Israel declared operational air superiority over Tehran on Saturday, following two days of strikes that Israeli officials say destroyed more than 150 military and nuclear-linked targets inside Iran, including facilities in the heart of its capital. The Israeli military said its air force conducted deep-penetration raids with 70 fighter jets operating in Iranian airspace for over two hours, attacking what it called key missile and command infrastructure.
"We established aerial freedom of operation in western Iran, up to Tehran," said IDF spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin at a press briefing. "Tehran is no longer immune-Iran's capital is now exposed to Israeli strikes."
Defrin said that "over forty missile-related targets and advanced air defense systems" were hit, and dozens of Israeli "aerial platforms" were now operating in the region. He noted, "This is a region where the Air Force is operating for the first time-the deepest we've ever operated within Iran."
The scale and intensity of the Israeli offensive marks an unprecedented military incursion into Iranian territory. The IDF said Iranian air defenses that could have threatened Israeli jets en route to Tehran were eliminated in the opening hours of the assault.
Iranian state media reported that more than 100 people have been killed and over 400 wounded since the onset of the Israeli campaign. According to state television, 60 people, including 20 children, died when a missile flattened a 14-story residential complex in Tehran. Fars News agency reported that two projectiles struck Mehrabad airport, located in the capital.
In response, Iran launched approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in four waves between Friday night and Saturday morning, an Israeli official said. Most were intercepted, but at least 10 missiles struck military bases and residential areas around Tel Aviv. Israeli authorities said four people were killed and around 100 were wounded in the barrage.
"We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs' regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address.
Defense Minister Israel Katz warned, "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn."
The Israeli military said it had severely damaged nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan and eliminated nine scientists described as key to Iran's nuclear program. Israel gad "eliminated the highest commanders of their military leadership," said one military official, who added that Fordow, the underground uranium enrichment site, was not yet targeted.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, although the International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday that Iran had violated NPT terms.
With regional tensions spiraling, Gulf states called for calm. Crude oil prices rose roughly 7% Friday amid fears of supply disruption. Iranian military official Esmail Kosari said Tehran was assessing whether to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil chokepoint.
U.S. President Donald Trump backed Israel's actions and warned of worsening consequences unless Iran agreed to scale down its nuclear ambitions. Two U.S. officials confirmed that American systems helped intercept some of Iran's missiles aimed at Israel.
Tehran warned that military bases of Israel's allies could also be targeted if they assist in downing Iranian missiles. Still, Iran's regional influence appears weakened. The Islamic Republic's main proxies-Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon-have been severely diminished after 20 months of war and recent conflicts.
Residents in both Iran and Israel described nights of terror. "Smoke and dust were filling all the house and we couldn't breathe," said Mohsen Salehi, a Tehran resident quoted by Iranian news agency WANA after a missile strike.
In Israel, emergency responders pulled a baby girl from the rubble of a home in Rishon LeZion. In Ramat Gan, Linda Grinfeld recounted: "We were sitting in the shelter, and then we heard such a boom. It was awful."
The Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said that "the road to Iran has been paved," indicating further action may be imminent. Israeli reservists have been deployed, with Army Radio reporting troop movements to the Lebanese and Jordanian borders.
