In the early hours of June 13, 2025, Israel launched the most significant military operation against Iran since the Iran-Iraq War, with the F-35I “Adir” stealth fighter playing a pivotal role in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed “Operation Rising Lion.”
The operation represents a watershed moment in Middle East military affairs, demonstrating the strategic impact of fifth-generation fighter capabilities in high-stakes regional conflicts.
The operation involved approximately 200 Israeli aircraft conducting coordinated strikes across multiple Iranian targets, with F-35I fighters spearheading the initial penetration missions into heavily defended Iranian airspace.
This marks the largest combat deployment of F-35 aircraft in history and validates Israel’s unique modifications to the platform for long-range precision operations.
Netanyahu justified the unprecedented military action by citing intelligence indicating Iran’s proximity to nuclear weapons capability. “If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months, less than a year,“ Netanyahu declared, announcing that Operation Rising Lion would continue “for as many days as it takes” to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat.
According to Israeli intelligence assessments, Iran had amassed sufficient enriched uranium to potentially produce up to 15 nuclear weapons within days, representing what Netanyahu characterized as “a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”⁴ Iran is currently enriching uranium to 60% purity—close to weapons-grade levels—while accelerating nuclear advancements through installation of more sophisticated centrifuges.
The Economist reported in May 2024 that the American Institute for Science and International Security estimated Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for one nuclear bomb within a week and accumulate sufficient material for seven weapons within a month. This intelligence backdrop provided the strategic rationale for Israel’s decision to deploy its most advanced military capabilities against Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
The F-35I “Adir” operated in full stealth configuration during Operation Rising Lion, with aircraft configured without radar reflectors to maximize their low-observable characteristics against Iranian air defense systems. This represents the first large-scale combat deployment of F-35 aircraft in stealth mode against a sophisticated air defense network, validating Israeli modifications designed specifically for operations in contested Middle Eastern airspace.
Israeli Defense Forces released video footage showing F-35I aircraft launching for the Iran strikes alongside F-15 and F-16 fighters, with the stealth fighters clearly leading the strike packages. The IDF subsequently released a detailed animation depicting the attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, prominently featuring F-35 silhouettes to highlight the aircraft’s central role in penetrating underground nuclear infrastructure.
The strike packages flew approximately 1,500 kilometers to reach their targets, requiring extensive aerial refueling support and sophisticated mission planning to coordinate attacks across multiple Iranian provinces simultaneously. This demonstrated the F-35I’s extended-range capabilities through Israeli-developed conformal fuel tank modifications and integration with Boeing 707 refueling aircraft.
The primary targets of F-35I strikes included Iran’s most sensitive nuclear infrastructure, with the Natanz enrichment facility suffering significant damage according to satellite imagery analysis. Natanz, located approximately 250 kilometers south of Tehran, represents Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility and houses advanced centrifuge technology critical to weapons-grade uranium production.
High-resolution satellite imagery confirmed damage to the Natanz complex, with analysts noting precision strikes against specific buildings within the sprawling underground facility. The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization officially confirmed that the Natanz facility had been damaged, marking the first time Iran acknowledged successful foreign strikes against its nuclear infrastructure.
Additional nuclear sites targeted included facilities at Khondab and Khorramabad, representing a comprehensive effort to degrade Iran’s nuclear weapons development capabilities across multiple locations. The precision of these strikes, conducted against hardened underground targets, demonstrates the advanced targeting capabilities of Israeli F-35I systems and weapons integration.
Beyond nuclear targets, Operation Rising Lion achieved unprecedented success in eliminating Iranian military leadership through precision strikes against command facilities. The operation killed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Hossein Salami and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri, effectively decapitating Iran’s military command structure.
According to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, an airstrike against an underground meeting eliminated most of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force leadership after Israeli intelligence operations convinced them to convene for a critical meeting. The strike represents sophisticated intelligence-gathering capabilities combined with precision targeting that only stealth aircraft could accomplish against such heavily defended targets.
Six Iranian nuclear scientists were confirmed killed in the operation, including Fereydoon Abbasi, former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, along with four additional scientists identified as Abdulhamid Minouchehr, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, Seyyed Amirhossein Faqhi, and Motlabizadeh. This systematic targeting of nuclear expertise represents an unprecedented effort to degrade Iran’s human capital for weapons development.
F-35I aircraft conducted extensive Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) operations to enable follow-on strikes by conventional Israeli fighters. Israeli forces targeted Iranian strategic air defense radars and S-300 systems to create corridors for sustained bombing campaigns.
Video footage released by the IDF showed successful strikes against Iranian air defense installations, with secondary explosions indicating ammunition storage destruction. A radar site near Subashi in Hamadan province was specifically targeted and destroyed, degrading Iran’s early warning capabilities across western approaches.
The Kermanshah Underground Facility in the Zagros Mountains also suffered direct hits, with the site serving as a major storage and launch facility for Iranian ballistic missiles operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force. High-resolution satellite imagery confirmed successful strikes against this hardened underground complex, demonstrating the bunker-busting capabilities of Israeli precision weapons delivered by F-35I aircraft.
The unprecedented scale of Operation Rising Lion involved over 330 precision munitions striking more than 100 targets across multiple Iranian provinces, representing the largest Israeli military operation since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Israeli forces struck targets in Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Kerman, and other major Iranian cities, demonstrating reach and coordination capabilities that fundamentally alter Middle East strategic calculations.
President Donald Trump confirmed prior knowledge of the Israeli operation while emphasizing that the United States was “NOT involved militarily” in the strikes.²³ However, Trump indicated that more “brutal” attacks would follow, suggesting sustained Israeli operations against Iranian targets. The operation effectively ended ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, with Iran canceling its scheduled participation in talks.
International reaction included condemnation from multiple nations urging de-escalation, while regional allies including Saudi Arabia and the UAE reportedly provided intelligence support for the operation. Israel declared a state of special emergency, closing airspace and calling up “tens of thousands” of military reservists in preparation for Iranian retaliation.
Iran launched over 100 attack drones toward Israel in response to Operation Rising Lion, though these were largely intercepted by Israeli and allied air defense systems before reaching their targets. Iranian state media claimed the strikes were merely “the first wave” of retaliation, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the Israeli operation as revealing Israel’s “wicked nature” through attacks on residential areas.
Over 50 Iranian civilians were reported injured in Tehran’s Tajrish district, including 35 women and children taken to Chamran Hospital, according to Iranian state media. Iran suspended flights at Imam Khomeini International Airport and advised Chinese citizens to remain alert, indicating the broader regional impact of the operation.
Israeli officials reportedly expect Iranian retaliation involving “hundreds of ballistic missiles” but expressed confidence in their ability to intercept such attacks based on previous experience with Iranian missile barrages. The coming days will determine whether Operation Rising Lion represents a discrete military action or the opening phase of sustained Israeli operations against Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure.
Operation Rising Lion validates the strategic investment in F-35I modifications and establishes new benchmarks for stealth fighter operations in contested environments. The successful penetration of sophisticated Iranian air defenses while conducting precision strikes against hardened targets demonstrates capabilities that no other regional air force possesses.
The operation provides critical lessons for F-35 operators worldwide, particularly regarding sustained operations in high-threat environments and integration of stealth capabilities with conventional strike platforms. Israeli combat experience with F-35I systems now exceeds that of any other nation, offering invaluable insights for future conflicts involving advanced air defense systems.
For Iran, the operation demonstrates the ineffectiveness of Russian-supplied air defense systems against properly employed stealth technology, potentially affecting Iranian strategic calculations regarding nuclear program acceleration versus accommodation with international pressure.
The systematic targeting of nuclear scientists and military leadership represents a new model for precision coercion that other nations will undoubtedly study.
Operation Rising Lion marks a transformational moment in Middle East military affairs, with Israel’s F-35I “Adir” demonstrating unprecedented capabilities for strategic effect through precision application of fifth-generation fighter technology.
The operation’s success in penetrating Iranian airspace, destroying nuclear infrastructure, and eliminating key personnel validates Israeli investment in modified F-35 systems while establishing new precedents for preemptive action against nuclear proliferation threats.
As the situation continues developing, the long-term strategic implications of Operation Rising Lion will reshape regional balance-of-power calculations and influence international approaches to nuclear non-proliferation enforcement.
The F-35I has proven itself not merely as an advanced weapons platform, but as a strategic instrument capable of altering the trajectory of regional conflicts through precision application of overwhelming technological superiority.
Sources
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/12/middleeast/israel-iran-strikes-intl-hnk
https://www.twz.com/air/israels-operation-to-destroy-irans-nuclear-program-enters-new-phase
Everything We Know About Operation Rising Lion: Israel’s Attack on Iran
Israel’s F-35I “Adir”: A Strategic Game-Changer in Middle East Air Power