by Joshua Marks
Over 50 Israeli jets took part in strikes on missile manufacturing sites in and around the Iranian capital.
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Israeli Air Force fighter jets taking off ahead of strikes in Tehran in June 2025. Credit: IDF. |
The Israeli Air Force struck a centrifuge production site in Tehran overnight Tuesday that the military said was used by the Iranian regime to expand and accelerate its uranium enrichment.
More than 50 fighter jets had carried out a series of strikes against targets in the Iranian capital region, the Israel Defense Forces said.
צה"ל תקף הלילה אתר ייצור צנטריפוגות ומספר אתרי ייצור אמצעי לחימה של המשטר האיראני
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 18, 2025
יותר מ-50 מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר, בהכוונה מודיעינית מדויקת של אגף המודיעין, השלימו בשעות האחרונות סדרת תקיפות של מטרות צבאיות במרחב טהראן.
במסגרת המאמץ הנרחב לפגוע בתכנית לפיתוח הנשק הגרעיני… pic.twitter.com/RNAAvSChgl
“The Iranian regime is enriching uranium for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons,” the IDF stressed in its Wednesday morning operational update. “Nuclear power for civilian use does not require enrichment at these levels.”
Furthermore, the IAF struck several weapons manufacturing sites overnight, including a site dedicated to manufacturing raw materials and components for surface-to-surface missiles, which Iran continues to launch at Israel.
The IAF also struck a facility involved in the production of components for surface-to-air missiles.
“These targets were struck as part of the IDF’s operations against the Iranian regime’s project to develop nuclear weapons and its missile production industry,” the IDF explained.
Strikes continue on Wednesday morning
Israeli fighter jets began a new round of attacks on regime targets during the morning hours of Wednesday, including striking five Iranian AH-1 attack helicopters positioned at a military base in the Kermanshah area.
The IDF stated that the helicopters were intended to target IAF aircraft operating in Iranian airspace, and the military published footage of the strike on the helicopters.
Approximately 25 fighter jets participated in the morning operations, hitting over 40 missile infrastructure components in western Iran, including missile storage sites and military operatives from the Iranian regime.
The IDF also released footage of an overnight strike on a ready-to-launch “Emad” missile launcher moments before it was set to fire at Israeli civilians.
Katz: “Tornado” sweeps over Tehran
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday described the intensive IAF strikes on regime targets in Tehran as a tornado sweeping over the Iranian capital.
“Symbols of authority are being bombed and collapsing—from the broadcasting authority and soon other targets as well, while crowds of residents are fleeing,” Katz wrote on X. “This is how dictatorships collapse.”
Significant blows delivered to Iranian regime
“We have delivered significant blows to the Iranian regime, and as such, they have been pushed back into central Iran,” IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin announced in a Tuesday night press briefing.
Regime forces are now focusing their daily efforts at firing missiles at Israeli civilian population centers from the Isfahan area, according to Defrin, who emphasized that while the IDF aims at military targets, the Iranian regime attacks residential homes.
“We’ve struck deep, hitting Iran’s nuclear, ballistic and command capabilities,” he said. “The Iranian regime has spent years getting closer to a nuclear weapon, they have spent billions building a ballistic missile program. Our mission is clear—to remove the threat at its source.”
He also highlighted the previous night’s targeted killing of Maj. Gen. Ali Shadmani, who commanded both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian army. Shadmani’s predecessor was killed just days ago during the opening strike of Israel’s war against Iran.
“Shadmani held the role for only four days before meeting the same fate as his predecessor,” said Defrin.
The IDF is still fighting the Iranian terror proxy Hamas in Gaza, which is still holding 53 hostages “in brutal conditions,” Defrin noted. He emphasized that “we will not rest until they are returned home.”
Hunting down and destroying Iranian missiles
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir emphasized that Israeli forces are “hunting down and destroying” surface-to-surface missiles in Iran during a tour of a deadly impact site in the seaside city of Bat Yam on Tuesday.
In the early hours of Sunday, an Iranian ballistic missile struck a residential high-rise in the city just south of Tel Aviv, killing at least eight people—including children—and wounding over 100.
“We have no choice but to fight this war, and it’s being waged across all dimensions. We are determined to complete our missions, and we will deliver on everything we’ve been tasked to do,” said Zamir.
“We’re in an extraordinary situation. Right now, at this very moment, we’re hunting surface-to-surface missiles; our UAVs are out there, our fighter jets are out there—it’s absolutely extraordinary. 1,500 kilometers from Israel, we are hunting down and destroying those surface-to-surface missiles,” he said.
Zamir stressed the importance of “civilian resilience” during the current campaign, calling it a “central pillar” of the campaign.
“We are not stopping. Why aren’t we stopping? Because the civilian home front is resilient. When that resilience is strong, we have the strength to keep operating,” said Zamir.
Joshua Marks
Source: https://www.jns.org/israel-strikes-tehran-centrifuge-site-in-major-air-assault/
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