Israel conducted what it described as the “largest military flyover in the history of the Israeli Air Force” on Saturday, dispatching roughly 200 fighter jets to strike approximately 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 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the operation marked the largest strike sortie ever conducted by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), targeting ballistic missile launchers and aerial defense systems across western and central Iran.
“This is the largest strike sortie in the history of the Israeli Air Force, executed after close planning with high-quality intelligence, synchronizing hundreds of aircraft simultaneously,” the military said in a statement.
According to the IDF, fighter jets dropped hundreds of munitions on roughly 500 objectives, including surface-to-surface missile launchers and anti-aircraft batteries. Strikes on Iran’s defense systems, the military said, “enabled the expansion of air superiority over Iranian skies and caused a severe blow to the regime’s central offensive capability — the launch sites in western Iran.”
One of the most significant targets was a ballistic missile installation near Tabriz in western Iran.
“One of the sites that was struck in the Tabriz area served Iran’s ballistic missile unit, and from there it planned to launch dozens of missiles toward Israel,” the IDF said.
The military said the operation “thwarted numerous threats to the IAF’s fighter jets and to Israeli civilians.” It added that “the IAF continues to operate in Iran,” and that “the IDF will continue operating to significantly degrade every aspect of the Iranian regime.”
Footage released by the IDF showed two major opening waves. The first targeted radar arrays and anti-aircraft systems, including positions closer to Israel and around the Tehran region. The second focused on Iran’s ballistic missile infrastructure in an effort to degrade its ability to strike the Israeli home front.
Ahead of the launch, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told pilots they were embarking on a historic mission.
“At dawn on Saturday, ‘Operation Roaring Lion’ commenced. You are authorized to execute. Strike your targets—you are making history. I have full confidence in you. Good luck to us all,” Zamir said, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
Following the opening phase of the operation, Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar conducted a situational assessment with pilots, control center commanders, and aircrews — audio of which was later released publicly by the military.
Praising the execution of “Genesis,” the opening strike of Operation Roaring Lion, Bar told the crews: “We have just concluded one of the most significant flyovers 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 to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
Bar added that the force struck dozens of surface-to-surface missile sites and launchers while simultaneously working to achieve aerial superiority, concluding: “At this moment, I can say — we’re off to a strong start.”
Saturday’s strikes unfolded amid joint Israeli-American military operations targeting Tehran’s missile infrastructure. U.S. President Donald Trump said “major combat operations” were underway to destroy Iran’s missile stockpiles and “obliterate” its missile production industry, warning the regime to lay down its arms or face “certain death.”
Air raid sirens later sounded across Israel following Iranian retaliatory missile launches, with the Israeli Air Force moving to intercept incoming threats.
The IDF said operations remain ongoing.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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