An Israeli security source has revealed the contours of Operation Rising Lion, the overnight offensive in Iran that marked an extraordinary joint effort by the IDF, Mossad and Israel's defense industries.
The operation, which officials say was years in the making, combined meticulous planning, extensive intelligence gathering and the covert deployment of advanced capabilities deep inside Iranian territory.
At the heart of the operation was close cooperation between Mossad and the military’s Intelligence Directorate, which prepared detailed intelligence files enabling precision strikes that eliminated key figures in Iran’s security establishment and nuclear program. Alongside these efforts, a parallel covert campaign targeted Iran’s strategic missile arsenal and its air defense systems. The operation, long in development, unfolded along three principal axes.
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According to the official, Mossad commando units had previously deployed high-precision guided weapons in open areas near Iran’s surface-to-air missile batteries. When the air campaign began, those weapons were remotely activated and struck their targets simultaneously with exceptional accuracy.
In a second phase, advanced strike systems were launched from concealed vehicles smuggled into Iran, disabling air defense sites and clearing the way for Israeli fighter jets to operate freely.
Israeli fighter jets striking Iran's Natanz nuclear facility
In a third track, a drone base had been established near Tehran by Mossad agents in advance of the operation. Explosive-laden drones were launched overnight toward surface-to-surface missile launchers at the Asfajaabad base, one of the most threatening sites to Israel.
The official said the operation required "breakthrough thinking, bold planning and the surgical deployment of advanced technologies, special forces and operatives deep inside Iran, all while remaining fully undetected by local intelligence." He described it as an unprecedented integration of field operations, pinpoint intelligence and operational innovation.