In March 2025, dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew northeast across Syrian airspace, heading toward Iraq in what appeared to be the early stages of an attack. But the planes didn’t continue on to Iran. Instead, they reached the northeastern tip of Syria, turned around, and returned home.

According to a senior Israeli Air Force official speaking to Yisrael Hayom for its fascinating new report on the attack that shattered Iran, the flight was a full-scale rehearsal for what would eventually become the largest Israeli military operation in decades: a coordinated and sustained air campaign against Iran. “The aim was to rehearse the full operation at least once, flying a distance comparable to that of Iran,” the official explained.

The real operation came three months later, in June 2025. Israeli aircraft launched a surprise offensive that struck Iranian military command centers, assassinated nuclear scientists, and dismantled key components of Iran’s air defense systems. The mission, known publicly as Operation Rising Lion, was based on a comprehensive strategic plan inside the Israeli Air Force called “Iron Man.”

For years, Israel’s approach to Iran had focused on limited strikes or covert Mossad operations. That began to change under the leadership of IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, who pushed for a broader military campaign designed to achieve one clear objective: air superiority over Iran. This shift in thinking was presented early in Halevi’s tenure and approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Securing air dominance would allow Israeli jets to operate over Iran’s skies with minimal resistance and reduce the country’s ability to launch missiles toward Israel. “When a squadron of F-15s is circling over Tehran, everything changes—physically and psychologically,” one defense official said.

However, preparations were hampered by other events. The war that began on October 7, 2024, with Hamas’s surprise attack, diverted significant Air Force resources to Gaza and the northern border. The threat of a Hezbollah incursion further complicated planning.

Despite this, the Air Force resumed preparations for a potential confrontation with Iran, recognizing early on that Tehran was a central actor behind the wider conflict.

On April 1, 2025, Israel carried out a targeted strike on IRGC commander Hassan Mahdavi in Damascus. The operation, though not aimed at escalating tensions, prompted a significant Iranian response. On April 13, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel—its first-ever direct attack on the country.

While Israel intercepted most of the projectiles with help from allies including the U.S., it responded cautiously, targeting a single Iranian S-300 air defense battery. Though limited, this action served as a precursor to a broader campaign.

Later in October, after a second Iranian missile barrage, Israel launched Operation Days of Atonement, destroying Iran’s remaining S-300 systems and striking its missile production facilities. A key signal came when Israel struck a target just 250 meters from an Iranian energy site near the Iraqi border, indicating its ability to escalate further if needed.

Israel’s opportunities expanded significantly when the Assad regime in Syria collapsed in late 2024. This opened Syrian airspace, allowing Israeli jets to fly direct routes toward Iran at high altitude, conserving fuel and increasing strike efficiency. Refueling planes could now be stationed closer to Iran, enabling longer missions and more frequent sorties.

The Air Force also began shifting its focus from long-range, precision-guided “standoff” munitions to more conventional weapons—cheaper and better suited to high-volume targeting. Older aircraft were repurposed for this, armed in advance, and held back from other theaters.

At the same time, Air Force planners refined a strategy for operating over Iran for up to two weeks, which required careful management of logistics, munitions, and maintenance under combat conditions.

To coordinate the scale of the planned campaign, the Air Force created a dedicated “Iran department” within its operations headquarters. Sub-teams focused on areas like air superiority, refueling logistics, and long-range bombing. Much of the plan’s structure drew on years of training and established battle procedures.

Importantly, younger personnel were encouraged to contribute ideas, many of which were incorporated into the final plan. Technical crews, meanwhile, worked around the clock to maintain the fleet amid ongoing operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen.

The centerpiece of the strategy was achieving and maintaining air superiority. That meant eliminating Iranian air defenses—both the strategic S-300s and shorter-range systems—with a mix of aerial strikes and intelligence-guided targeting.

Military Intelligence and the Mossad worked with the Air Force to map out the locations of more than 80 Iranian air defense batteries. The first night of the assault carved two corridors through Iran’s western defenses, focusing on radar systems to prevent early detection and engagement. In the days that followed, Israeli aircraft systematically disabled additional batteries, with Mossad teams on the ground destroying some systems manually.

By the third day of operations, Iran had stopped actively engaging Israeli aircraft. Most of its defense systems were hidden or inactive to avoid further losses. Iran’s air force played a limited role, largely avoiding combat.

In total, 84 air defense systems were destroyed. With Iranian skies open, Israel launched waves of jets to strike missile launchers, infrastructure, and military facilities. Drones were later introduced for extended surveillance and precision strikes.

The operation culminated in a coordinated U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israeli forces cleared the path by neutralizing Iranian defenses in advance. After the formal ceasefire, Iran violated the agreement by launching two missiles at Israel. In response, Israel prepared to launch another wave of strikes over Tehran. According to Air Force officials, the mission was aborted at the last minute by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Despite the operation’s scale, not a single Israeli manned aircraft was downed. Planners had expected losses, and pilots understood the risks involved. “We had to be ready to operate under fire, across multiple fronts, and without pause,” said one Air Force officer.

The success of Operation Rising Lion marked a turning point in Israel’s military posture toward Iran. Years of strategic rethinking, logistics planning, and quiet preparation had resulted in a campaign that fundamentally altered the regional balance—at least for now.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)