Iran International news site published footage purportedly showing the deadly blast.
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Defrin also reported that Israeli Navy missile ships took part in intercepting the nighttime barrages, destroying eight Iranian drones. For the first time, the navy used the Barak MRSAM air defense system and the long-range LRAD interceptor. The IDF said the system is mounted on Sa’ar 6-class corvettes and is capable of countering a wide range of threats, including drones, cruise missiles, steep-trajectory threats and anti-ship missiles.
Iranian drone shot down by Israeli Navy missile boats
(Video: IDF)
Since the beginning of Operation Rising Lion, the Navy’s 3rd Flotilla of missile boats has intercepted approximately 25 unmanned aerial vehicles that posed a threat to Israeli civilians. The IDF said its naval forces, working in coordination with the air force, remain deployed across all theaters and serve as a force multiplier in the mission to defend Israeli airspace.
Iran's growing paranoia
Iranian authorities and media outlets reported rising public anxiety over alleged Israeli intelligence activity carried out by the Mossad spy agency as Israeli strikes and targeted assassinations continued to rattle the country.
According to local sources, two vehicles carrying drones were intercepted in Lorestan province. Iranian authorities also claimed that Israeli operatives have been using car batteries to conduct sabotage attacks. Officials urged residents to report any homes storing multiple batteries for cars, motorcycles or other vehicles to the security services.
Two vehicles allegedly carrying drones intercepted by Iranian authorities in Lorestan province
In a separate development, Iran's Fars News Agency reported an Israeli airstrike Monday morning on a truck showroom in Kermanshah, in western Iran, injuring at least one person. Iranian media also reported the activation of air defense systems near the Natanz nuclear facility, and claimed that an Israeli drone was downed over Ilam province, also in the west.
Fars also reported the execution of an alleged Mossad spy, identified as Esmail Fakhri, who was reportedly convicted of espionage for Israel in 2023.
Separately, two IRGC members were reported killed in the Ijrud area of Zanjan province in northwestern Iran. Against this backdrop, Iran’s parliament opened its session Monday with chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”