Mission Brief: Nighttime Strikes in Iran

Thoughts after a night of strikes on Iranian military sites..and bringing it back to Gaza and Lebanon.

Last night, the IDF operated against Hezbollah terrorist sites in southern Lebanon, Hamas terrorist sites in Gaza and….against missile manufacturing facilities and aerial defense equipment in Iran. 

Three very different arenas…with one of them over 1,000 miles away. 

I was up most of Friday night as the strikes in Iran were taking place, supporting our communications plans for the retaliatory strike that very clearly showed Iran that we will not tolerate a repeat of their October 1st attack.

You can get a quick overview of the strike from my commander, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari:

Over the long night, I had time to think about the similarities and the differences between the different arenas. 

Gaza and Lebanon

Gaza and Southern Lebanon are both active combat zones.

IDF soldiers, from 50-year-old reservists to 20-year-old military cadets, are fighting to defend their country. As we marked a year since the October 7th Massacre this Thursday, on Simchat Torah, these soldiers were in the field, fighting. 

Every day, they achieve greatness in hundreds of isolated cases. It doesn’t look grandiose. It’s impossibly hard work every day. But they do it nonetheless.

For example, just yesterday we revealed that soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, under the command of the 146th Division, located two enemy underground combat compounds in southern Lebanon, one of which was dozens of meters underground and served as a Hezbollah command center.

Pictures from the ground weapon’s cache

In another instance, a Radwan forces weapons storage facility was located and destroyed. This facility was positioned to support Hezbollah forces as they invade Israel. The weapons were confiscated, and they aren’t the only weapons seized; approximately 11 trucks loaded with Kornet missiles, launchers, hand grenades, various types of rifles, and more were brought back into Israel.

Tragically, of course, the active nature of this battlefield also results in gut-wrenching casualties, many of whom left their jobs, their homes, and their children, to protect Israel. My thoughts go out to the families who paid the ultimate price.

Let’s take a look at the other, more recently active arena…Iran.

Our Strike on Iranian Military Sites

The strike on Iran, which took place early this morning with our first announcement at 02:26, seems more removed.

Conducted over a thousand miles away, it took place under careful observation from the Chief of the General Staff and the Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force. 

IDF Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi (left), and Major General Tomer Bar, Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force (right)

The strikes were an inspiring show of pinpoint and decisive military action against both Iranian aerial defense capabilities as well as missile manufacturing sites, including some that were used to attack Israel earlier this month. 

Different from Gaza and Lebanon, but unified by some core similarities.

For over a year, the IDF proved-in action-that no rock will be left unturned in our journey to protect Israel.

We showed this again yesterday where, over the course of a few hours, IAF pilots showed that in the defense of Israel, we will never back down.

We showed the extent of our intelligence capabilities, our technological edge, and the commitment from every solider to take any means necessary to secure our country and its residents.

There’s one more striking similarity.

Last night, while all eyes were on Iran, the IDF continued to operate elsewhere as well.

Strikes on Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, pinpoint actions against Hamas sites, and elsewhere. All radical terrorists, backed by Iran and hellbent on the eradication of Israel. They are all connected, too.

For example, earlier this month the IDF eliminated Souheil Hassin Hussaini, the Commander of the Hezbollah terrorist organization headquarters, who played a key role in transporting Iranian weapons to Lebanon. We also identified and targeted a 3.5-kilometer long tunnel from Syria to Lebanon that enabled the transfer and storage of weapons from Iran. Hezbollah’s war is Iran’s war.

And while Iran and its proxies started this war with a brutal invasion. We will end it.

Yesterday, the Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, had this to say to the pilots taking part in yesterday’s mission:

The historic operation you carried out last night with careful planning, courage, and precision, proves that no enemy is beyond our reach.

He said this to the pilots.

But he could have been speaking to anyone in the IDF, in any arena. 

And with that, please allow me to wish you a quiet and peaceful Sabbath.

LTC Nadav Shoshani

IDF Spokesperson