Mission Brief: A Week Over Iran

Rising Lion Day 8: June 20, 2025

After a week of non-stop action, I took a few hours off today for a family celebration: my niece’s Bat Mitzvah, the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony for a 12-year-old girl.

The dissonance of celebrating amidst conflict is strange.

But it’s why we do this.

So, in the middle of a war, while following Home Front Command guidelines that limit public gatherings to 30 people, and on constant edge for air raid sirens…we celebrated.

And I celebrated, knowing that we fight today to secure her future.

In this issue of Mission Brief:

• An update on IDF sorties in Iran overnight and this morning

• What’s happening on the Israeli home front

• Israeli civilians continue to come home

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With so much misinformation circulating…you can get the real view—directly from the source.

I’m LTC Nadav Shoshani, the IDF Spokesperson for International Media, bringing you the daily brief on the IDF’s recent activities during Operation “Rising Lion.”

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The Daily Update

The IDF continues to operate in the skies over Iran, from Tehran to Kermanshah to Isfahan and across the western part of the country.

Last night, over 50 IDF fighter jets took part in strikes, continuing our focus on sites related to Iran's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Both are existential threats to our future. Both must be stopped.

Earlier today, the IDF revealed that this week, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate, targeted the Internal Security Headquarters and the headquarters of the regime's special internal security units in Tehran. These internal security mechanisms are a critical part of the Iranian regime's military apparatus.

The Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program

One target was the SPND headquarters in Tehran, a center for advanced weapons research and development. This center was established 14 years ago by Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the architect of Iran's nuclear weapons program.

The IDF also targeted a site producing a key component of the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons program.

The Missile Program

Throughout the night, industrial sites in Tehran used to manufacture missiles were struck. These sites, many developed over several years, included facilities for missile component production and for manufacturing the raw materials for missile engines.

Our operations against the missile program target more than just future production. The regime has already manufactured thousands of ballistic missiles, and the IDF is combining intelligence and air superiority in a concerted effort to minimize this threat to the Israeli home front. As part of this effort, this morning the IDF struck three ready-to-launch missile launchers aimed at Israeli territory and a military commander who was preparing the launch.

Notably, the IDF's aerial superiority continues to expand. For example, over the past few days, IAF fighter jets near Isfahan struck missile and radar systems—the very systems designed to target our aircraft.

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Meanwhile, in Lebanon and Gaza

We’re continuing our war to bring back the hostages and degrade Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza. Today we announced that we had successfully eliminated a senior terrorist in the Kataeb al-Mujahideen terrorist organization who had been responsible for the murder and abduction of Gadi Haggai and Judi Lynn Weinstein.

We will bring them all to justice.

In Lebanon, earlier today , the IDF eliminated Mohammad Khadr Al-Husseini, the commander of the Hezbollah firepower array in the Litani sector in southern Lebanon.

He had been involved in multiple attacks toward Nahariya, Haifa, and Israeli locations and had, more recently, been involved in efforts to rebuild Hezbollah’s artillery forces.

The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel, near and far.

The Home Front

While the IDF operates, Iran continues to attack Israel and its civilians. This morning, a building in Be’er Sheva—a city of nearly 250,000 people—was hit during a missile salvo. Damage was mitigated by our air defense systems and by proactive strikes in Iran that disrupted further launches.

Later today, at about 4:00PM, another salvo, this time of several dozen missiles, was fired at Israel. While active missile defense was activated and intercepted many, it’s, of course, not perfect. We’re still evaluating the current situation of the impact sites but I’ve already seen reports of a number of injured civilians.

We are strong, our cause is just, and we will prevail. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Investing in our future

I remain blown away by the investment in technology over the past few decades that create this layer of defense. For example, just today we released a video of the first operational use of the Aerial Defense Array ‘Barak’ system, which intercepted a UAV that crossed into Israeli territory. The same system recently went operational on naval vessels as well.

One other happier thing that’s happening with the IDF's Home Front Command is supporting efforts to bring Israeli civilians home. As part of the Ministry of Transportation's "Operation Safe Return," a passenger ship carrying 1,500 Israelis from Limassol, Cyprus, docked at Ashdod Port at 4:30 AM. The ship’s arrival was secured by an Israeli Navy missile boat.

It is inspirational to see Israelis flocking home despite the threat.

Because there’s no place like home.

LTC Nadav Shoshani

IDF Spokesperson for International Media

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