by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – In what Israeli officials are hailing as one of the most complex and coordinated military operations in their history, Israel launched a sweeping preemptive assault deep inside Iranian territory late Thursday night and into early Friday morning. The operation, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, featured a daring covert campaign by Mossad agents who systematically dismantled Iran’s air defense systems ahead of a wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear sites, ballistic missile facilities, and senior regime figures.
According to a senior Israeli security official, the Mossad’s operation–years in planning–crippled Iran’s air defense network from within. The official, speaking to Channel 12’s Amit Segal, said Mossad operatives operated a secret base on Iranian soil and used it to coordinate precise attacks on radar installations and air-to-air missile systems. The sabotage mission involved guided munitions, drone strikes, and the covert activation of weapons pre-positioned near key air defense sites.
“This required breakthrough thinking, bold planning, and the surgical deployment of advanced technologies, special forces, and operatives deep inside Iran,” the official said. “All while remaining fully undetected by local intelligence.”
Once Iran’s defenses were neutralized, the Israeli Air Force launched a wave of attacks involving some 200 fighter jets, which dropped over 350 munitions on more than 100 strategic targets across Iran. These included nuclear research facilities, ballistic missile manufacturing sites, and high-level military command centers.
In a rare operational statement, the IDF confirmed Friday morning that the strikes “inflicted serious damage” to Iran’s western air defense array. “Dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers were destroyed,” the statement said, noting the operation significantly expanded the IAF’s freedom of aerial maneuver.
The strikes were enabled by months of detailed intelligence gathering by the military’s Intelligence Directorate, working in close cooperation with Mossad. Detailed target files were prepared on high-value individuals and assets, allowing for what one source called “pinpoint elimination of strategic threats.”
Operation Rising Lion unfolded along three main tracks. In the first, weapons previously deployed by Mossad near SAM sites were remotely activated with precision timing. In the second, mobile launch systems hidden inside Iran were used to disable additional air defense nodes. In the third, explosive-laden drones were launched from a Mossad-operated base near Tehran, striking surface-to-surface missile launchers at the Asfajaabad facility–one of Iran’s primary offensive strike platforms.
The IDF also revealed that Iran had been ramping up a covert expansion of its ballistic missile arsenal with the goal of overwhelming Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow missile defense systems. The Israeli strike reportedly blunted this effort by destroying key launchers and storage facilities.
Iran responded by launching over 100 suicide drones toward Israel. However, Israeli defense officials later confirmed that all incoming drones were intercepted, posing no threat to civilians.
The operation is being hailed in Israel as a historic demonstration of intelligence dominance and military precision–one that may have altered the strategic equation in the region.
“This was more than just an airstrike,” the Israeli official concluded. “It was the execution of a vision that wove together espionage, sabotage, and overwhelming air power to deliver a message to Tehran: You are not untouchable.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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