ed note–for reference on this, please see the ed note commentary here
Times of Israel
Israel spent years preparing for the operation against Iran’s nuclear and missile programs that was launched early Friday morning, a security official told The Times of Israel, that included building a drone base inside Iran and smuggling precision weapons systems and commandos into the country.
The operation — dubbed ‘Rising Lion’ — saw more than 200 Israeli Air Force aircraft participate in the opening strikes, as fighter jets dropped over 330 munitions on some 100 targets, the IDF said.
The effort hinged on tight joint planning between the Israel Defense Forces and the Mossad intelligence agency.
According to the official, Mossad agents set up a drone base on Iranian soil near Tehran. The drones were activated overnight, striking surface-to-surface missile launchers aimed at Israel.
These systems took out Iran’s air defenses and gave Israeli planes air supremacy and freedom of action over Iran.
The third covert effort was Mossad commandos deploying precision missiles near anti-aircraft sites in central Iran.
The operations relied on ‘groundbreaking thinking, bold planning and surgical operation of advanced technologies, special forces and agents operating in the heart of Iran while evading the eyes of local intelligence,’ the official said.
The Mossad later revealed rare footage showing its actions in Iran.
According to a different Israeli official, the United States knew about the planned operation for at least a week. Israel and the US are ‘continuously involved,’ the official said.
The Americans are working to rebuild the regional coalition that confronted the previous Iranian attacks on Israel in April 2024 and October 2024. Even so, in the event of an Iranian missile barrage, Israel expects some missiles to get through, said the official.
Iran on Friday morning launched more than 100 drones at Israel, prompting the Air Force to begin shooting them down before they reached Israel’s borders. At about 10:50 a.m. — around the time that the drones were expected to reach Israel — the military’s Home Front Command said civilians no longer needed to remain close to bomb shelters.
The official also said that Aryeh Deri, leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, was informed that the strike was going to happen, and that it was not the time to dissolve the government, as seemed likely amid a coalition crisis over drafting ultra-Orthodox men to the military.
Opposition leaders, however, were not updated ahead of time.