The Israel Defense Forces said on Friday it had struck what it described as Iran’s most central production site for missiles and naval mines, targeting a major hub used to develop advanced weapons systems for the Iranian Navy.
According to an IDF statement, the Israeli Air Force carried out the strike in Yazd, a desert city in central Iran.
The facility was used for the planning, development, assembly and storage of advanced missiles intended for launch from naval platforms, including surface vessels, submarines and helicopters, against both mobile and fixed maritime targets.
“The Israeli Air Force, guided by Military Intelligence and the Navy’s Intelligence Directorate, struck the most central site in Iran for the production of missiles and naval mines belonging to the Iranian terror regime,” the IDF said.
The site plays a central role in the development of many of the missiles and naval mines used by Iranian naval forces, the military said.
The strike follows earlier operations targeting senior leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy and is intended to significantly damage Iran’s naval weapons production capabilities, it added.
“The IDF continues to deepen the damage to the regime’s military industries in order to deny the production capabilities it has built over many years,” the military said.
The IDF said it carried out strikes in Tehran targeting dozens of military-industrial sites and missile infrastructure belonging to the Iranian regime as part of ongoing efforts to degrade the regime’s core military capabilities.
“The Israeli Air Force, guided by Military Intelligence, completed an extensive wave of strikes overnight against dozens of terror regime infrastructure sites in Tehran,” the IDF said in a statement.
Among the targets hit were a base used by the Iranian military to train personnel and store missile systems intended to target aircraft, a site used for the production and development of key ballistic missile components, a facility manufacturing batteries for weapons systems, and a weapons production site belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Overnight strikes targeted an IRGC missile staging and launch compound, ballistic missile launch sites, air-defense systems and observation positions belonging to both the IRGC and the Iranian military. “In parallel, the IDF continues to operate against the regime’s fire arrays in order to reduce the scope of launches toward the State of Israel,” the statement said.
In addition, the IDF said it identified several operatives from Iran’s ballistic missile array operating from a military structure in Tehran. Minutes after the identification, the IAF struck and eliminated the personnel, who were preparing to advance missile fire toward Israel.
“The completed strikes are part of the phase of deepening the damage to the core systems of the Iranian terror regime and its foundations,” the IDF added.
Iranian missile attacks continue
Meanwhile, Iran continued firing missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states, triggering air-raid sirens in central and northern Israel as well as in Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, rockets were also launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon at northern Israel.
The first alert for an Iranian missile barrage on Friday sounded shortly before 2 a.m. local time, just as Israel transitioned to daylight saving time. The all-clear was issued two minutes before 2 a.m., which became 3 a.m. following the clock change.
According to Magen David Adom, no direct injuries were recorded from the Iranian or Hezbollah rocket strikes on Israel, though emergency teams were dispatched to treat several individuals hurt while making their way to protected areas.
Katz’s warning
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military would intensify and broaden its strikes in Iran after continued missile fire targeting Israeli civilians despite warnings from Jerusalem.
“The prime minister and I warned the Iranian terror regime to stop the missile fire toward the civilian population in Israel,” Katz said during an assessment with senior military officials. “Despite the warnings, the fire continues, and therefore IDF strikes in Iran will intensify and expand to additional targets and domains that assist the regime in building and operating weapons against Israeli civilians.”
Katz added that the ayatollah regime would face increasing consequences for continued attacks on civilians in the Jewish state. “They will pay a heavy and escalating price for this war crime,” he said.
