‘Rising Lion’: IAF strikes key military, nuclear targets in Tehran
More than 60 fighter jets attacked dozens of military targets across the Iranian capital.
Un avión de combate de la Fuerza Aérea israelí en pleno vuelo de ejercicio militar
The Israeli Air Force carried out a series of strikes in central Tehran overnight Thursday, targeting critical military infrastructure, including missile production sites and a facility linked to Iran’s nuclear weapons research and development efforts.
More than 60 IAF fighter jets, guided by intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate, attacked dozens of sites across the Iranian capital, deploying approximately 120 precision-guided munitions.
As part of its campaign to disrupt Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the IDF targeted the Tehran headquarters of the SPND (Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research). The facility is used to develop advanced technologies and weapons that enhance the Iranian regime’s military capabilities.
Founded in 2011 by Mohsen Fakhrizadeh—the key architect of Iran’s nuclear program—the SPND has been a central player in the country’s defense innovation, said the IDF.
In addition, the military said it attacked another site involved in producing a critical component of Iran’s nuclear weapons project.
Several missile manufacturing facilities in the Tehran area were also hit. Among the targets were plants producing missile components and sites responsible for manufacturing raw materials used in casting missile engines. According to the IDF, these facilities were developed over many years and have served as a key industrial base for the Iranian Ministry of Defense.
On Friday, the military announced that IAF fighter jets had targeted Iranian missile systems and radar installations in Isfahan and Tehran, which were aimed at Israeli aircraft and designed to disrupt their operations.
The IDF stated that these strikes enhance the IAF’s ability to operate freely in Iranian airspace, enabling it to strike additional military targets in western and central Iran.
“We are continuing to strike targets throughout Iran on an ongoing basis. Our objective is clear—to eliminate the existential threat to the State of Israel by degrading the nuclear program and significantly degrading the missile array,” said IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin.
He noted that Israeli forces also attacked the headquarters of the Special Forces unit of Iran’s Internal Security Forces—one of the regime’s central military bodies.
“Our strikes are directed at every part of the Iranian military establishment, all of which pose a threat to the State of Israel,” Defrin said. “Our actions are speaking louder than words: Those who act against us are paying a heavy price.”
Defrin said that the IDF also conducted extensive strikes on surface-to-air missile systems that had been positioned to target Israeli aircraft.
“Each of these strikes strengthens our aerial superiority over Iranian skies and expands our freedom of action going forward,” he said.
Finally, he emphasized that IAF pilots—both reservists and active-duty personnel—along with technical ground crews, are operating around the clock to support the mission.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Friday that Israeli strikes caused damage to key infrastructure at Iran’s Khondab heavy water research facility, including the site’s distillation unit.
“It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects,” the IAEA said.
On Thursday, 40 IAF fighter jets attacked dozens of nuclear and military targets across Iran, including the reactor near Arak.
The reactor strike targeted the core seal structure—a key element in plutonium production. The IAF raid aimed to prevent the reactor’s use for nuclear weapons development, the military said.
In a separate strike, the IAF targeted a nuclear weapons development site near Natanz. The facility housed specialized equipment and hosted projects intended to accelerate Iran’s nuclear program, according to the IDF.
Additional strikes were carried out against military production infrastructure, including factories producing raw materials and components for ballistic missile assembly, as well as sites involved in the development of air defense systems.
Israeli aircraft also neutralized air defense batteries, surface-to-surface missile storage facilities, radar detection systems and other surveillance equipment operated by the Iranian regime.
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