IDF Strikes Hundreds of Targets in Iran, Lebanon
In southern Lebanon, Israel continued operations targeting Hezbollah-run sites
Jerusalem: The relentless barrage of strikes by US and Israeli forces continued as Operation Roaring Lion/Operation Epic Fury targeted multiple sites in Iran and Lebanon. The joint offensive is likely to persist, with US Central Command Chief Admiral Brad Cooper stating that operations will not stop.
Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF) said that in the past 24 hours, hundreds of fighter jets and aircraft struck hundreds of targets simultaneously across Iran and Lebanon. According to the IDF, since the start of the operation, the Israeli Air Force has neutralized nearly 300 Iranian missile launchers.
“As part of the defensive effort, the Israeli Air Force continues to conduct successive waves of strikes against the Iranian regime's ballistic missile arrays and air defence systems,” the Israeli Air Force said.
In southern Lebanon, Israel continued operations targeting Hezbollah-run sites. The IDF stated that around 60 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon were struck. Among the locations targeted were weapons storage facilities, missile launchers, command centres, and additional infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah and Hamas in the Tyre and Sidon areas.
The IDF claimed these sites were used by the groups to plan and carry out attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.
The Israeli military also said it struck what it described as a nuclear weapons development site in Iran. According to the IDF, the covert “Minzadehei” compound was used by a group of nuclear scientists working to develop a key component for nuclear weapons.
“Using intelligence, the IDF tracked the activities at this new location, removing a key component of the Iranian regime's capability to develop nuclear weapons,” the IDF said.
Meanwhile, Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of US Central Command, reiterated in a briefing that the United States would continue its intensive strike operations and that Iran’s retaliatory capacity was diminishing.
“Now, we're less than 100 hours into this operation, and we've already struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. We have severely degraded Iran's air defences and destroyed hundreds of Iran's ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones. Thus far, we've destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including the most operational Iranian submarine, that now has a hole in its side. Today, there's not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman. And we will not stop. We will continue to conduct dynamic targeting operations,” he said.
“US Air Forces are doing what they do best: executing a high volume of air strikes right into Iran. Operationally, the two most powerful air forces in the world, the US and Israel, are dominating the skies over the world's largest state sponsor of terror. And we've just begun. But I have the utmost confidence that we, alongside our partners, will absolutely achieve our military objectives,” he added.
The conflict in the Middle East has entered its fourth day following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with other senior figures. In retaliation, Tehran has launched counter-strikes targeting American military bases and Israeli assets across the region.