‘Operation Rising Lion’: Over 1,100 targets hit in Iran

Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin revealed on Wednesday that the Israeli Air Force had struck over 1,100 targets across Iran since launching “Operation Rising Lion” on June 13.

The IAF is “systematically working to neutralize the nuclear threat in all its components,” the spokesperson said in his press briefing. “So far, we have attacked more than 1,100 different components throughout Iran.”

Overnight Tuesday, the air force launched an “extensive attack” on a centrifuge production site in Tehran used by the Islamic regime to expand and accelerate its uranium enrichment, Defrin stated.

The assault “involved more than fifty fighter jets, lasted over three hours, and included three waves of attacks,” according to the IDF spokesman.

“We have clear goals and objectives: eliminating the existential threat to the State of Israel, damaging the nuclear program in all its components, as well as significantly damaging the missile array,” Defrin continued.

Israel will continue to attack “with force” until the goals are met, he said.

Asked by reporters whether Jerusalem had plans for a ground offensive against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites if the United States decides to sit out the war, the spokesman did not provide an answer.

“I’ll start by saying that Israel cannot live with an Iranian nuclear threat hanging over its head. We are taking action—the objectives are clear,” Defrin stated, adding: “We will strike the nuclear program and act to eliminate this threat. They will not have a nuclear bomb.”

In his briefing on Tuesday night, Defrin had declared that “there are no more cities of refuge in the Middle East,” noting that dozens of fighter jets were “continuously” striking ballistic missile launchers in Iran.

After the IDF achieved aerial superiority over the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, regime forces were “pushed into central Iran,” he said, adding that most missile fire now originated from the Isfahan region.

Dozens of air force aircraft are “continuously flying over Isfahan, locating enemy activity in real time and attacking operators as well as launchers,” the spokesperson revealed. “There are no more cities of refuge in the Middle East. This isn’t just a slogan; it’s the reality.”

“We will not allow an existential threat—whether nuclear or missile—to persist over Israel. We are mission-driven, not time-driven, and will operate until our goals are fully achieved,” according to Defrin.

Early on June 13, more than 200 Israeli fighter jets attacked dozens of enemy targets, including military and nuclear sites, in a “preemptive, precise, combined” opening strike against Tehran’s nuclear program.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the IDF was already “on the way to victory” over the dual Iranian threat.

“We are on the path to achieving our two goals: eliminating the nuclear threat and eliminating the missile threat,” the premier stated, adding: “The Israeli Air Force controls the skies over Tehran. This is a game-changer in the entire campaign ... We are on the way to victory.”