About 200 fighter jets took part in what the military described Saturday as the largest strike formation in the history of the Israeli Air Force, attacking roughly 500 targets across Iran in the opening hours of Operation Roaring Lion.
The military said the strikes focused on Iran’s missile array and air defense systems in western and central parts of the country, delivering what it called a broad and coordinated blow to key military infrastructure.
IAF strikes in Iran
(Video: IDF)
According to the military, the operation followed detailed planning based on high-quality intelligence and involved the synchronization of hundreds of aircraft operating simultaneously. Fighter jets dropped hundreds of munitions on approximately 500 targets, including surface-to-surface missile launchers and air defense batteries in multiple regions.
“Strikes on the air defense systems enabled the expansion of air superiority in Iranian skies and severely damaged the regime’s most central offensive capability — the launch sites in western Iran,” the military said.
Among the targets was a missile launch site near Tabriz in northwestern Iran. The site was used by a surface-to-surface missile unit that, according to the military, had planned to fire dozens of missiles toward Israel’s civilian areas.
Largest Air Force attack ever: 200 Israeli jets strike some 500 targets in Iran | Watch
(Video: IDF)
The military also detailed several of the air defense systems that were struck. They included the SA-59, described as a 300-kilometer-range system modeled on the Russian S-300; the SA-63, with a range of about 105 kilometers; and the short-range SA-65 system, with a range of approximately 24 kilometers.
The Air Force commander, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, oversaw the strikes from the Air Force command center.
“The completed strike formation neutralized numerous threats to Air Force aircraft and to the Israeli home front,” the military said in a statement, summarizing the results of the opening wave of attacks.