Israel conducts mass air raids on Iran

Key Points
  • Israel said it will continue intensive air strikes on Tehran as the IDF reported dropping more than 1,200 bombs on Iranian military targets since the start of the war.
  • Israeli strikes have focused on radar systems, air defenses, and ballistic missile infrastructure to reduce Iran’s ability to launch attacks against Israeli territory.

Israel’s defense minister said the Israeli military will continue conducting “powerful” air strikes against Tehran, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed ongoing operations targeting Iranian military infrastructure during the current conflict.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the continuation of the campaign in a public statement, saying Israeli forces are “carrying out intensive strikes targeting sites belonging to the Iranian regime.” He added, “We will organise a continuous air bridge to carry out a powerful attack on targets in Tehran,” according to a statement posted on X.

The announcement comes as Israel seeks to reduce Iran’s ability to conduct missile attacks against Israeli territory following repeated exchanges of strikes between the two countries. Israeli officials have framed the air campaign as an effort to degrade Iran’s offensive capabilities and limit further launches toward Israeli population centers.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

According to the IDF, Israeli aircraft have dropped more than 1,200 bombs on Iranian targets since the start of the war. The military said earlier that more than 200 aircraft participated in operations overnight Saturday, striking approximately 500 targets across Iran.

The Israeli military also reported conducting an additional round of strikes targeting ballistic missile capabilities and aerial defense systems. One operation destroyed a missile launch site near Qom in central Iran that contained hundreds of kilograms of explosives. According to the IDF, the strike “thwarted dozens of launches toward the territory of the State of Israel.”

Israeli officials said the campaign is also intended to establish and maintain air supremacy over operational areas. The IDF stated that air dominance allows Israeli drones and aircraft to remain airborne near potential launch zones, enabling rapid strikes against missile teams before launches occur.

Achieving air supremacy involves suppressing enemy air defenses, destroying radar coverage, and maintaining persistent surveillance over key operational zones. Once established, aircraft and unmanned systems can operate with reduced risk, allowing continuous monitoring and rapid engagement of emerging threats such as mobile missile launchers.

Separately, U.S. officials said Sunday morning that American forces had struck approximately 900 Iranian targets during related operations, underscoring the expanding scope of military activity linked to the conflict.

Readers who wish to follow our weekly coverage can subscribe to the Weekly Defense Roundup.

If you wish to report a grammatical or factual error in this article, please let us know by using the online form.

Executive Editor

Support The Defence Blog

Independent reporting takes resources. Join us on Patreon.

Become a patron

More Like This

U.S. Army’s top official tested laser-armed vehicle in New Mexico

The U.S. Army's top civilian official sat down at the operator's seat of a laser-armed pickup truck at White Sands Missile Range in New...

San Francisco startup’s hydrofoil boat wows U.S. Navy brass

A San Francisco-based maritime technology company's hydrofoiling electric boat stopped senior U.S. Navy admirals and captains in their tracks at the Sea-Air-Space conference, drawing...

Neros Technologies shrinks its attack drone controller by half

A Los Angeles-based drone technology company has redesigned its ground control station for FPV attack drones to fit on a soldier's body armor, cutting...

U.S. Army tests British-made interceptor to beat drones

The U.S. Army's 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade has tested a new low-cost interceptor called Skyhammer in Europe, putting Cambridge Aerospace's system through developmental...

U.S. Army invests $461M to rebuild short-range air defense fast

The U.S. Army is nearly doubling its investment in its primary short-range air defense system for fiscal year 2027, requesting $461 million for the...