Twelve-Day War Order of Battle

Israel's decision to launch Operation Rising Lion on June 13, 2025, was rooted in long-standing security concerns about Iran's nuclear program and ballistic-missile arsenal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the campaign's objectives as countering existential threats from both capabilities.[5] The twelve-day war was the first full-scale direct confrontation between Israel and Iran, rather than another proxy conflict or limited exchange.[1]

The opening Israeli attack combined airpower with intelligence, cyber, spectrum-warfare, naval, and special-operations capabilities, reflecting extensive preparation.[2] Mossad-supported personnel had reportedly smuggled drones, missiles, explosives, and other equipment into Iran over the preceding months, positioning assets near air-defense systems and mobile missile-launcher zones.[3] Globes reported that Mossad agents established a loitering-munitions base near Iranian launchers during the opening phase, helping prevent an immediate missile launch at Israel.[6] Reported cyber tools, radar jamming, and electronic warfare disrupted Iranian communications and helped open corridors for Israeli aircraft.[7]

Operation Rising Lion commenced in the early morning of June 13, 2025, with a five-wave Israeli air assault.[3] On the night of June 15–16, the IDF said 50 aircraft took part in overnight missions and struck 20 ballistic missiles before launch.[8] Israeli naval forces intercepted eight Iranian-launched drones during the same overnight period using Barak Magen systems aboard Sa'ar 6 ships, marking the system's first operational use.[9]

By June 16, the IDF reported destroying approximately 120 ballistic-missile launchers—about one-third of Iran's total—and attacking approximately 100 military targets in the Isfahan area.[9] A CRS report published June 17 said Iran had launched an estimated 370 cumulative ballistic missiles and struck 30 sites in Israel as of June 16.[10] Netanyahu told Israeli pilots on June 16 that the Air Force “controls the airspace over Tehran.”[8]

The United States carried out Operation Midnight Hammer on June 21–22, striking Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan during a 25-minute strike window within a 37-hour mission.[4] Iran retaliated against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on June 23; no U.S. casualties were reported, and published evidence indicated that the response was calibrated to avoid further escalation.[4] President Donald Trump announced on June 24 that Israel and Iran would end hostilities, and the ceasefire subsequently took effect after additional salvos and threatened responses.[3] A JCFA commentary characterized the ceasefire as enforced by Trump.[11]

The Israeli Air Force formed the primary strike arm of Operation Rising Lion. The opening assault on June 13 involved approximately 200 fighter aircraft, which dropped more than 330 air-to-surface munitions against more than 100 targets in western, northwestern, and central Iran, completing five attack waves by approximately 6:25 a.m.[3] BESA Center describes the overall opening force as several hundred crewed and uncrewed aircraft and says the Israeli Air Force operated over a range of approximately 2,000 kilometers.[2] F-16s, F-15s, and F-35s were among the aircraft types relevant to the long-distance campaign, though no source provides a model-by-model sortie breakdown.[12] One published account reports more than 200 planes, more than 1,000 sorties, and more than 900 Israeli drones employed against Iranian infrastructure during the twelve days.[13]

For the campaign as a whole, Israeli military figures published by Maariv describe more than 1,500 sorties, approximately 370 fighter-aircraft attacks, and more than 600 aerial refuelings.[14] The Jewish Virtual Library says the United States assisted with the refueling effort.[3] The deepest strike reached Mashhad Airport, approximately 2,400 kilometers from Israel, which Israeli military reporting described as the farthest fighter-aircraft attack of the operation.[14] Six Iranian airports and more than 35 sites involved in producing surface-to-surface or surface-to-air missiles were attacked, alongside dozens of headquarters within Iran's security leadership.[14]

A JCFA campaign analysis describes Israel's first 72 hours as five synchronized waves involving more than 300 guided munitions.[15] A separate JCFA account characterizes the operation as a coordinated deep-strike campaign combining advanced technology, covert operations, and intelligence use deep inside Iran; it says cheap drones cleared areas before F-35s conducted precision strikes.[16] The campaign analysis states that the Israeli Air Force operated over Iranian territory without losing an aircraft or requiring a pilot rescue and that Iranian air defenses, including Russian-built systems, failed to stop manned Israeli aircraft.[15] A separate account likewise reports no Israeli plane or pilot losses during the twelve days.[13]

The Israeli Navy also participated. Sa'ar 6-class missile ships equipped with the Barak Magen naval air-defense system intercepted eight Iranian-launched drones during one overnight period; CTech reported this as the first operational use of Barak Magen and the simultaneous first operational use of an LRAD device from those ships.[9] Barak long-range air-defense systems aboard Sa'ar 6 ships also participated in drone interceptions between June 15 and 16.[8]

Military Intelligence coordinated with the Air Force on intelligence and targeting throughout the operation.[14] Ynet reported that Mossad established a base for explosive drones inside Iran, introduced precision missiles to attack Iranian air-defense systems, and used explosive drones in the Tehran area against missiles and surface-to-surface launchers.[17] Israeli Zik and other Hermes-family UAVs operated over Tehran to search for senior Revolutionary Guards personnel and truck-mounted anti-aircraft launchers.[9]

The opening Israeli strikes targeted Iranian nuclear and missile facilities, air defenses, and command infrastructure, including the General Staff and intelligence headquarters in Tehran.[3] Named target sites include Natanz, Arak, Parchin, Khondab, and facilities in Kermanshah, Ilam, Qom, Hamadan, Khorramabad, Piranshahr, Tabriz, and Qasr-e Shirin.[3] The campaign also struck the Imam Hussein strategic-missile headquarters in the Yazd area, where long-range Khorramshahr missiles were reportedly stored and where the site functioned as a launch center for approximately 60 missiles aimed at Israel.[18] Approximately 30 Israeli fighter aircraft used more than 60 precision munitions in attacks across Isfahan, Bushehr, Ahvaz, and the Yazd area.[18]

The campaign against Iranian launch capabilities was a central focus. The IDF reported striking 150 targets between June 13 and the morning of June 14, of which 40 were missile-related or linked to air defenses.[8] By June 16, the IDF said it had destroyed 120 ballistic-missile launchers, described as approximately one-third of Iran's total.[8] More than 20 surface-to-surface missiles prepared for launch at Israel were reportedly destroyed before firing.[9] Israeli forces also targeted underground missile storage tunnels and launch sites, fuel-production facilities, and planetary mixers used in missile-engine manufacture.[8]

Reported figures for total Iranian launcher losses vary considerably. Israeli military reporting published by Maariv gives approximately 200 surface-to-surface missile launchers destroyed.[14] The Jewish Virtual Library provides two estimates on the same page: approximately 120 launchers, or about one-third of Iran's total, in one passage and approximately 200 launchers, or about half, in another.[3] A CRS report cited the United Kingdom's chief of defense staff as assessing that subsequent Israeli strikes had eliminated Iran's ability to produce ballistic missiles for one year.[10]

Beyond launchers, Israeli military reporting describes the destruction of about 80 of roughly 100 surface-to-air missile systems in the operational areas, 70 radars, and 15 Iranian aircraft.[14] More than 35 missile-production sites were struck.[14] A JCFA account reports more than 80 Iranian surface-to-air batteries destroyed, approximately 65 percent of Iran's launchers neutralized, and an initial assessment that up to 1,000 ballistic missiles were destroyed on the ground; these are presented as campaign assessments rather than independently verified inventories.[15]

Airfield attacks were a distinct operational line. Ynet reported that Israeli remotely piloted aircraft destroyed 15 Iranian aircraft and helicopters at six airfields, including F-14, F-5, and AH-1 Cobra types, and damaged runways, underground hangars, and a tanker aircraft.[17] Specifically, four F-14s were reported destroyed, three AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters were destroyed at a base in Kermanshah, and two F-5s were attacked at Dezful.[17] The Long War Journal gave a lower figure of three Iranian F-14s and two F-5s destroyed by Israeli airpower.[19]

The elimination of senior Iranian military commanders was an explicit component of the Israeli campaign. The operation included targeted killings of senior Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists.[1] Three commanders killed in the opening operation were IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, and IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh.[3]

Long War Journal's June 17 account expands the list to include Emergency Response Headquarters head Gholam Ali Rashid and his successor Ali Shadmani, IRGC UAV Unit commander Taher Pour, and air-defense commander Daoud Shihyan, while noting that its list was not exhaustive and recording several successor appointments.[20] A JCFA account adds Quds Force officers Saeed Izadi and Mohammad Shahriari, IRGC intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi, and his deputy Hassan Mohaqiq, and reports more than 20 senior Iranian military commanders killed overall.[15]

Nuclear scientists were also targeted. A JCFA article reports that Mossad assassinated 17 senior Iranian nuclear scientists during the conflict and that Israeli security officials assessed that the killings and airstrikes severely disrupted Iran's nuclear ambitions; approximately 80 Iranian nuclear scientists reportedly survived.[11] These figures and damage assessments are attributed to Israeli officials or security sources.

Iran's principal forces and commands involved in the conflict were the regular armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC Aerospace Force, the IRGC UAV Unit, the air-defense command, the surface-to-surface missile array, the Armed Forces General Staff, and the Emergency Response Headquarters. The last of these coordinated planning across the IRGC and regular army.[20]

Iran's conventional air force did not attempt to repel Israeli or U.S. aircraft. It consisted of aging U.S.-supplied F-14s, F-5s, and F-4s alongside Russian, French, and Chinese aircraft; the IRGC also operated a limited number of aircraft.[19] Israeli aircraft consequently operated over Iranian territory without interference from Iranian fighters throughout the campaign.[19]

Iran's primary retaliatory instruments were its ballistic-missile array and UAV force. Reported totals differ by source and reporting window. INSS gives approximately 500 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 UAVs, while BESA Center reports 550 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 UAVs.[1][2] The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports more than 550 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 armed drones, noting that many targeted civilian population centers.[21] JNS reports more than 530 ballistic missiles fired in 42 salvos.[22] Long War Journal gives a figure of 591 medium-range missiles launched during the fighting.[19] An early CRS report recorded 150 missiles in response to the June 13 attack.[23] A later snapshot placed the cumulative figure at approximately 370 by June 16.[10] The Center for Israel Education timeline gives 500 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones without specifying its counting method.[24]

The Iranian navy and IRGC Navy were not a major focus of the Israeli campaign and remained relatively unscathed. The IRGC Navy possessed more than 125 patrol boats.[19] Israeli strikes did target a naval facility that may have housed drones, a suspected coastal cavern for missile boats, and an intelligence-gathering ship previously used to provide targeting information to the Houthis; the facility and cavern identifications remained uncertain.[19]

Intercepting the Iranian missile and drone offensive required a layered multinational defense network. Systems documented on the Israeli side included Arrow 3, Arrow 2, THAAD, David's Sling, and Iron Dome.[3] A U.S. THAAD system was defending Israel from ballistic-missile threats before the conflict, according to June 10 testimony by U.S. Central Command commander General Michael Kurilla.[23]

U.S. Navy destroyers deployed to the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea carried SM-2, SM-3, and SM-6 interceptors.[3] JNS reports that two U.S. THAAD batteries fired more than 80 interceptors during the war, while a separate report it cites gives a figure of more than 150 THAAD missiles fired.[22] Aegis-equipped ships launched four to five SM-3 interceptors, while the use of ship-launched SM-6 missiles was described as likely.[22] U.S. forces also helped intercept Iranian missiles during the initial response salvos.[23]

A JCFA account reports interception rates of 80–90 percent for the integrated Israeli defense effort, supported by the United States and Jordan, and says only one UAV reached a city without causing casualties.[15] JNS separately reports an 86 percent interception rate for ballistic missiles engaged by defense systems and 36–40 direct urban impacts.[22] The IDF reported approximately 100 drone interceptions by June 15, while the opening Iranian drone wave was reportedly intercepted outside Israeli borders.[8][3] By a later point in the campaign, the IDF estimated that Iran had launched approximately 1,000 UAVs toward Israel and that Israeli Air Force and Navy units had intercepted more than 500.[18]

Iranian ballistic missiles penetrated Israeli defenses in some instances. INSS reports approximately 30 civilian deaths and extensive property damage.[1] The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives a contemporaneous figure of 28 civilian deaths, one off-duty soldier killed at home, and more than 3,300 people wounded.[21] JNS reported 30 fatalities, while a Jerusalem Post account said more than 24 Israelis had been killed.[22][12] The differences reflect reporting dates and counting methods.

The United States entered the conflict directly on June 21–22, 2025, with Operation Midnight Hammer, striking Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.[4] U.S. Central Command executed the operation, whose details were presented by Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine at a Pentagon briefing.[4]

The strike package comprised more than 125 U.S. aircraft, including seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, refueling tankers, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft.[4] The B-2s departed the continental United States on a mission reported as lasting 37 hours.[4] A Mako account noted that Sean Hannity's more specific claim that all seven bombers struck Fordow lacked official confirmation from the Pentagon, Air Force, or Navy, even though the Pentagon briefing described seven B-2s in the wider operation.[25]

The primary munitions were 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators—30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs—representing their first combat use.[4] The GBU-57s were used against Fordow and Natanz, while a U.S. Navy guided-missile submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles against Isfahan.[4] The weapons struck during a 25-minute span, and the operation employed approximately 75 precision-guided weapons in total.[4]

Published accounts differ on bomb allocation and aircraft numbers. The Jewish Virtual Library reports 14 GBU-57s in total.[4] A Jerusalem Post briefing account describes two penetrators dropped first followed by “another 14,” implying a different total.[26] A JNS article reports two B-2 bombers and 14 GBU-57 bombs on Fordow, alongside 30 submarine-launched Tomahawks at Natanz and Isfahan.[13] Ynet reports six B-2s, 12 GBU-57 bombs at Fordow and two at Natanz, with approximately 30 Tomahawks launched from submarines.[18] These discrepancies are unresolved.

Initial U.S. assessments described very severe damage at all three sites, while an initial U.S. official assessment reported by Ynet said Fordow had been seriously damaged but not destroyed.[18] Subsequent accounts continued to dispute the degree and durability of the damage, the location of Iran's enriched-uranium stockpile, and the length of the setback to the nuclear program.[4] Iran disputed claims that its program had been destroyed.[4]

Following the U.S. strikes, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on June 23. No U.S. casualties were reported, and published evidence indicated that the attack was calibrated to avoid escalation.[4] A JCFA account reports that Iran fired 14 missiles at U.S. bases and that all were intercepted.[15]

Across the twelve days, Israeli military reporting compiled by Maariv describes more than 1,500 sorties; attacks on more than 900 targets and 1,500 target components; approximately 370 fighter-aircraft attacks; and more than 600 aerial refuelings.[14] The campaign struck more than 35 missile-production sites, six Iranian airports, and dozens of security-leadership headquarters.[14] Approximately 80 of roughly 100 surface-to-air missile systems in the Israeli operational areas were reported destroyed, along with 70 radars and 15 Iranian aircraft.[14]

One JNS analysis reports more than 1,000 Israeli sorties, over 200 planes, and more than 900 Israeli drones employed, with no Israeli aircraft or pilot losses.[13] The Jewish Virtual Library's campaign summary gives approximately 1,500 sorties, strikes on 35 missile-production sites, destruction of 15 Iranian aircraft, approximately 600 aerial refuelings with U.S. assistance, and the deepest strike at Mashhad Airport approximately 2,400 kilometers from Israel.[3]

For Iranian forces, an interim CRS estimate was approximately 370 ballistic missiles as of June 16, while Long War Journal later reported 591 medium-range missiles during the fighting.[10][19] The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports more than 550 ballistic missiles, and JNS reports more than 530.[21][22] Iranian UAV launches are reported as more than 1,000 by multiple sources.[1][2] A JCFA account places interception rates at 80–90 percent with U.S. and Jordanian support.[15] JNS gives an 86 percent interception rate for missiles engaged by defense systems, with 36–40 direct urban impacts.[22]

Contemporaneous Israeli loss figures also varied. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported 28 civilian deaths, one off-duty soldier killed at home, and more than 3,300 wounded.[21] Other accounts reported totals ranging from more than 24 to 30 fatalities.[22][12] Israeli sources reported more than 20 senior Iranian military commanders and 17 senior nuclear scientists killed, with approximately 80 nuclear scientists surviving.[15][11]

The ceasefire took effect on June 24 after final Iranian salvos, threatened Israeli responses, and direct intervention by President Trump. Israel said it had accepted a U.S. ceasefire proposal, while both governments subsequently indicated that they would comply while retaining the right to defend themselves.[21][3] The agreement ended the twelve days of open hostilities but did not produce a comprehensive settlement or a verified final inventory of losses.

The immediate aftermath also left major damage questions unresolved. Published assessments agreed that Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan had sustained severe damage but differed over whether the effects were temporary or lasting and whether most of Iran's enriched uranium remained accessible.[4] Israeli reporting assessed that Iran's missile launchers, air defenses, production facilities, and command structure had been heavily degraded.[14] Long War Journal nevertheless noted that Iran retained significant missile, UAV, naval, and ground-force capabilities and could rebuild parts of its damaged military infrastructure.[19]

The available open-source material does not establish a complete formal order of battle for either side. No reviewed source provides detailed Israeli or Iranian unit rosters, squadron designations, a comprehensive air-defense force composition with system-by-system interception counts, or a verified inventory of all forces deployed.[1][2] Israeli aircraft types—F-35, F-15, and F-16—are identified in some accounts but without model-by-model sortie allocations.[13][12]

Operational figures, including aircraft totals, launcher destruction counts, and interception rates, are generally attributed to the IDF or other Israeli military reporting rather than independently verified.[14][8] Iranian missile and drone totals vary across sources and reporting dates.[1][2] Long War Journal also uses the narrower category of medium-range missiles for its 591 figure, further complicating direct comparison.[19]

Assessments of damage to Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan remained disputed, and the status of Iran's enriched-uranium stockpile was not established in the cited accounts.[4] The Jerusalem Post and Ynet accounts differ on the allocation of GBU-57 bombs, while a JNS report provides a separate two-B-2 variant.[18][26] The Mako article says only that Hannity's claim that all seven bombers struck Fordow lacked official confirmation; it does not undermine the Pentagon briefing's seven-B-2 total for the wider operation.[25]

Descriptions of covert activities—including Mossad drone infiltration and the killing of nuclear scientists—are based primarily on Israeli official, media, or security-source reporting rather than independently verified battlefield documentation. Reported destruction totals should therefore be read as attributed campaign claims, not as a fully reconciled or independently audited inventory.