The Israel Defense Forces carried out several additional waves of airstrikes across Iran early Saturday, concentrating on the capital, Tehran, where explosions were reported near Mehrabad International Airport and in the residential district that includes Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s home and the presidential compound, according to Iranian state outlets.
Iranian media said the country’s air-defense batteries were activated repeatedly during the night in an effort to intercept Israeli aircraft. Before the raids, the Saudi-owned Al-Hadath channel quoted sources as saying that more than 40 Israeli fighter jets entered Iraqi airspace en route to Iran.
Blasts near Tehran’s main civilian hub
The official IRNA news agency reported a “loud explosion” around Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, while the semi-official Fars outlet said two missiles struck the vicinity of the airport. Newly appointed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ahmad Vahidi told Iranian television that “Operation Reliable Promise 3 will continue as long as necessary.”Earlier Friday, the IDF confirmed strikes on the Iranian Air Force bases at Hamadan and Tabriz in western Iran, saying the Tabriz facility was “destroyed.” In the same statement the army said it had hit “dozens of targets” in Iran’s air-defense network, as well as UAV hangars and missile launchers.
An Iranian official told Fars that Tehran would “immediately hit Israel’s economic and energy infrastructure” if Iran’s own infrastructure were attacked.
Magen David Adom said seven additional Israelis were wounded, including two medics lightly hurt when shrapnel struck an intensive-care ambulance. A later salvo triggered alerts across the north.
Wider campaign continues
The overnight strikes formed part of a broad IDF campaign, launched early Friday, aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear and ballistic-missile programs. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation would last “several days at least,” while other officials suggested it could stretch into weeks.During the opening hours alone, Israeli forces tried to assassinate some 25 senior Iranian nuclear scientists; Iranian outlets have so far confirmed at least three deaths. Israel also killed much of Iran’s top military leadership—including Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami, armed-forces chief Mohammad Bagheri and his deputy—Israeli officials claimed.
The Mossad, those officials added, deployed agents on Iranian soil to sabotage missile and air-defense sites in parallel with the airstrikes. Israel is expected to keep targeting uranium-enrichment facilities and additional military infrastructure in the coming days.
