Gulf News
Israel Claims ‘Aerial Superiority’ Over Iran After Dismantling One-Third of Missile Launchers
Israel claims to have complete aircraft superiority over Tehran and a significant portion of Iranian airspace, marking a new peak in tensions between the two countries. This comes after a string of Israeli preemptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, military command centres, and missile infrastructure.
Israel Says It Controls Iranian Skies
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claim that a large percentage of Iran’s missile and air defence systems were successfully destroyed during their most recent military assault, assault Rising Lion. One-third of Iran’s missile launchers, including surface-to-surface missile systems that were allegedly just minutes away from attacking Israeli cities, have been deactivated, the IDF said.
In a detailed post on the social media platform X, the IDF stated,
Minutes before they were scheduled to be fired against Israel’s home front, more than twenty surface-to-surface missiles were disassembled. In central Iran’s Isfahan, some 100 military targets were hit. About fifty fighter jets and other aircraft located and destroyed surface-to-surface missile launchers and missile storage facilities that were prepared to launch missiles against Israel.
The IDF stressed that Israel now has operational freedom over Iranian airspace from the western borders to Tehran as a result of these coordinated airstrikes, which have also significantly reduced Iran’s capacity for retaliation.
Extensive Strikes on Iranian Military and Nuclear Sites
More than 200 Israeli fighter jets, including F-35s, F-15s, and F-16s, carried out pinpoint strikes on strategic Iranian sites, including the nuclear installations in Natanz and Fordow, according to intelligence sources. Additionally, they said that the air defence infrastructure at Tabriz airfield was disabled and that critical air defence systems, including the Russian-made S-300 and Tor-M1, were destroyed.
These attacks also primarily targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command centres and missile stores.
Israel Issues Evacuation Warnings as Casualties Mount
Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, warned Tehran residents who lived close to military and government objectives to leave, sparking a mass evacuation from cities and widespread panic.
At least 224 people have been killed in Iran as a result of the Israeli strikes, according to intelligence reports. 24 civilians have been murdered in retaliatory Iranian missile strikes on Israeli cities, including Haifa and Tel Aviv. Iran claims that Israel targets hospitals, electrical networks, residential neighbourhoods, and water supply, forcing many citizens to escape into rural areas as a result of shortages.
Iran Responds, Claims Drone Takedown
Iranian air defences successfully shot down eight Israeli drones, including a US-made MQ-9 Reaper, over Dehloran county in Ilam province, western Iran, in retaliation for Israeli strikes, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
The Iranian leadership insists that despite Israel’s continuous offensive, it is still protecting its airspace.
What Lies Ahead: Growing Domestic Unrest in Iran
According to intelligence sources, Iran’s military weaknesses have been revealed by Israel’s air dominance, which has also sparked a resurgence of internal discontent. According to reports, the dictatorship is finding it difficult to quell escalating protests brought on by inflation, economic hardship, and discontent with how the government is handling the problem.
Anti-government protests that resembled those that followed Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022 are reportedly resurfacing. Rallies have been held in more than 80 cities by protesters, including workers, retirees, and people with disabilities. Women are yelling anti-regime slogans and burning hijabs once more.
The regime is apparently finding it more and more difficult to control the protests as security forces are overburdened by the ongoing battle with Israel. The legitimacy of the regime is being seriously undermined, according to some sources, which even assert that some segments of Iranian society are covertly endorsing the Israeli strikes.
Nuclear Talks Collapse Amid Escalating Crisis
According to reports, nuclear talks between the US and Iran have broken down amid these tensions. Global powers are keeping a careful eye on Israel’s actions, but China and Russia have not yet officially denounced them, which has complicated the already dire situation.