IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says over 70 Israeli Air Force fighter jets participated in the overnight operation in Tehran to achieve aerial freedom of action over the Iranian capital.
He says some 40 sites were targeted, including air defense systems and related assets. IAF fighter jets and drones flew over Tehran for some two and a half hours during the operation, Defrin says.
“The dozens of aircraft are flying freely over Tehran, thanks to the opening blow that removed the threat of Iranian air defense systems,” he says. Defrin says it is the deepest area in Iran that the IAF has operated in so far.
“Tehran is no longer immune; the capital is exposed to Israeli strikes,” he adds.
Air force has not yet struck all Iran’s nuclear facilities, but efforts will continue, say military officials
The Israeli Air Force has not yet struck all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, but these efforts will continue while the military also works to degrade the country’s ballistic missile array, military officials say.
So far, the IAF has caused “significant damage” to the Natanz nuclear facility and destroyed some sections of the Isfahan site, according to the IDF. The IAF has not yet targeted Fordo.
Nine nuclear scientists were also killed in Israeli strikes on Friday.
Gazan medics: At least 15 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire near aid center; no comment from IDF
Medics at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals in central Gaza areas say at least 15 people were killed by Israeli fire as they tried to approach the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution site near the Netzarim corridor.
The toll cannot be independently verified. There is no immediate comment from the IDF or the GHF.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says in a statement that at least 274 people have so far been killed, and more than 2,000 wounded, near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations in the Strip.
It is unclear at what time the reported shooting near the Netzarim Corridor took place. Earlier this month, the IDF warned Palestinians not to approach routes leading to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time, describing these roads as closed military zones. However, the GHF has indicated it may be open during those hours.
The GHF has faced heavy scrutiny from other aid bodies, as well as the UN and foreign countries, which say that it does not sufficiently address the humanitarian needs in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
Critics have also accused GHF of putting aid seekers in harm’s way, with operations beset by deadly incidents for multiple days in a row.
Israel says the mechanism is required to keep aid out of the hands of Hamas.
Source: The Times of Israel
